| − | Excalibur (Caliburn in [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]) is the magical sword owned by [[King Arthur]], which he obtained by pulling it out of a stone to prove his right to the throne. It is said to have protected its owner from wounding in battle. When the Arthurian myths were revived in the [[Middle Ages]], the kings of England claimed that Excalibur was still in their possession (even though Arthur is supposed to have thrown it into a lake). King Richard the Lionheart gave this alleged Excalibur as a gift to King Tancred of Sicily, after which it disappeared into the same mythological lacuna as the [[Holy Grail]], the [[Ark of the Covenant]], and the [[Lance of Longinus]]. | + | '''Excalibur''' (Caliburn in [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]) is the magical sword owned by [[King Arthur]], which he obtained by pulling it out of a stone to prove his right to the throne. It is said to have protected its owner from wounding in battle. When the Arthurian myths were revived in the [[Middle Ages]], the kings of England claimed that Excalibur was still in their possession (even though Arthur is supposed to have thrown it into a lake). [[King Richard the Lionheart]] gave this alleged Excalibur as a gift to King Tancred of Sicily, after which it disappeared into the same mythological lacuna as the [[Holy Grail]], the [[Ark of the Covenant]], and the [[Lance of Longinus]]. |