ROCAMADOUR, France (WKRC) – France’s “Excalibur” sword has vanished from the stone after 1,300 years.
According to The New York Post, citing a report by The Telegraph, n sword that is regarded as France’s “Excalibur” has vanished from its stone. Per the publication, locals in the French town of Rocamadour believed the sword, Durandal, had been lodged in rock for around 1,300 years. A main attraction for the town, the sword could be found stuck in a sheer rock wall about 100 feet off the ground.
Per The Post, for hundreds of years it has been thought that the sword once belonged to Roland, a semi-legendary knight who, in French epic literature, once fought for Charlemagne in the eighth century. According to The Independent, legend describes Durandal as an indestructible weapon that is sharp enough to cut through stone with a single pass.
According to The Post, the sword’s mystical qualities are described in the 11th-century epic poem “The Song of Roland.” Per the publication, it is the oldest surviving major work of French literature, with the only surviving copy being located at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, according to The Independent.
Legend says it was angels who delivered Durandal to Charlemagne, who then gifted the weapon to his best soldier. Before falling in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, Roland is said to have attempted to destroy the Durandal sword. Unable to do so, however, the knight instead threw Durandal into the air, where it traveled for hundreds of miles before striking the side of the rock wall.
“We’re going to miss Durandal. It’s been part of Rocamadour for centuries, and there’s not a guide who doesn’t point it out when he visits,” mayor Dominique Lenfant told La Dépêche, per The Independent. “Rocamadour feels it’s been robbed of a part of itself, but even if it’s a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are entwined.”
Authorities in France are working to determine how the sword was taken from the 100 foot sheer rock face.
