[MR] BBC Reel: The Original Sword-in-the Stone

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

In 1180 an Italian knight named Galgano Guidotti thrust his greatsword into
the ground and renounced his violent life to become a hermit.

A few years later, the Church posthumously declared the hermit Saint
Galgano (Latin: Galagnus). The marvelous Montesiepe Chapel was built in his
honor and to house his sword. The blade was now more dramatically displayed
protruding from a rock, and the chapel became a popular pilgrimage site.

Today the sword is still sticking out of the stone, though firmly anchored
against possible theft. In a grim warning, the withered hands of a would-be
thief are also displayed nearby in a glass case.

Speculation has run rampant that this is the sword which inspired the
Arthurian legend of Excalibur. Could be, could be. Eleanor of Aquitaine was
a great patron of troubadours, who created songs and stories for her,
possibly about a sword in the stone inspired by Saint Galgano but retooled
as King Arthur tales. Chrétien de Troyes, one of the early Arthurian
writers, was known to have been at Eleanor's court.

The BBC's brief film tells the sword's story (partly in Italian, but with
subtitles!):
https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/myths-and-legends?vpid=p0c1ymt1 . The
clip took several minutes to load, so be patient. It is worth every second
of the wait.

More on Saint Galgano is at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galgano_Guidotti
.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