---
title: Excalibur, the Sword of Arthur
description: Some notes on the sword of King Arthur in French and English literature.
author:
  name: Graciela Paula Caldeiro
  url: http://graciela-caldeiro.idoneos.com
canonical: https://mitologiacelta.idoneos.com/en/excalibur/
source: en/excalibur/index.md
---

<h2 id="el-simbolismo-de-la-espada-magica">The symbolism of the magic sword</h2>

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&#39;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.

<h2 id="excalibur-no-es-la-espada-en-la-piedra">Excalibur is not the sword in the stone</h2>

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.