What we have here is either an act of terrorism or the fulfillment of some great prophecy:
The French 'Excalibur' has vanished from a rock it had been wedged in for the past 1,300 years.
The famed Durandal sword is presumed to have been stolen from the southern village Rocamadour, despite it being wedged and chained to the stone 32ft off the ground.
How exactly does one climb 32 feet, snap a heavy chain, and pull a sword from a rock? That's not exactly like, you know, pulling a sword from a hat.
Well, whoever did it must have been highly motivated. Durandal is held to have been wielded by none other than the legendary Roland himself:
[Durandal] is the sword of Roland, a legendary paladin and partially historical officer of Charlemagne in French epic literature. It is also said to have belonged to young Charlemagne at one point, and, passing through Saracen hands, came to be owned by Roland.
The weapon has been a familiar sight in the town of Rocamadour for centuries:
The villagers, meanwhile, are distraught:
'Rocamadour feels it's been stripped of a part of itself, but even if it's a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are entwined.'
Doesn't seem like the kind of object someone can hide for very long. Hopefully it - or our new King Arthur/Charlemagne - turns up soon.
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