The Once and Future Blog

Caliburn - the sword of destiny, drawn from the stone of the king's court years ago by the now King Arthur, showing that he was the rightful heir to Uther Pendragon's throne. The sword itself represents control of Britain and its vassals, and Arthur closely guards it in his chambers at all times, save for intricate ceremonies such as knighting. Rumors in the court say that this manner of succession was a construction of the sorcerer Merlin, meant to protect the bloodline with his magic. Merlin himself is an enigma to put all others to shame - the son of a witch and an incubus with an ageless body and the ability to see all of time at a single moment, he operates only by offering his prophecy and assistance at unpredictable moments. One such moment was when Arthur was returned to the court so bloodied, they panicked to find a successor. More than one hundred children claiming to be Arthur's son suddenly came to light, from inside and outside Camelot. Merlin constructed what ...

For our reading this week, we enter the British and Celtic tales unit. Being the descendant of Celts myself, and having spent time all around Ireland, I have particularly been awaiting this unit, but one story catches my focus above all the rest - the tales of King Arthur. My storybook sits within the canon of the Once and Future King, and my blog takes its name from it. Not the Real Holy Grail One fun item within this unit was the distinction of Excalibur. While this version of the story does not name the Sword in the Stone, it does distinguish it from Excalibur, which is more than most "common" retellings of the story. The tale of the reception of Excalibur, and all of the stories, practically shouts the very motif I've been imbuing into my storybook, drawn strongly from that of common British canon - the tide of destiny. Whether it is our birthright to rule all of England (as in the sword in the stone), or the expectation of repayment for Excalibur in the futu...