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There are two sword stories commonly associated with King Arthur.

The first is the Sword in the Stone where Merlin sets the sword of Uther Pendragon into a block of stone by magic and only the rightful King has the power to pull it out. Many men try, but only the boy Arthur succeeds, proving himself to be the true King.

The second is the story of the sword Excalibur which is given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. In this story Arthur encounters a spirit creature who tests him for honesty humility and other virtues, and when he passed most (he fails the test for humility) of the tests she give him the magic sword Excalibur which is said to be unbreakable. Excalibur's scabbard held the real power though, the scabbard prevented the holder from bleeding and in thus making him invincible.

In some versions of King Arthur's story the sword in the stone and Excalibur are the same sword; but in most stories they are different swords.

In these versions the sword in the stone is not Excalibur. The sword from the stone is destroyed in battle, and it is then that Arthur, at the advice of Merlin, seeks out the Lady of the Lake to gain Excalibur.

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14y ago

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