French police are investigating the disappearance of Durandal, a sword related in mythology to the legendary Excalibur of the British King Arthur. It mysteriously disappeared from the Pyrenean village of Rocamadour, where it had been stuck in a high rock for around 1,300 years.
The semi-legendary knight Roland wielded Durandal, said to be indestructible and the sharpest of all knives. Their adventures together are recorded in the 11th century epic poem “The Song of Roland”, now housed in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University in England.
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The poem, the first known reference to the sword, states that an angel gave Durandal to Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor, who entrusted it to Roland.
In the Italian epic “Orlando Enraged” it is mentioned that Durandal once belonged to the Trojan prince Hector.
According to French legend, Durandal ended up in Rocamadour when Roland, unable to destroy his trusty sword, threw it as far as he could to prevent his enemies from getting their hands on it. It is said to have landed in the southern French village and become embedded in a cliff face some 33 feet above the ground.
There it has been ever since, and it was a popular tourist attraction for the city. But 1300 years later it has disappeared, presumably stolen. The city, also known for its goat cheese, is destitute.
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“We will miss Durandal. It has been part of Rocamadour for centuries and there is no guide who does not point it out when he visits,” Dominique Lenfant, the town’s mayor, told La Dépêche, the French newspaper that broke the story.
“Rocamadour feels robbed of a part of itself,” Lenfant said. “Even though it is a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are intertwined.”
