Posted on 12/08/2015 11:55:37 AM PST by Talisker
Judging by a real artifact, the sword in the stone legend may be partially based on true events. No one pulled a sword from a stone and went on to become a king, as far as we know. In fact, the sword that exists in reality rather than legend is still stuck in its stone. However, there is no denying that such a sword exists. The stone and sword in question are located at Monte Siepi Chapel in the San Galgano Abbey in Tuscany. The abbey is in Italy and the history of it has naught to do with England. However, it may be the inspiration for this popular story. After all, how many swords in stones can there possibly be?
San (Saint) Galgano Guidotti was born in 1148 is allegedly the man behind the real sword in the stone at Siepi Chapel. Guidotti was a knight that was far removed from the knights of Arthurâs Round Table. He was a brutal and cruel knight, but he turned his life around in the end and become a saint. At the age of 32, Guidotti saw the Archangel Michael, who told him that he must end his life of sin and showed him the path to god. The year was 1180.
Galgano Guidotti did not initially abide by the angel of Heaven. He did not do as the angel suggested and commit to god. It was not until he was out riding one day that he was faced with the place of his salvation â Monte Siepi. Monte Siepi did not include the impressive abbey and chapel that grace the landscape now when Galgano found it. In fact, it was just a hill with some bedrock in it. There, something â a voice from Heaven, perhaps â told him again that he had to change. He replied that it would be as difficult as âsplitting rock with a sword.â He then tried to demonstrate the hopelessness of his situation, but instead of breaking, his sword went straight into the rock. The story goes that Galgano used the rock with the sword in it as an altar for praying from that day forth. He died roughly a year after sinking his sword into the stone at Monte Siepi.
Galgano Guidotti was canonized by Pope Lucius III in 1185. That is a rather quick achievement of sainthood by todayâs standards, but he is still officially a saint. Starting the year of his canonization, monks built a chapel around his sword and stone altar. Today, it overlooks the ruins of San Galgano Abbey from its site on the hill. The chapel still contains the sword in the stone, though it is now encased in plastic so people will not try to steal it, break it or become King of England with it. Legend has it that one such fellow was set upon by a pack of wolves when he tried to take the sword. There is a pair of mummified hands in the chapel. They supposedly belonged to the would be thief.
I ‘get’ both. But I’m frequently in touch with my feminine side.
Actually, at the time Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, he WAS a minion. He was attending a tournament as the page to his step-brother, Sir Kay.
At least that’s one version of the legend.
Don’t forget though, she was the Orisai of the Ori, the equivalent of space moslems!
I didn’t know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective.
That is fascinating. Thank you for the link.
I suppose you prefer the way Obama pulls policies out of his ass?
Perhaps a sword was dropped in a cave where dripping water created a build up of Calcium Carbonite to form around it? A geologist might be able to confirm that. Wonder how long it took to form?
/monty python
Interesting that the author/editors of this article did not capitalize “god,” as they would have undoubtedly capitalized Jupiter, Zeus, or Thor.
We’re an anarcho-syndicated commune.
With their minarets and domes and spreading their book by force... if I were running for President I'd call for banning all Ori from entering the United States.
I would have volunteered to be Live Aboard!
You’re fooling yourself. We’re living in a dictatorship. A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working classes—
I take it your not a big Monty Python fan.
You’re
Phone posting, sigh..
(The next line is: Oh, there you go bringing class into it again.)
Sorry, I’m tired, it has been a long day. I missed your humor.
Cheers
“Help! Help! I’m being repressed!”
“Now you see the violence inherent in the system!”
Nobody on here is getting the Monty Python references on this thread today. lol
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