The True Story Behind The Sword in the Stone

Was Excalibur the actual Sword in the Stone? Was Arthur Pendragon real? Who was Merlin? Legends and theories abound about the figures related to King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The stories range from heroic to decidedly not. Real or mythological, the Arthurian lore holds our interest to this day.

To read more about the sword in the stone theories and stories, go here:

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[NASCARFAN]

"It's up to you how far you'll go. If you don't try, you'll never know."

-Merlin, The Sword in the Stone

[ridureyu]

Caliburn and Excalibur - the sword in the stone and the sword in the lake - may be meant to be different weapons. One to prove he is kind, one to wield as ruler. Mallory definitely subscribed to this one.

[grapeshot]

I remember in the Disney version, Merlin came back from the future wearing a pair of red Converse tennis shoes, which were very popular at the time when that animated movie came out.

[joermnyc]

“You can't expect to wield supreme power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!” -Dennis

[knighthawk]

The 2000's King Arthur movie with Clive Owen is severely underrated

[davidlancaster]

Very cool. Im sure everyone is glad the regular narrator is back. Yay! Go Arthur!!

[CanyonBlueCapt]

Malory's best seller fictions aside, many archeologists think the concept of a "Sword in a stone" dates back to the bronze age. Unlike steel swords which are forged, bronze swords were cast using molten bronze poured into a mold. Those molds were made of sand or stone, so literally, pre iron age swords emerged from a stone. There are a lot of similar examples of ancient weapons manufacturing technology inspiring mythology. Some scholars believe that the polished stone war hammers that were common during the late paleolithic were the inspiration for the legend of Thor's hammer in Norse mythology.

[Leguminator]

"The Sword & Stone" was the name of the restaurant in my home town's Holiday Inn. The restaurant & hotel lobby had an Arthurian theme including a large stone with a sword in it at the exterior front entrance -- trying to remove the sword was a way for kids to pass the time while waiting in line for Mother's Day brunch. I never thought much about it until this video, might be some nice winter reading.

[VJacquette]

In Celtic times, all swords were drawn from stones at the beginning and often cast into lakes at the end. Stone was used as a cast or mold for the metal. When the metal hardened, the finished sword was drawn from the stone. The deities of that time were often thought to live in the waters, so metal objects like swords were often sacrificed to them. Archaeologists have found lots of metal objects from this era in Britain's waterways. Legends often preserve cultural particulars long after people have forgotten those ways of life, as with the sword drawn from the stone and the casting the sword into the lake.

[Hollarious]

Thrilled that you put in some stills from BBC Merlin. In my nerdy little Merthur heart, it's by far the best version. ♥️

[MariaMartinez-researcher]

A movie most missed in the video: Excalibur, directed by John Boorman, 1981. "Epic, tragic, and dark." And erotic. Patrick Stewart in a secondary role steals every scene he is in, Liam Neeson is there too just starting to acquire a special set of skills, Helen Mirren is a sexy and deadly Morgan le Fay. Nicol Williamson is the most alien and weird Merlin ever seen on a screen. Fantastic FX and glorious music.

[clintdempseyisgoat]

Anyone remembers watching a "A Kid in King Arthur's Court"??? Or "Kids of the RoundTable"??

[davidlancaster]

Archeologists have discovered details describing a Roman leader named Arcturos who was stationed in Britain before Christ. About 400 years after Christ another leader in Britain with a similar name came to power. It is thought by some that these two people's lives were spun into fables and were later mixed up and confused there by turning into one person who's deeds were greatly embellished.

[iaincrawford]

Absolutely fantastic, I loved every moment of the video.
Amusing, entertaining and fascinating

[arcturionblade]

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

[ridureyu]

Lately, I've run across complaints that modern depictions of the Knights of the Round Table are too "anime" - giving them all sorts of goofy powers, and sending them on weird over-the-top adventures.
Allow me to point out that the following are all actual things that appear in the older tales about the Knights:
• Sir Kay is said to have had the power to grow to giant size, hold his breath for nine days, and radiate supernatural heat from his hands.
• Sir Bedivere openly practiced sorcery, and suffered from an accordingly sinister reputation; on more than one occasion, he was saved from being hanged as a witch only by King Arthur's testimonly to his good character:
• Sir Galahad possessed supernatural strength and speed by virtue of his moral and sexual purity - making him a rare example of a male character with virginity-fueled super powers
• Sir Balin once wielded the Lance of Longinus, and blew up an entire kingdom with a single blow. He also fought an evil knight with the power of invisibility
• Sir Marrock was a freaking werewolf.
Conclusion: modern depictions of thr Knights of the Round Table aren’t anime enough!

[baronvg]

See, the jokes and references by themselves are fine but it’s the delivery by our beloved classic narrator that sells the jokes so well. Who else could say “Pics or it didn’t happen” with such dryness.

[marciadarby]

I’d love to believe that there was once a King Arthur who led the Brits to a period of Pax Romana. Always one of my favorite legends. Thank you!

[yurdp]

“And that my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana shaped”

[TexasTimeLord]

Oddly, the first mention of Arthur was in a Scottish poem in 600 which stated that some guy was a great warrior "though he was not Arthur"