Excalibur

Excalibur, or Caledfwich, is a holy sword from Arthurian legends, famous as King Arthur's weapon of choice.

Description:
Descriptions of Excalibur vary wildly from different versions of Arthurian legend. It is often portrayed as a completely normal looking longsword, most often with its distinguishing feature being a golden hilt.

In The Dream of Rhonabwy, Excalibur is described as having "a design of two chimeras on the golden hilt; when the sword was unsheathed what was seen from the mouths of the two chimeras was like two flames of fire, so dreadful that it was not easy for anyone to look."

Excalibur is sometimes described as bearing phrases engraved into the sides of its blade, such as "Take me up" or "Cast me away."

Abilities:
Excalibur is described as being holy and enchanted, but any details of specific powers it holds are not found in traditional tellings of Arthurian legend. It is generally regarded simply as having great power, possibly implying the sword was harder or sharper than usual.

Excalibur is described as being able to emit a blinding light when used in Arthur's first battle to test his sovereignty.

Some versions of Arthurian legend state that Excalibur's scabbard has magical powers. Anyone who carries the scabbard will not bleed from any wounds they receive, making it impossible for them to die of bleeding out.

Excalibur's Origins:
Many versions of Excalibur's origin exist.

In the original telling of Arthurian legend, Excalibur was the Sword in the Stone, however the majority of versions refer to that as a separate weapon, often named Caliburn.

In most versions of Arthurian legend, Excalibur is given to King Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. In some versions, Arthur is given Excalibur as a gift after he breaks Caliburn in battle. In others, Caliburn is thrown into the lake and returned to Arthur having been transformed into Excalibur.

Lancelot:
Arthur is said to have loaned Excalibur to Sir Lancelot, who used it to kill the Irish king Diwnrach and steal his magic cauldron.

In Popular Culture:

 * In the Fate light novel/anime series, Excalibur is featured as Arturia Pendragon's Noble Phantasm.
 * In various video games, RPGs and other media portraying such, Excalibur is featured as a powerful weapon. Examples include:
 * Terraria's Excalibur and True Excalibur.
 * Sword Art Online's Excalibur.