Will the Mystical King Arthur Sword Excalibur Be Found in Britain?

The lore of King Arthur and his famed sword persists, even though Excalibur’s whereabouts or very existence remain unsolved and unproven. But undeterred by skepticism surrounding its existence, a team of experts has embarked on an ambitious quest to locate Excalibur within the waters of Britain. It forms the cornerstone of a daring new television series titled ‘Weird Britain’, where filmmakers, magnet fishers, technology specialists, archaeologists, and divers converge in pursuit of the elusive artifact at the bottom of lakes from Cornwall to Cheshire!

A Legend or Historical Material?

“It is a legend, or is it?! – We don’t really know. But Arthur is in our hearts and in our minds, in many parts of the country. His sword could be a flight of fancy, it could be real,” said one of the Excalibur hunting team to Cornwall Live.

“In Cornwall, it could be in Dozmary Pool, out on the edge of Bodmin Moor, but it could be up near Alderley Edge in Cheshire. The sword is a magical thing that we are all searching to find, very much like the Holy Grail.”

Local folklore claims Dozmary Pool to be the home of the Lady in the Lake of Arthurian Legend – and also reputed to be bottomless. (CC BY 2.0)

In a remarkable twist of fate, reminiscent of the legendary tales surrounding King Arthur and his sword, a seven-year-old girl named Matilda Jones stumbled upon a 4ft sword in the very lake where Excalibur was said to have been cast. The discovery occurred in 2017 as Matilda waded waist-deep in the waters of Dozmary Pool on Bodmin Moor during a family holiday. This sword was of modern making, and some kind of prop, and Matilda was allowed to keep it as a memento.

Searching For A Legend

The legendary sword of Excalibur, synonymous with King Arthur and his valiant reign in Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries, was said to possess mystical powers that rendered Arthur an unparalleled warrior.

The initial phase of the project commenced in an undisclosed location in Cornwall last year, with plans to extend the search to other British waterways. Likely locales include Dozmary Pool on the outskirts of Bodmin Moor and the vicinity of Alderley Edge in Cheshire.

Utilizing state-of-the-art technology, including underwater drones and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), the team endeavors to unravel the truth behind the Excalibur legend. The ROVs, something akin to gaming consoles, are operated by skilled personnel from a distance, enabling meticulous exploration of underwater terrain.

“We’ve not been beaten yet, and nobody has the amount of equipment we have,” said Nigel Lamford, head of Northants Magnet Fishing, which is part of the project. “If it’s in there and it’s magnetic, it’s coming out.”

Lying Beneath the Surface. What’s in a Lake?

According to Arthurian legend, Excalibur traces its origins to a magical lake where the mystical Lady of the Lake bestowed it upon King Arthur. The sword’s final chapter unfolds as Arthur, grievously wounded in his last battle, entrusts Sir Bedivere with the solemn task of returning Excalibur to the water, reports The Daily Mail. In a scene of otherworldly splendor, an arm emerges from the depths to claim the sword, brandishing it thrice before vanishing into the ether!

“There is much debate about the location of the lake referred to in Arthurian lore,” said Tim Whittard, producer on Weird Britain. “Identifying the lake in question is a riddle which has had historians and researchers arguing for centuries, that is if the lake even still exists – or if the legend is even true in the first place.”

Legends suggest that this extraordinary event transpired on the mythical island of Avalon, believed by some to have ties to present-day Glastonbury in Somerset. Arthur, allegedly taken to Avalon for convalescence following the Battle of Camlann, is the subject of historical speculation regarding the battle’s precise location, ranging from Cornwall to Hadrian’s Wall in the north, or even into the Welsh landscape.

Documentary evidence, such as the Annales Cambriae dating back to the 10th century, further deepens the intrigue surrounding Arthur’s fate. His demise has been dated to Camlann circa AD 537-9.

While Excalibur’s name evokes the iconic sword in the stone motif, immortalized in the 1963 Disney classic, distinctions between the two persist in various sources. Whether the sword exists as a tangible relic or resides solely within the realm of myth, the journey promises to be a testament to the enduring allure of Arthurian lore!

Top image: Artistic recreation of the legendary sword Excalibur coming out lake, generated by AI. Source: Manuel Mata/Adobe Stock

By Sahir Pandey