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Sir John of Felsenbau:
I try to post something every week. Here's something on the sword Excaliber in case you didn't know:
According to legend, the sword was forged from a flaming rock that fell to the earth from the stars and cooled in the ice of a mountain. There it was found by a master blacksmith, who hammered it in his furnace for 3 days and three knights. It was given to (Caius) Julius Caesar when he conquered Britain during the first century A.D. and engraved: “CAI • ILV • CAES • ENIS • CALIBVRUS” – The first three parts are abbreviated forms of “CAIus JULius CAESer.” “ENIS” is Latin for “sword” and the last word means: “In the character of Freedom.” Together it translates: “Caius Julius Caesar – sword of freedom.”
Before Julius Caesar was killed, he put this sword in an underground temple where it was found by Romulus Augusts Caesar. At this time he was only 14 years old. His reign as Emperor lasted only 10 months (October 31, 475-September 4, 476) and marked the end of the Roman Empire. His father, Orestes, Magister Militium, and his mother were killed on August 28, 476, during the revolt under the leadership of the barbarian chieftain: Odoacer. The young emperor, Romulus was captured and sent to exile in Capri. There Romulus found the underground temple with a statue of Julius Caesar holding the above mentioned sword.
A loyal Roman General: Aurelius, rescued and freed Romulus and they escaped and fled with the sword to Britain, where the 9th Roman Legion (known as “The Dragon Legion”) still remained. (This legion was involved in the invasion of Britain in 43 A.D., participated in battles in Scotland in 72 A.D. and the building of Adrian’s wall in 122 A.D.)
With the remnants of this legion, a great battle was fought against an English warlord: Vortgyn.” Aurelius told Romulus that he fought like “the son of a dragon.” When it was over, Romulus decided to stay in England as their king, saying to his people that the time for killing was at an end and the time for peace was here. He threw away the sword which unknowingly landed, impaling itself in a rock (later to be found by the soon to be King Arthur.)
Romulus took the Celtic name: “Uther” and “Pendragon” after the “9th Roman Legion.”
He later had a son he called Arthur who found the sword almost totally covered with moss, showing only part of the inscription: “ES CALIBVRNVS” which was mistranslated into: “Excalibur.”
I do have my own copy of the sword and by tradition, covred up that part of the inscription...
Sir James A:
That may be the coolest excalibur story I've heard yet.
Sir William:
It was also the basis of a movie, the Last Legion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Legion
All of the points as outlined by Sir John served as the major plot points of the film; I thought it was a good movie, but there are those of us who will decry its lack of historicity. LOL
But I had not read that version anywhere...only saw it in a movie. Sir John, what is the source of that particular legend?
Sir Wolf:
i think i'm the only one that liked the Last Legion ;)
Sir Matthew:
No way, that movie was awesome!
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