The tale of the sword in the stone, the legendary story of King Arthur, tells of a young king who could pull out a magical sword that no one else could remove.
Or maybe you recognize it from the classic 1963 Disney film, The Sword in the Stone, or even from photo-op spots at theme parks.
Either way, it’s a story that’s stuck with us – a sword named Excalibur wedged in a stone, waiting for the true king of Britain to pull it free.
But, setting legend aside, it seems like a real-life version of Excalibur has been found. This sword, believed to be about 700 years old, was discovered stuck in a rock.
Yes, you read that right. Back in 2019, an ancient sword was actually found lodged in a rock, giving the legendary story a real-world twist.
It turns out this sword was discovered in Bosnia’s 150-mile-long Vrbas River, near the city of Zvecaj. Archaeologists were digging around the ruins of a nearby castle when they stumbled upon it.
An archaeologist and curator at the Museum of the Republika Srpska shared with The Sun that the sword was deeply embedded in “a solid rock,” which required extra care when they extracted it.
Even more fascinating, this sword was found 36 feet below the river’s surface, and apparently, only one other like it has been found in the Balkans in the past 90 years.
Experts estimate it dates back to the 14th century, though they’re still puzzled as to how it ended up so firmly embedded in rock underwater.
Igor Radojicic, the former mayor of the nearby city Banja Luka, took to Twitter to share a photo of this unique discovery.
“Our sword in stone… taken out of Vrbas after who knows how many centuries,” he wrote.
Radojicic also mused over its age, suggesting it might even be “eight centuries-old” as he wondered: “Who knows what stories [it is] hiding.”
Although archaeologists were able to remove the sword from the stone, they didn’t exactly earn any royal titles for their efforts. However, it has been recognized as an archaeologically significant find, which is a big win in its own right.
The medieval castle nearby was destroyed in 1777, though it likely served as the home for noble families who once ruled the local village.
