Police have launched an investigation to find out the fate of the sword that mysteriously disappeared
If you were in the UK and you pulled a sword from a stone, legend has it they would make you king, but it seems in France they’d launch a police investigation instead.
In what sounds like the start of a fantasy thriller, a fabled sword in France has vanished.
Police are investigating the disappearance of the Durandal sword that has long been linked to stories of legend – think British King Arthur and his sword ‘Excalibur’.
The sword reportedly vanished from the Pyrenean village of Rocamadour, where it had reportedly been wedged into a rock high off the ground for about 1,300 years.
And if that wasn’t wild enough, the legends attached to the sword are equally fascinating.
The sword reportedly vanished from the Pyrenean village of Rocamadour, where it had been wedged into a rock high off the ground for about 1,300 years. (PASCAL PAVANI/AFP via Getty Images)
The Durandal sword was reportedly wielded by the semi-legendary knight Roland and was said to be one of the sharped blades in the land, as per CBS News.
The first known reference of the sword is in the 11th century poem ‘The Song of Roland’, which describes how an angel gave Durandal to the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, who then gave it to Roland.
According to the Italian epic ‘Orlando Enraged’, Durandal also belonged at one point to the Trojan prince Hector.
Safe to say this sword has seemingly been a lot of places – if legends are to be believed, of course.
But how did the sword end up wedged in rock for over 1,000 years?
The sword has a lot of legends behind it (Traumrune/Wikimedia Commons)
According to the French legend, Durandal ended up in Rocamadour when, after failing to destroy his trusted blade, Roland threw it as far as he could to prevent his enemies from getting their hands on it.
Sounds reasonable enough.
It is then said to have landed in the southern French village and lodged itself in a rock wall about 33 feet from the floor – clearly he had a fantastic throw.
Given it’s pretty wild legend, the sword had obviously become quite the tourist attraction for the town.
I suppose during tour guides they will now say this is where the sword Durandal USED to be.
According to legend, he threw the sword after he failed to break it (Traumrune/Wikimedia Commons)
The mayor of Rocamadour, Dominique Lenfant, has since spoken to local media about the sword’s disappearance.
He told La Dépéche: “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.
“Rocamadour feels it’s been robbed of a part of itself.
“Even if it’s a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are entwined.”
