Excalibur is a major item used in the BBC series Merlin. It is a magical sword forged in the Dragon Kilgharrah's breath. The sword was meant to be wielded by Arthur Pendragon, however The sword had previously been used by Uther Pendragon and Merlin. It has the ability to kill something that is already dead, such as wraiths are those who place their blood inside the cup of life or any immortal being.
The sword itself is based on the mystical weapon of the same name and the Sword in the stone from Arthurian legends.
History[]
Series 1[]
The sword that would one day become Excalibur was forged by blacksmith Tom until it was secretly taken by his daughter Guinevere. She later gave the sword to Merlin, who asked Kilgharrah to create the weapon for Arthur when he was set to fight the wrath of his late Uncle Tristan de Bois. After Uther used it instead, Merlin advised by Kilgharrah to place the sword where none may use it. He took Excalibur and threw it into the lake of Avalon.
Series 3[]
Two years later, Merlin returned for the sword at least two years later in his and his friends'fight against Morgana and Morgause. It was given to him by the spirit of his lover, Freya, who had become the Lady of the Lake. Kilgharrah then told Merlin to take the sword to a different location. Merlin use the sword to kill some of the Blood Guards and emptied the Cup of Life to rid the two evil witches of their minions to overthrow Morgana. After the two sisters' defeat, Merlin upheld his promise to Kilgharrah to make sure none could wield Excalibur by placing the sword in the stone.
Two years later, Merlin fabricated a legend of the sword to restore faith in Arthur. He told of a tale of how a dying king had placed the sword in the stone and it could only be freed from the stone if a worthy person proved himself to be a true king. With help from Merlin's magic, Arthur was able to remove the sword from the stone and later used it during the second battle of Camelot.
Series 5[]
Three years later, Excalibur was used in knighting ceremonies, which Arthur used during Mordred's inauguration into the group. After Mordred's betrayal to Camelot, Morgana had another sword burnished in Aithusa's fire powers to use against Mordred. During the battle of Camlann, Arthur killed Mordred with Excalibur. Merlin would later take up his friend's sword. Blaming himself for the monster Morgana had become, Merlin had no choice but to kill his nemesis with Excalibur, fulfilling the prophecy that Morgana would one day be defeated by him. After Arthur succumbed to his wounds, Merlin took Excalibur and threw it back into the Lake of Avalon. Freya caught the sword and placed it back into the bottom of the lake.
One year after their failed invasion of Camelot, Morgause and Morgana sailed to the Isle of the Blessed. At the stroke of midnight on Samhain's Eve, Morgana tore the veil between the worlds by sacrificing Morgause, releasing the Dorocha and summoning the Cailleach. However, the veil was sealed when Lancelot gave his life so he could both fulfill his promise to Gwen he would protect Arthur, and so Merlin could fulfill his destiny to protect Arthur.
Several hundred years into the future, everything related to Arthur Pendragon and his adventures, including Excalibur, had passed on into legend
Trivia[]
- Excalibur was never directly named in the series but it was officially confirmed to be this due to the episode title.
- In the fairy tales, Excalibur and the sword in the stone were two separates weapons. However, in the BBC adaptation, both the sword from the lake and the stone are the same.
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