Are Excalibur and Caliburn different swords?

Question

Arthurian legend features swords called "Excalibur" and "Caliburn". It is not clear to me whether these two swords are the same entity (at minimum, the names are clearly cognate), or whether they refer to different things. Or, perhaps, at some point in history, mythographers treated them separately before later unifying them as a single thing.

In particular, is either/both of these swords the sword that Arthur pulled from the stone? And is either/both the sword that Arthur received from the Lady of the Lake?

Answer 1

Arthurian legend is essentially combined from a wide variety of sources, and there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer.

The first narrative account is from Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), 12th Century. He wrote, in Latin, of a sword called Caliburnus, which was made on the isle of Avalon.

Wace wrote Roman de Brut (12th Century), which is described as "an Old French translation and versification of [Monmouth]". According to Wiki, the sword is called Calabrum, Callibourc, Chalabrun, and Calabrun (with alternate spellings such as Chalabrum, Calibore, Callibor, Caliborne, Calliborc, and Escaliborc).

Chretien de Troyes wrote, in Perceval, (again in the 12th Century), of a sword called Escalibor or Excalibor.

Robert de Boron (late 12th/early 13th Century), in Merlin, wrote of the Sword in the Stone, and about the idea of only "one true king" being able to retrieve the sword. It isn't confirmed that this sword is Excalibur, but later versions took this story and called the sword Excalibur.

Later, in the Post-Vulgate Cycle (13th Century), French writers attempted to bring together some of the scenes and characters of the legends (Wiki calls it a "rehandling of the earlier Vulgate Cycle"). In this version, the sword is called Excalibur, and is given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake.

In Le Morte d'Arthur, by Thomas Malory, he gives both versions, and calls both Excalibur. Arthur receives the sword three different times in Le Morte, in three different ways (the stone, the lake and once in a battle).

Finally, according to the 15th Century Alliterative Morte Arthur, there is a sword called Clarent, a fragile sword designed for ceremonial purposes rather than fighting. The internet (though I haven't found an original source for this yet) associates this with being the Sword in the Stone.

In conclusion, there isn't a clear answer. The stories evolved quite a bit, and the sword that some writers took to be Excalibur was taken by others to mean Clarent.

However, it does seem that:

• Excalibur and Caliburn do seem to be the same sword. It is a linguistic evolution. Both are taken to be Arthur's "main" sword, regardless of writer or name.
• The Sword in the Stone, and the one from the Lake, may or may not be the same sword.
• Clarent is not Excalibur, and is a different sword, wielded by King Arthur at points (and later, Mordred). It may be the Sword in the Stone, but is not the sword from the Lady in the Lake.

Answer 2

It's fairly easy to imagine how Caliburn may have migrated linguistically to Excalibur, especially as spelling was not standardised until the end of the 18th Century and copying of manuscripts was a performed by hand.

They are indeed two names for the same sword. Roman de Brut has both Caliborne, and Escaliborc in various copies of the document.

Answer 3

Caliburn and Excalibur are two different swords. Caliburn is the "sword in the stone" which is used to prove king Arthur's right to the throne. He used this weapon in many battles and won but at some point the "King's sword" is broken, leaving king Arthur with no powerful swords

And by accident, king Arthur found the lady of the lake and was given the sword Excalibur which is made by the wishes of mankind and said to give him the ability to win wars. Though at his last battle with Mordred, he's been wounded very bad and cause his death but before he died he ask Merlin to throw the Excalibur back to "The lady of the lake" by means of throwing it back the lake therefore the sacred sword is never been found.

Answer 4

I only know a bit of both legends so I may be a little off in saying this, but from what I know, Excalibur is English mythos and is depicted as a large broadsword and is called the sword of the king. On the other hand caliburn is a normal sword and is called the sword of victory. I think it is either norse or Irish mythos. However in both mythos they both are refered to as a sword that can cut through anything so they both have slightly different wording but the same root.

Answer 5

personally I think that Excalibur and Caliburn are the same sword but... I think Excalibur is the reforged Caliburn

Caliburn was the sword in the stone then when Arthur broke it Merlin took it to the Lady of the Lake to make it whole again. So Caliburn got reforged into Excalibur

Answer 6

The boy Arthur pulled his sword from stone (Earth) that had been struck by lightning (Fire). To be King he needed the sword from the Lake (Water) that was raised up into the Air by the Lady of the Lake. This is a message of alchemy and of balancing the Divine Masculine (left hemisphere) and Divine Feminine (right hemisphere).

The swords are two halves of the same whole. This is the Holy Grail that must be sought within.

Alchemy/ Hermetic Arts were outlawed in the times of these tales, and to have spoken as plainly as I have here would have had you hunted down by the Church and burned at the stake. Their libraries were burned and destroyed (and carted off to 'elsewhere' for 'safekeeping' no doubt).

The Legend is full of coded references to forbidden knowledge.