In my darker moments, I sometimes cheer myself with the thought the Queen has a magic sword. And then I conjure up scenarios in which she and other members of the royal family have to wield it to kill demons. The legendary blade is called Cortana, or the Sword of Mercy.
An actual sword, not the virtual assistant for Windows 10, which inexplicably shares the name.
The Queen's magic weapon lives with the crown jewels in the Tower of London, which feels right. I mean, if you're going to find a legendary blade anywhere, it should be somewhere like this.
Of course, the other traditional option is the mystical lake, but they’re harder to find these days.
Why is it magical? I'm so glad you asked. Because of the stories of course. The first record we have of its existence is from the 13th century, where it is mentioned in the account of the coronation of Edward 1st. Edward had a couple of charming nicknames. He was variously known as ‘Longshanks’ or ‘Hammer of the Scots’. You may remember him from the movie ‘Braveheart’, in which he constantly despairs at his homosexual son’s lack of martial prowess. Pretty much everything else about that movie is inaccurate, but Edward did indeed murder a lot of Scots.
A fearsome warrior like Edward needed a suitable blade for his coronation (1274). Legend has it the sword was ancient even then, and over centuries, had found its way to England from the hand of the legendary knight Roland, hero of Charlemagne's campaign to drive the Moors from France. In his hands, it could cleave mountains in two. Excalibur eat your heart out.
The eight chapters of Le Chanson de Roland as depicted in a single painting.
So where did Roland acquire this Dark Ages WMD? From a blacksmith, obviously, but not just any blacksmith. The only craftsman capable of imbuing a weapon with such power was the legendary Weyland, who famously fashioned the weapons and armour for Beowulf to slay the Grendel.
Can the weapon you can see on display now really carve mountains in two? I like to think some part of its ancient potency remains. A curator at the royal armouries told me the sword's current shape only dates to the 1600's but the blade itself could be older. Ultimately, we just don't know.