The symbolism of the magic sword
Excalibur is the name of King Arthur’s sword in both French and English texts.
The origin of the word arises from a corruption of Caledfoulch or Kaledfoulc'h. Some scholars hold that the meaning of this word was “hard cut”, but it should be considered that the second term, bulg or flug, has an Indo-European root and gave rise to the Latin word fulgur. Therefore Caledfoulch could be translated as “hard brilliance” or “hard lightning”, in which case the name is even more coherent with the concept of a magic sword.
Excalibur can be compared with the gai bolga or the “secret weapon” of Cú Chulainn and with Caladbolg, the magic sword of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Excalibur is not the sword in the stone
In the saga of Arthurian legends, Excalibur is the sword of Sovereignty and of the power entrusted to Arthur. It is not the sword in the stone that the young Arthur draws when a successor to Uther Pendragon is being sought, but rather another sword, come from the Other World and given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake (Viviane). After the battle of Camlann, Arthur asks the knight Girflet to cast Excalibur into the depths of the lake. As he does so, a hand emerges from the lake, takes the sword and brandishes it three times before disappearing with it: this signifies that Excalibur has been reclaimed by the Lady of the Lake.