France’s own Excalibur-like legendary sword disappears after 1,300 years wedged in a high rock wall
French police are investigating the disappearance of Durandal, a sword linked to mythology akin to the fabled British King Arthur’s Excalibur, after it mysteriously vanished from the Pyrenean village of Rocamadour, where it had been wedged into a rock high off the ground for about 1,300 years.
The semi-legendary knight Roland wielded Durandal, which was said to be indestructible and the sharpest of all blades. Their adventures together are chronicled in the 11th century epic poem “The Song of Roland,” which now resides in the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library in England.
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The poem, the first known reference to the sword, says an angel gave Durandal to the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, who entrusted it to Roland.
La Dépêche, the French newspaper that broke the story.
“Rocamadour feels it’s been robbed of a part of itself,” Lenfant said. “Even if it’s a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are entwined.”
Frank Andrews
Source: cbsnews.com