New Delhi: In a bizarrely mysterious affair which has taken the world of history buffs and curious people by storm, a ‘magic’ sword known as Durandal has mysteriously disappeared from France’s Rocamadour town where it was stuck for over 1,300 years in a rock. The sword’s sudden disappearance after being wedged in stone for over a thousand years has stunned not just the local community but also people beyond France. According to reports, Roland, a paladin of Charlemagne was the owner of the sword and its theft has triggered a baffling mystery. In this article, we will learn about the sword which is popularly called the French Excalibur, referring to the sword King Arthur pulled from stone.
Durandal: Know about the historically significant sword
As has been mentioned in this article, Durandal was the sword of Roland, a legendary paladin and partially historical officer of Charlemagne who has been mentioned in the epic literature of France. Also, it is said that at one point, young Charlemagne possessed it and the sword changed several hands before Roland acquired it.
The ‘La Chanson de Roland’ (The Song of Roland) states that an angel gave the sword to Charlemagne who, in turn, gave it to Roland. As per the poem, the sword has a tooth of Saint Peter, the blood of Basil of Caesarea, the hair of St Denis and most importantly, a piece of Jesus’s mother Mary’s remnant in its golden hilt. Legen says that Roland killed several enemies with the sword at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass and enabled Charlemagne’s army to retreat into France.
Notably, ‘The Song of Roland’ is the oldest surviving French literature and its only existing copy is now housed at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. The legend states that the sword could cut through giant boulders with a single strike. Roland tried to destroy Durandal before his death after the Battle of Roncevaux Pass so that the enemy could not lay its hand on it. However, the sword proved to be indestructible and a frustrated Roland threw it into the air.
The sword travelled hundreds of kilometres before landing on a cliff in Rocamadour, where it was stuck for over a thousand years before its sudden disappearance. The event has shocked the local community who consider the sword to be interwined with the journey of the town. Notably, Durandal was stuck in the steep rock at around 100 feet above the ground, which has made the disappearance even more bizarre. Thanks to the sword, Rocamadour became a popular tourist place in France over the years.
‘The Song of Roland’ states that an angel gave the sword to Charlemagne who, in turn, gave it to Roland. He tried to destroy it before his death but it proved to be indestructible. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
