The Durandal sword in the southern French village of Rocamadour, commonly known as the “French Excalibur,” has mysteriously vanished from the stone it had long been stuck inside.
Like Excalibur of Arthurian legend, Durandal has ties to medieval folklore. It was said to be indestructible and belonged to the legendary paladin Roland, a knight of Charlemagne in French epic literature.
As the story goes, some 1,300 years ago, Roland threw it into a rock 32 feet off the ground, where it has sat ever since. And though the actual blade that’s now missing and presumed stolen is a replica, a valuable piece of history has been lost.
The Sudden Disappearance Of Durandal, The “French Excalibur”
On July 1, the French newspaper La Dépêche broke the story that Durandal had gone missing. Initial police investigations concurred that it was a theft, first noticed on June 22.
Simone Ramella/FlickrAuthorities believe that this Durandal sword, the latest in a series of replicas that may date back to the 1780s, was stolen, but its exact fate remains a mystery for now.
“We will miss Durandal,” said mayor Dominique Lenfant. “It has been part of Rocamadour for centuries, there is not a single guide who does not show it during their visit.”
Now, the town has been left wondering how exactly the sword could have been stolen, given that it was embedded in a stone more than 30 feet off the ground — and chained to it. Security around the sword has always been tight, too. When it was displayed at an exhibit at the Cluny Museum in 2011, a municipal councillor and a security guard accompanied it during its trip.
“Durandal is a public property that belongs to the State,” Lenfant said. “This sword was embedded in the rock face at a shallow depth, very close to the chapel of the Black Virgin. It measures 80 cm, so it is a small medieval sword that was forged to stun people or horses, not to kill them.”
The Mythic And Historical Origins Of The Durandal Sword
Durandal has long been important to the people of Rocamadour and France as a whole. Appearing in the epic poem, “La Chanson de Roland,” or “The Song of Roland,” the sword was said to have magical powers, containing a tooth of St. Peter, the blood of St. Basil, and the hair of St. Denis.
According to the legend, it was given to Charlemagne by an angel, then gifted to Roland to be used in battle. It was said to be the sharpest of all blades and completely indestructible.
But Roland, dying as he faced defeat at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 C.E., feared the sword would fall into the hands of his enemies. Just before dying, Roland tried in vain to break the sword upon the rocks.
Wikimedia CommonsRoland wielding Durandal during the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, as described in “The Song of Roland.”
With no other choice, Roland then threw the sword into the air to save it. By some miracle, it flew more than 100 miles and embedded itself into the rock face of Rocamadour, where it had allegedly rested ever since.
Setting aside the legend, however, The New York Times reports that even Lenfant described the stolen sword as one in a long series of replicas, “a copy of a copy of a copy.”
“The important thing to understand,” she said, “is that it is an emblem of our heritage in Rocamadour, and that it is no longer there.”
Possible Political Motivations Behind The Theft
It’s worth noting, too, that this theft comes in the wake of a contentious election cycle in France. Like many other European nations — Italy, in particular, though certainly in the United Kingdom as well — far-right nationalism is on the rise this election year. In France, the far-right party dominated the first round of election voting, and some experts have suggested a possible connection between this and the theft.
“The far right would code the sword as a signature piece of French national identity,” said Helen Solterer, a professor of romance studies at Duke University. “The sword, which Roland struggled so hard to keep away from Muslim hands to preserve honor, Christianity and Frenchness is now gone.”
Wendy/FlickrA statue of Roland holding Durandal that was erected in Bremen, Germany in 1404.
“The Song of Roland” chronicles Roland’s battle against a Muslim army, and some nationalist groups have used it as a dog whistle, saying that Muslims are an enemy to their country and echoing fears that Muslim immigrants are overtaking France. So far, though, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that the sword was stolen for political reasons.
In either case, Lenfant said that four different blacksmiths have offered to make new recreations of Durandal for free in the wake of the theft. Thankfully, it seems the legend of the sword will live on.
“Rocamadour feels it’s been robbed of a part of itself,” Lenfant said, “but even if it’s a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are entwined.”