King Arthur's sword, a gift from The Lady of the Lake, imbued with strong protective magic, a symbol of his power and leadership... returned by Bevidere to its maker.

Some people count the sword in the stone, which Arthur withdrew as a boy, as one and the same as Excalibur.

However, most say that that sword was broken and that Excalibur was a sword Arthur recieved later in his kingship. Forged at Avalon, the unbreakble sword served Arthur well during his reign.

Presented to Arthur by The Lady of the Lake at the same time as the sword itself, Excalibur's scabbard prevented its carrier from losing blood in battle, no matter how grave of wounds he may have sustained. The powerful scabbard kept Arthur alive in many battles, but it was stolen late in his reign, perhaps by his half-sister Morgan le Fay.

Thus, at the last battle at Camlann, when Arthur was mortally wounded by the villainous Mordred - possibly Arthur's son by his half-sister Morgan - there was no magic to save him. As Arthur lay dying, having reciprocated Mordred's vicious thrust, he told his knight Bedivere take Excalibur back to the lake from whence it came. As Bedivere threw the sword back into the waters, a hand appeared from the lake and caught it.

That was the last that was seen of Excalibur.