When did the legend of the Excalibur sword originate?

Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his "Historia Regum Britanniae" ("The History of the Kings of Britain", c. 1136), Latinised the name of Arthur's sword as "Caliburnus" (potentially influenced by the Medieval Latin spelling "calibs" of Classical Latin "chalybs", from Greek "chályps" ["χάλυψ"] "steel"). Most Celticists consider Geoffrey's "Caliburnus" to be derivative of a lost Old Welsh text in which "bwlch" (Old Welsh "bulc[h]") had not yet been lenited to "fwlch" (Middle Welsh "vwlch" or "uwlch"). In the late 15th/early 16th-century Middle Cornish play "Beunans Ke", Arthur's sword is called "Calesvol", which is etymologically an exact Middle Cornish cognate of the Welsh "Caledfwlch". It is unclear if the name was borrowed from the Welsh (if so, it must have been an early loan, for phonological reasons), or represents an early, pan-Brittonic traditional name for Arthur's sword.

Excalibur

Excalibur (), or Caliburn, is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are sometimes said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. Excalibur was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. In Welsh, it is called "Caledfwlch"; in Cornish, "Calesvol"; in Breton, "Kaledvoulc'h"; and in Latin, "Caliburnus".

The name "Excalibur" ultimately derives from the Welsh "Caledfwlch" (and Breton "Kaledvoulc'h", Middle Cornish "Calesvol") which is a compound of'"hard" and'"breach, cleft". Caledfwlch appears in several early Welsh works, including the prose tale "Culhwch and Olwen". The name was later used in Welsh adaptations of foreign material such as the "Brut"s (chronicles), which were based on Geoffrey of Monmouth. It is often considered to be related to the phonetically similar "Caladbolg", a sword borne by several figures from Irish mythology, although a borrowing of "Caledfwlch" from Irish "Caladbolg" has been considered unlikely by Rachel Bromwich and D. Simon Evans. They suggest instead that both names "may have similarly arisen at a very early date as generic names for a sword"; this sword then became exclusively the property of Arthur in the British tradition.

In Old French sources this then became "Escalibor", "Excalibor", and finally the familiar "Excalibur". Geoffrey Gaimar, in his Old French "L'Estoire des Engleis" (1134-1140), mentions Arthur and his sword: "this Constantine was the nephew of Arthur, who had the sword Caliburc" (""Cil Costentin, li niès Artur, Ki out l'espée Caliburc""). In Wace's "Roman de Brut" (c. 1150-1155), an Old French translation and versification of Geoffrey's "Historia", the sword is called "Calabrum", "Callibourc", "Chalabrun", and "Calabrun" (with alternate spellings such as "Chalabrum", "Calibore", "Callibor", "Caliborne", "Calliborc", and "Escaliborc", found in various manuscripts of the "Brut").

In Chrétien de Troyes' late 12th-century Old French "Perceval", Arthur's knight Gawain carries the sword "Escalibor" and it is stated, "for at his belt hung Escalibor, the finest sword that there was, which sliced through iron as through wood" (""Qu'il avoit cainte Escalibor, la meillor espee qui fust, qu'ele trenche fer come fust""). This statement was probably picked up by the author of the "Estoire Merlin", or Vulgate Merlin, where the author (who was fond of fanciful folk etymologies) asserts that Escalibor "is a Hebrew name which means in French 'cuts iron, steel, and wood'" (""c'est non Ebrieu qui dist en franchois trenche fer & achier et fust""; note that the word for "steel" here, achier, also means "blade" or "sword" and comes from medieval Latin "aciarium", a derivative of "acies" "sharp", so there is no direct connection with Latin "chalybs" in this etymology). It is from this fanciful etymological musing that Thomas Malory got the notion that Excalibur meant "cut steel" (""the name of it,' said the lady, 'is Excalibur, that is as moche to say, as Cut stele"").

In Arthurian romance, a number of explanations are given for Arthur's possession of Excalibur. In Robert de Boron's "Merlin", the first tale to mention the "sword in the stone" motif, Arthur obtained the British throne by pulling a sword from an anvil sitting atop a stone that appeared in a churchyard on Christmas Eve. In this account, the act could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon. As Malory writes: ""Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born."" This sword is thought by many to be the famous Excalibur, and its identity is made explicit in the later Prose "Merlin", part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle.

However, in what is called the Post-Vulgate Cycle, Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign. In the Vulgate "Mort Artu", Arthur is at the brink of death and so orders Griflet to throw the sword into the enchanted lake; after two failed attempts (as he felt such a great sword should not be thrown away), Griflet finally complies with the wounded king's request and a hand emerges from the lake to catch it. This tale becomes attached to Bedivere instead of Griflet in Malory and the English tradition. Malory records both versions of the legend in his "Le Morte d'Arthur", naming both swords as Excalibur.

