Divers set out to search for King Arthur’s magic sword

The mythical sword Excalibur (aka Excalibur) must be one of the most famous objects in history, writes the Daily Mail. Belonging to King Arthur, the legendary British ruler of the 5th and 6th centuries, it was endowed with “magical” powers that made him such a formidable warrior.

According to legend, the sword was thrown into a lake by King Arthur as he lay dying after his final battle somewhere in Britain.

Experts are now carrying out an ambitious effort to locate the object in British waters, and are not deterred by the possibility that the sword does not even exist.

They say they have identified several possible locations for Excalibur and are trying to find it for filming in a new TV series called Weird Britain. A team of filmmakers, magnet hunters, technical experts, archaeologists and divers are involved in a new quest to find Excalibur.

The first part of the project began at an undisclosed location in Cornwall last year, but more British waterways remain to be surveyed.

“No one has ever beaten us and no one has the amount of equipment we have,” said Nigel Lamford, head of Northants Magnet Fishing, which is involved in the project. “If there’s something in there and it’s magnetic, it will float up.” .

Experts believe there are several possible locations in Britain where Excalibur could be located. In Cornwall this could be Dosmary Pool, on the edge of Bodmin Moor or near Alderley Edge in Cheshire.

The team hopes the project will either further solidify the sword’s mythical status or deliver some big surprises.

“There is a lot of debate about the location of the lake mentioned in the Arthurian legends,” said Tim Whittard, producer of Weird Britain.

“The identity of the lake in question is a mystery that has left historians and researchers debating for centuries whether the lake even still exists and whether the legend is even true.”

To search, experts use underwater drones and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) – unmanned vehicles that are controlled by personnel from afar.

The drones are either tethered or not tethered to a larger surface vessel and controlled using a joystick, much like a game console controller.

“This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to use underwater drones or submersible ROVs with professional magnet fishers on this type of expedition,” says Tim Whittard. “I think it’s a really innovative and fun use of drone technology.” , which will make great television.”

As legend has it, the sword appeared on a magical lake, where the Lady of the Lake, a character in the Arthurian legend, gave it to the king. Later, as the king lay mortally wounded after his last battle, he ordered the faithful Sir Bedivere to go to the water and throw his sword into it. A hand rose to catch it, swung Excalibur three times, and then disappeared.

Supposedly, this took place on the mythical island of Avalon, which is associated with modern-day Glastonbury in Somerset. Arthur was taken to Avalon to recover from his last battle, the Battle of Camlann, which may have taken place in Cornwall, near Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England, or even Wales.

A Welsh document, probably dating from the mid-10th century, called the Cumbrian Annals, gives the date of Arthur’s death at Camlann as 537-59 AD.

Excalibur is also the name given to the sword in the stone intended for Arthur as proof of his birthright and royalty – a story that inspired the 1963 Disney film – but many sources insist that they were two different swords.

“There are several versions of this legend which muddy the waters, so to speak, but the legend persists over many centuries, so there may well be some truth to it,” Nigel Lamford told MailOnline. “So right now we are looking for a sword or something that could be part of the sword, and if something like that is found, then the task of historians, archaeologists and laboratory scientists is to determine what exactly we found.”