Excaliber?

[Grace]

Fact or fiction?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZCsBhmjvuQ]‪Excalibur - Sword in the Stone Real King Arthur legend‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

 

[AllieBaba]

Except..Arthur took the sword OUT of the stone.....

Have you read TH White? This is such a fantastic legend.

 

[Lumpy 1]

I say fiction..

King Arthur ...sheesh .. an abundance of scenarios..

 

[editec]

There might have been a former ROMAN LANDLORD who, after the withdrawl of the Roman Legions took over the responsibility of defending some parts of England.

That I do not doubt one bit.

 

[Nate]

Eh, I'm going to lean more on the side of fiction. Great story though, both the Christian and Pagan versions. IMO, I'd say Arthur was a story created by the monk Ninnius. Another one of those legends written a couple hundred years after the fact...

 

[Anachronism]

As with all Legends, there almost has to be some kernel of truth to it. Stories of heroic weapons and the men who wielded them have existed for as long as mankind has been making weapons. They even exist in the Bible. The idea that a particular weapon can make a man invinvible, or has certain powers goes to the heart of the ideal behind combat.... Courage.

The Vikings were well known for naming their weapons fearsome and gruesome things.... "Skull-Ripper", "Knee-Biter", "Wasp Sting" (a bow), MJOLNIR (Thor's Hammer) etc.... to strike fear into their enemies and to help settle their own nerves. So why would it be so amazing to find that a Saxon Lord carried a blade called "Excaliber" which was purportedly given to him by a supernatural force in his moment of need?

 

[Two Thumbs]

A little of both.

There may well have been a sword called excaliber, but instead of being majic, it was used by a man who's skills with it were unmatched.

consider shoalin monks. 1500 years ago, thier skills may have been considered majical to a farmer whose claim to fame is the ability to uproot more turnips than anyone else instead of year upon year of constant training.

 

[Anachronism]

A little of both.

There may well have been a sword called excaliber, but instead of being majic, it was used by a man who's skills with it were unmatched.

Exactly. Did the Sword make the Man, or did the Man make the Sword?

 

[whitehall]

The mumbo-jumbo "science" we see these days is designed to make a buck. They will throw a bunch of unproven theories mixed with psudo science drivel at you and expound on them as if they were true. As long as the money keeps coming in they can find a "scientist" who will try to convince you that Excalibur is real, space-time wormholes transport ET aliens and the US is responsible for global warming.

 

[konradv]

Calling the Sword in the Stone "Excalibur" doesn't fit the Arthurian legend, as I know it. They were two different swords. The pulling of the Sword in the Stone was the feat that made Arthur king. Excalibur, on the other hand, was made later and presented to him by the Lady of the Lake. I know there are many variations to the story, but I don't recall any that conflated the two swords. Help with a cite?

 

[konradv]

As with all Legends, there almost has to be some kernel of truth to it. Stories of heroic weapons and the men who wielded them have existed for as long as mankind has been making weapons. They even exist in the Bible. The idea that a particular weapon can make a man invinvible, or has certain powers goes to the heart of the ideal behind combat.... Courage.

The Vikings were well known for naming their weapons fearsome and gruesome things.... "Skull-Ripper", "Knee-Biter", "Wasp Sting" (a bow), MJOLNIR (Thor's Hammer) etc.... to strike fear into their enemies and to help settle their own nerves. So why would it be so amazing to find that a Saxon Lord carried a blade called "Excaliber" which was purportedly given to him by a supernatural force in his moment of need?

Not to be too picky, but Arthur wasn't a Saxon lord, he was a British Celt. The Saxons were his enemy.

 

[Two Thumbs]

A little of both.

There may well have been a sword called excaliber, but instead of being majic, it was used by a man who's skills with it were unmatched.

Exactly. Did the Sword make the Man, or did the Man make the Sword?

Both probably.

You put a crap sword in the hands of a master, the crappyness will still throw him off.

Put the best blade in his hands and he will awe the other bladesmen around him.


Just think of all the boxing champs that made it and stayed there.
per my Dad; The Brown Bomber fought monthy and his opponent was called "The bum of the month." He was so good, there was no doubt.

 

[daveman]

Calling the Sword in the Stone "Excalibur" doesn't fit the Arthurian legend, as I know it. They were two different swords. The pulling of the Sword in the Stone was the feat that made Arthur king. Excalibur, on the other hand, was made later and presented to him by the Lady of the Lake. I know there are many variations to the story, but I don't recall any that conflated the two swords. Help with a cite?

Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you. Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away.

 

[konradv]

Calling the Sword in the Stone "Excalibur" doesn't fit the Arthurian legend, as I know it. They were two different swords. The pulling of the Sword in the Stone was the feat that made Arthur king. Excalibur, on the other hand, was made later and presented to him by the Lady of the Lake. I know there are many variations to the story, but I don't recall any that conflated the two swords. Help with a cite?

Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you. Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away.

You've got the story wrong. Power was conferred by pulling the of the Sword in the Stone and the masses gave their mandate on that account. The presentation of Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake came later.

 

[konradv]

BTW, who's read "The Mists of Avalon"? An excellent retelling of the story from a perspective different from the legendary tales, IMO.

 

[daveman]

Calling the Sword in the Stone "Excalibur" doesn't fit the Arthurian legend, as I know it. They were two different swords. The pulling of the Sword in the Stone was the feat that made Arthur king. Excalibur, on the other hand, was made later and presented to him by the Lady of the Lake. I know there are many variations to the story, but I don't recall any that conflated the two swords. Help with a cite?

Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you. Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away.

You've got the story wrong. Power was conferred by pulling the of the Sword in the Stone and the masses gave their mandate on that account. The presentation of Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake came later.

*sigh*

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[konradv]

Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you. Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away.

You've got the story wrong. Power was conferred by pulling the of the Sword in the Stone and the masses gave their mandate on that account. The presentation of Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake came later.

*sigh*

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monty Python?!?! What does that have to do with anything?

 

[Two Thumbs]

Calling the Sword in the Stone "Excalibur" doesn't fit the Arthurian legend, as I know it. They were two different swords. The pulling of the Sword in the Stone was the feat that made Arthur king. Excalibur, on the other hand, was made later and presented to him by the Lady of the Lake. I know there are many variations to the story, but I don't recall any that conflated the two swords. Help with a cite?

Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you. Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away.

You've got the story wrong. Power was conferred by pulling the of the Sword in the Stone and the masses gave their mandate on that account. The presentation of Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake came later.

Please report to the nearest tittie bar and turn in your Man Club membership card and pick up your dunce cap.

 

[Two Thumbs]

You've got the story wrong. Power was conferred by pulling the of the Sword in the Stone and the masses gave their mandate on that account. The presentation of Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake came later.

*sigh*

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monty Python?!?! What does that have to do with anything?

holy lee sheet!

Instead of the dunce cap, make sure they issue you a vagina.

 

[daveman]

You've got the story wrong. Power was conferred by pulling the of the Sword in the Stone and the masses gave their mandate on that account. The presentation of Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake came later.

*sigh*

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monty Python?!?! What does that have to do with anything?