In Welsh legends, Arthur's sword is known as "Caledfwlch". In "Culhwch and Olwen", it is one of Arthur's most valuable possessions and is used by Arthur's warrior Llenlleawg the Irishman to kill the Irish king Diwrnach while stealing his magical cauldron. Irish mythology mentions a weapon "Caladbolg", the sword of Fergus mac Róich, which was also known for its incredible power and was carried by some of Ireland's greatest heroes. The name, which can also mean "hard cleft" in Irish, appears in the plural, "caladbuilc", as a generic term for "great swords" in "Togail Troi" ("The Destruction of Troy"), the 10th-century Irish translation of the classical tale.

Though not named as Caledfwlch, Arthur's sword is described vividly in "The Dream of Rhonabwy", one of the tales associated with the "Mabinogion":

Geoffrey's "Historia" is the first non-Welsh source to speak of the sword. Geoffrey says the sword was forged in Avalon and Latinises the name "Caledfwlch" as "Caliburnus". When his influential pseudo-history made it to Continental Europe, writers altered the name further until it finally took on the popular form "Excalibur" (various spellings in the medieval Arthurian romance and chronicle tradition include: "Calabrun", "Calabrum", "Calibourne", "Callibourc", "Calliborc", "Calibourch", "Escaliborc", and "Escalibor"). The legend was expanded upon in the Vulgate Cycle, also known as the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, and in the Post-Vulgate Cycle which emerged in its wake. Both included the work known as the "Prose Merlin", but the Post-Vulgate authors left out the "Merlin" continuation from the earlier cycle, choosing to add an original account of Arthur's early days including a new origin for Excalibur.

In several early French works, such as Chrétien de Troyes' "Perceval, the Story of the Grail" and the Vulgate "Lancelot Proper" section, Excalibur is used by Gawain, Arthur's nephew and one of his best knights. This is in contrast to later versions, where Excalibur belongs solely to the king. The challenge of drawing a sword from a stone also appears in the later Arthurian stories of Galahad, whose achievement of the task indicates that he is destined to find the Holy Grail.

In many versions, Excalibur's blade was engraved with phrases on opposite sides: "Take me up" and "Cast me away" (or similar). In addition, when Excalibur was first drawn, in the first battle testing Arthur's sovereignty, its blade blinded his enemies. Malory writes: ""thenne he drewe his swerd Excalibur, but it was so breyght in his enemyes eyen that it gaf light lyke thirty torchys.""

Excalibur's scabbard was said to have powers of its own. Loss of blood from injuries, for example, would not kill the bearer. In some tellings, wounds received by one wearing the scabbard did not bleed at all. In the later romance tradition, including "Le Morte d'Arthur", the scabbard is stolen from Arthur by his half-sister Morgan le Fay in revenge for the death of her beloved Accolon and thrown into a lake, never to be found again. This act later enables the death of Arthur at the Battle of Camlann.

Excalibur is by no means the only weapon associated with Arthur, nor the only sword. Welsh tradition also knew of a dagger named Carnwennan and a spear named Rhongomyniad that belonged to him. Carnwennan ("little white-hilt") first appears in "Culhwch and Olwen", where Arthur uses it to slice the witch Orddu in half. Rhongomyniad ("spear" + "striker, slayer") is also mentioned in "Culhwch", although only in passing; it appears as simply "Ron" ("spear") in Geoffrey's "Historia".

The Alliterative "Morte Arthure", a Middle English poem, mentions Clarent, a sword of peace meant for knighting and ceremonies as opposed to battle, which Mordred stole and then used to kill Arthur at Camlann. The Prose "Lancelot" of the Vulgate Cycle mentions a sword called Seure, which belonged to the king but was used by Lancelot in one battle.

In Welsh mythology, the "Dyrnwyn" ("White-Hilt"), one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain, is said to be a powerful sword belonging to Rhydderch Hael, one of the Three Generous Men of Britain mentioned in the Welsh Triads. When drawn by a worthy or well-born man, the entire blade would blaze with fire. Rhydderch was never reluctant to hand the weapon to anyone, hence his nickname Hael "the Generous", but the recipients, as soon as they had learned of its peculiar properties, always rejected the sword.

There are other similar weapons described in other mythologies. In particular, Claíomh Solais, which is an Irish term meaning "Sword of Light", or "Shining Sword", appears in a number of orally transmitted Irish folk-tales.