An ancient French sword, dubbed the “French Excalibur,” has mysteriously vanished after 1,300 years of being wedged inside a rock.
According to The Telegraph on Tuesday, the sword called “Durandal” lodged in a cliff 32 ft off the ground in the city of Rocamadour in southwestern France, has vanished.
Durandal is the name of the sacred sword that was said to have belonged to Roland, one of the 12 knights in Charlemagne’s legend, a masterpiece of medieval European epic literature.
Charlemagne, the legendary King of Francia, received the sword from an angel and handed it over to Roland. The small medieval sword was described as indestructible, capable of cutting through giant boulders with a single strike.
Legends from Rocamadour, a famous Catholic pilgrimage site, claim that Durandal was once stored in a local church and that it was thrown by Roland at the moment of his death. Afterward, it became split and embedded in the cliff here.
Local police are looking into the possibility of theft.
Previously, local tourism authorities downplayed the importance of the sword, stating that it is a mere “replica of the real Durandal.”
However, according to Dominique Lenfant, the mayor of the commune, the loss of such a historical landmark has left the village shocked and distraught.
Lenfant stated, “Rocamadour feels stripped of a part of itself. Even if it is a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are linked.”
