A sword, believed to be possessing magical powers, was embedded in a cliff in the French town of Rocamadour for more than 1,300 years! However, it went missing from that place on July 4, 2024. No one knows who was the real owner of that magical sword. Those who had the information about its owner are no longer alive. The people of France believe that a holy warrior had mounted the sword on the hill as a mark of his bravery 1,300 years ago. Since then, it has been carrying a rich history! Some believe that the sword has unexplained magical powers, as well!

Rocamadour is a small clifftop village in south-central France that is located on the right bank of the Alzou, close to Périgord and the Dordogne Valleys. The missing magical sword was said to be a part of Durandal, once wielded by the hero Roland. Roland (died on August 15, 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Roland, the historical character, served as the Military Governor of the Breton March, responsible for defending Francia’s frontier against the Bretons. His only historical attestation is in Einhard‘s Vita Karoli Magni, which notes that he was part of the Frankish rearguard killed in retribution by the Basques in Iberia at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass.

According to many, Roman Emperor Charlemagne was the actual owner of this sword. He received the sword from an angel in the 8th Century! Later, the Emperor gave it to Roland as a gift. The French people believe that Durandal is indestructible and the sharpest sword in the world that could easily smash huge rocks! It is also believed that Roland was so aware of the sword’s power that he wanted to destroy it before his death on the battlefield. The story of Roland’s death at Roncevaux Pass was embellished in later medieval and Renaissance literature. The first and most famous of these epic treatments was the Old French Chanson de Roland of the 11th Century.

It is said that Roland did not want the sword to fall into wrong hands and hence, he had tried break the sword in pieces. However, he failed. It is said that Roland, frustrated at not being able to break the sword, threw it as far as he could, and the sword sailed over 100 miles before slicing through the side of a rock face in Rocamadour! The ancient French literature mentioned magical powers of Durandal. There is a single extant manuscript of Chanson du Roland (The Song of Roland in Old French) held at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, dating between 1129 and 1165, and written in Anglo-Norman. According to The Song of Roland, Roland hid the blade under his dying body.

According to British mythology, Excalibur is the most famous legendary sword that belonged to King Arthur Pendragon who had united Britain against the Anglo-Saxon invaders and also assembled a group of knights to help him govern under the guidance of Merlin and with the power of Excalibur. As per the legend, King Arthur had drawn this legendary sword from a stone and anvil when no one else could. Another version portrays Excalibur as a gift from the Lady of the Lake, and the sword in the stone as another weapon entirely. The people of France believe that the sword stuck in the hill of Rocamadour was no less powerful than Excalibur. Hence, Durandal is also known as Excalibur of France!

The French Police have claimed that someone stole the sword stuck in the hill, 100ft above the ground. However, the investigators wonder how the thief could make it possible! Meanwhile, some of the locals are of the opinion that the sword magically disappeared on its own for some special reason!

It is to be noted that one of the main attractions of Rocamadour was that magical sword. Tourists used to visit the French village from different parts of the globe to have a glimpse of the sword. Rocamadour Mayor Dominique Lenfant has said: “This sword belongs to this place since the legend says that it was thrown from the Pyrenees and landed here. When I started telling people what had happened, they told me, ‘It’s a joke, it’s not possible.’ No one could believe that such a thing could happen.” She stressed: “The important thing to understand is that it is an emblem of our heritage in Rocamadour, and that it is no longer there.”

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das