Arthurian & Chivalric
Excalibur
Excalibur
Cuts through enemy armor, and whoever wears its scabbard does not bleed.
WeaponFirst recorded 1136
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Photograph: A Western European steel sword of about 1400 with a straight double-edged blade, a cross guard extending sideways and a round pommel.
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2,400 × 3,000 PX2400×3000
ArchiveArthurian & Chivalric · Weapon
Hauteclere
Hauteclere
A “high and clear” blade to rival Roland's Durendal.
- Owner
- Oliver
- Maker
- Unknown
- First record
- The Song of Roland1100
- Gallery
- Arthurian & Chivalric
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
If Roland is brave in The Song of Roland, his friend Oliver is wise. Hauteclere, whose name means "high and clear," is Oliver's sword, with a golden hilt and a pommel of crystal.
When the great Saracen host poured into the pass of Roncevaux, Oliver asked three times that the horn be blown to call Charlemagne. Roland refused for honor's sake. Oliver fought with Hauteclere to the last and, blinded by blood, struck his friend Roland by mistake, then died begging forgiveness.
Named in the same poem with Roland's Durendal and Charlemagne's Joyeuse, it is one of the three swords of Frankish chivalry.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Sword(Western European, ca. 1400), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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VesselFirst recorded 1180
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