THE
ORIGINS OF A WORD
'EXCALIBUR'
Geoffrey
of Monmouth (circa 1100 to 1150ad) had no idea what he was unleashing
on the world with the introduction of his Arthurian mystical
place-names and items.
We can get some idea of Geoffrey's knowledge and storyline composition from a famous icon he has given us, a name that likewise has gone down into world dynamic folklore, 'Excalibur'.
The accounts of the 'Lady of the Lake' holding Excalibur high out of the water, or the sword being pulled from the stone by a great King are deeply ensconced in our minds. The investigation into how, why and when the sword Excalibur was introduced into the Arthurian world is complex in the extreme.
If we go back to Geoffrey's times, the mid 12th century, perhaps it was not so complex. Most folk tales would have been passed down via word of mouth over the centuries, embellishments to the tales being almost mandatory to enhance the powers of the stories. The church held sway and dominated the medieval mind with it's propaganda and mind control. It was a time where most ordinary people believed in fairies, witchcraft and other such entities. Easy pickings for a the powerful who could read and write, especially church seniors, monks and royalty. Geoffrey needed a powerful practical representation to weave into his Arthurian storyline and the idea of a magic (or at least, symbolic) sword may have and indeed did, fit the bill.
We can get some idea of Geoffrey's knowledge and storyline composition from a famous icon he has given us, a name that likewise has gone down into world dynamic folklore, 'Excalibur'.
The accounts of the 'Lady of the Lake' holding Excalibur high out of the water, or the sword being pulled from the stone by a great King are deeply ensconced in our minds. The investigation into how, why and when the sword Excalibur was introduced into the Arthurian world is complex in the extreme.
If we go back to Geoffrey's times, the mid 12th century, perhaps it was not so complex. Most folk tales would have been passed down via word of mouth over the centuries, embellishments to the tales being almost mandatory to enhance the powers of the stories. The church held sway and dominated the medieval mind with it's propaganda and mind control. It was a time where most ordinary people believed in fairies, witchcraft and other such entities. Easy pickings for a the powerful who could read and write, especially church seniors, monks and royalty. Geoffrey needed a powerful practical representation to weave into his Arthurian storyline and the idea of a magic (or at least, symbolic) sword may have and indeed did, fit the bill.
'Caledfwlch',
from very early Welsh folklore, seems to have been symbol he chose.
The name is similar to Cornish and Breton pronunciations. (It is said
that the name Cornwall originated from 'Corn' (Horn, as in Unicorn,
therefore, one horn) and Wallis. (The origins of the word Wales,
virtually meaning foreigner) At one time Cornwall may have been
named as West Wales also, but once again that is subject to debate
and certainly not a proven fact. Geoffrey appeared to have
'latinised' the word 'Caledfwlch' to 'Caliburnus'
in
his story constructions, this fact being generally accepted. The word
had emanated from Welsh folk lore commonly known as 'The Mabinogion'.
It is not to far a change to reconstruct the word into the French or
other languages as Excalibur. (Excalibur...) The early Welsh
language dissection of the word
'Caledfwlch' brings us to 'caled' meaning hard and 'bwlch' meaning
breach or cleft.
It seems most languages in the world know of an Excalibur sword, the word being spelt in various ways but generally staying within the sounds of the original. If we start the Excalibur tale from the point of the first mention of the the stone legend where King Arthur was successful in removing it, we arrive at the writings of Robert de Boron, a late 12th century early 13th century French author. It was Robert who took our tale of Avalon (first mentioned by Geoffrey) and put it in Glastonbury. He also was the first person to turn the grail of Wace's 'Percival de Gallois' into the Holy Grail evolving into the cup that Joseph of Arimathea obtained the blood of Jesus Christ. The stories emanating from Wales were fast becoming the stories of the great French romantic and chivalrous authors who soon attached other wondrous and mystical elements to the narratives.
It seems most languages in the world know of an Excalibur sword, the word being spelt in various ways but generally staying within the sounds of the original. If we start the Excalibur tale from the point of the first mention of the the stone legend where King Arthur was successful in removing it, we arrive at the writings of Robert de Boron, a late 12th century early 13th century French author. It was Robert who took our tale of Avalon (first mentioned by Geoffrey) and put it in Glastonbury. He also was the first person to turn the grail of Wace's 'Percival de Gallois' into the Holy Grail evolving into the cup that Joseph of Arimathea obtained the blood of Jesus Christ. The stories emanating from Wales were fast becoming the stories of the great French romantic and chivalrous authors who soon attached other wondrous and mystical elements to the narratives.
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