Monmouth Historia Regum Britanniae (1136): ‘Then girding on his Caliburn, which was an excellent sword made in the isle of Avalon, he graced his right hand with his lance, named Ron, which was hard, broad, and fit for slaughter.’
– Caliburn/Excalibur is from Avalon, not pulled from a stone.
Anonymous, ‘Culhwch and Olwen‘ (1100): In the Welsh tradition, Arthur’s sword is referred to as Caledvwlch.
Malory, Le Morte Darthur (1485): In Le Morte Darthur, Arthur pulls an unnamed sword from the stone: ‘And saide it was grete shame vnto them all and the reame to be ouer gouernyd with a boye of no hyghe blood borne / And so they fell oute at that tyme that it was put of tyll Candelmas / And thenne alle the barons shold mete there ageyne / but alwey the x knyghtes were ordeyned to watche the swerd day & nyȝt / & so they sette a pauelione ouer the stone & þe swerd & fyue alwayes watched / Soo at Candalmasse many moo grete lordes came thyder for to haue wonne the swerde / but there myghte none preuaille / And right as Arthur dyd at Cristmasse / he dyd at Candelmasse and pulled oute the swerde easely wherof the Barons were sore agreued and put it of in delay till the hyghe feste of Eester / And as Arthur sped afore / so dyd he at Eester / yet there were some of the grete lordes had indignacion that Arthur shold be kynge / and put it of in a delay tyll the feest of Pentecoste / Thenne the Archebisshop of Caunterbury by Merlyns prouydence lete purueye thenne of the best knyghtes that they myghte gete’
In Book Two, The Lady of the Lake gives Arthur Excalibur: ‘The meane whyle that this knyght was makyng hym redy to departe / there came in to the Court a lady that hyght the lady of the lake / And she came on horsback rychely bysene / and salewed kynge Arthur / and there asked hym a yefte that he promysed her whan she gaf hym the swerd / that is sothe said Arthur / a gyfte I promysed yow / but I haue forgoten the name of my swerd that ye gaue me / The name of it said the lady is Excalibur that is as moche say as cut stele’
So I like old movies and classic movies and sometimes I think “Look at her/him, a perfect *insert arthurian character here*!” so this started as a “movies of the 30s and 40s” and simply became “all the old movies!” arthurian dreamcast. Sorry.
Christopher Plummer as Arthur; Dorothy Dandridge as Guinevere; Omar Shariff as Lancelot; Bette Davis as Morgan; Loretta Young as Morgause; Dirk Bogarde as Kay; Terrence Stamp as Mordred; Ninetto Davoli as Galahad; Sidney Poitier as Bedivere; James Fox as Percival; Mary Pickford as Elaine of Corbenic; Theresa Harris as Vivian; George Segal as Gawain; Charles Boyer as Agravaine; Jean-Claude Brialy as Gaheris; Peggy Dow as Ragnelle; Rita Hayworth as Laurel and Hideko Takamine as Lynette.
GUYSS!! One of the first arthurian tv shows is on youtube (with Spanish subs, but the dub is in English). This is a cheesy adorable tv show about Galahad, with a lot of Mordred in it as well! Every episode is only about 20-15 minutes.
Please, go watch THE ADVENTURES OF SIR GALAHAD. This is adorable!!
Arthurian Legends 