Editing Excalibur (section)

{{short description|Legendary sword of King Arthur}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox fictional artifact
|name            = Excalibur
|image           = File:Arthur-Pyle Excalibur the Sword.JPG
|caption         = ''Excalibur the Sword'' by [[Howard Pyle]] (1903)
|alt             =
|source          = [[Matter of Britain]]
|first           =
|type            = [[Legendary sword]]
|owner           = [[King Arthur]], [[Merlin]], [[Lady of the Lake]], [[Morgan le Fay|Morgan]], [[Bedivere]], [[Griflet]], [[Gawain]]
|traits          =
|uses            = Proof of Arthur's [[Divine right of kings|divine right]], magic weapon, ritual item
|affiliation     = [[Avalon]]
}}
'''Excalibur''' is the [[Legendary swords|mythical sword]] of [[King Arthur]] that may [[magic sword|possess magical powers]] or be associated with the rightful [[sovereignty]] of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]'s ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]''. Excalibur as the "sword in the stone" functioning as the proof of [[King Arthur's family|Arthur's lineage]] is an iconic motif featured throughout most works dealing with Arthur's youth since its introduction in [[Robert de Boron]]'s [[Merlin (Robert de Boron poem)|''Merlin'']].<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44697440 | jstor=44697440 | last1=Stock | first1=Lorraine K. | title=Reinventing an Iconic Arthurian Moment: The Sword in the Stone in Films and Television | journal=Arthuriana | date=2015 | volume=25 | issue=4 | pages=66–83 | doi=10.1353/art.2015.0047 | url-access=subscription }}</ref> The sword given to the young Arthur by the [[Lady of the Lake]] in the tradition that began soon afterwards with the ''[[Post-Vulgate Cycle]]'' is not the same weapon, but in ''[[Le Morte d'Arthur]]'' both of them share the name of Excalibur. Several similar swords and other weapons also appear within Arthurian texts, as well as in other legends.