A Man and His Caliburn

September 20, 2019 Saxo Britons and Celts, History, Violence

THE SCENE: Faced with a bloody stalemate against a determined Saxon army, Arthur singlehandedly turns the tide of battle and secures victory for the Britons.

THE TEXT: “When the greater part of the day had passed in this way, Arthur went berserk, for he realized that things were still going well for the enemy and that victory for his own side was not yet in sight. He drew his sword Caliburn, called up on the name of the Blessed Virgin, and rushed forward at full speed into the thickest ranks of the enemy. Every man whom he struck, calling upon God as he did so, he killed in a single blow. He did not slacken his onslaught until he had dispatched four hundred and seventy men with his sword Caliburn.”

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