20. Fantasy Turns Into Reality
viralthread.com
When you’re young, your imagination is running wild. Chances are you read or had fairytales read to you at some point which causes your mind to see the outlandish. And if you’re a parent, you’re probably used to watching your kids create fairytales all around them. For one parent, his child’s fairytale turned into a reality when she found King Arthurs sword…
19. The Jones Family
unilad.com
Paul and Matilda Jones live in Doncaster, England and one afternoon they decided to spend some quality time together near Dozmary Pool. Dozmary Pool is a historical lake which legend says is home to the sword of King Arthur, the Excalibur. Legend has it, the sword was thrown into the lake by Sir Bevidere and was immediately taken by a hand that rose from the deep, never to be seen again–until now, that is…
18. King Arthur
clickhole.com
King Arthur of Camelot lived during the medieval times and legend has it, that he led the British against the invading Saxon soldiers. He worked closely with the Knight of the Round Table, and his life and story have been revamped into various movies and novels since, due to the mystery and magic behind the sword…
17. The Lady Of The Lake
codacprime.com
It’s said that the Lady of the Lake bestowed the magical sword upon the King to help him with success during battle. The sword supposedly had magical powers that prevented the carrier from dying or losing too much blood in battle and was specifically a gift made for the King. When the King died during the battle of Camlan, where he told Sir Bevidere that his final wish was that the sword is returned to the Lady…
16. The Death Of A King
huffiningtonpost.com
It’s said that the sword even had the power to blind the holder’s enemies in battle. King Arthur became king because he successfully pulled a sword from a stone which no man could do, so swords became an obvious connection to the King. Right before he died during the battle of Camlan, he told Sir Bevidere that his final wish was that the sword is returned to the Lady…
15. Waist Deep
www.bookstr.com
As Paul and his two daughters drove towards the legendary lake, he recounted the story of the Kind and his sword. By the time they got there, they were sweaty and ready to hit the water! Matilda told Paul she wanted to cool off in the water, as he recounts to The Scotsman,“It was a blistering hot day and Matilda asked if we could go for a paddle. She was only waist deep when she said she could see a sword”…
14. Child’s Play
allthingsinteresting.com
Due to his gripping recount of the story, he didn’t think anything of it when Matilda yelped she could see a sword,“I told her not to be silly and it was probably a bit of fencing, but when I looked down I realized it was a sword. It was just there laying flat on the bottom of the lake”. To everyone’s surprise, the child had actually located a sword that was remarkably similar to the Excalibur…
13. Legend
thecornwallguide.com
Legend has it, that many have searched for the sword for centuries, to no avail. The area even experienced droughts in 1859 and 1976, which revealed that the lake was shockingly shallow and lacked the magical sword that history whispers about. This was truly something out of the ordinary…
12. The Thrown
metro.com
Now, if we’re following traditions from the medieval period, Matilda would be the rightful owner of the British throne. However, new information that would arise would prevent the seven-year-old from acting on her desire to be a princess…
11. Following The Myth
pinterest.com
The story says that the sword was to only be found by the King himself and the fact that no one had ever recovered it only added to the mystery–until now, that is. When Paul retrieved the sword he was shocked and mystified by the discovery. Then, he looked a little closer…
10. The Sword
huffingtonpost.com
Apparently, Paul said it isn’t what it looks like,“The sword is 4 feet long – exactly Matilda’s height”, but it lacked some of the details an old sword would,“I don’t think it’s particularly old, about 20 or 30 years old. It’s probably an old film prop”. Either way, everyone wanted to see the sword the little school girl discovered in the lake.
9. A Week Later
thesun.com
As more and more people heard of the discovery, everyone wanted to see it and the story went viral. As the news spread, one man, who claims he is the one responsible for the sword has spoken…
8. Mark Wilkins
allthatisinteresting.com
A man named Mark Wilkins says that is was him who planted the sword in the lake. According to Mark, he threw the sword into the lake around the 1980s as an offering to the Celtic Gods,“back in the 80s I was very into spiritualism and followed the Celtic religion”…
7. Celtic Gods
allthatisinteresting.com
Mark further explained why he threw the sword, “It’s well known in the Celtic belief that if you want to honor the Gods you can make a sacrifice or an offering”. This offering was something Mark really was interested in, as it connects him with his history, “I’m Cornish through and through so for me myths and legends are everything”.
6. The Only Spot
youtube.com
Knowing all the legends and the historical significance of the lake, Mark knew he had to offer it there, “Cornwall is steeped in legend and because of the history of Dozmary Pool and King Arthur. I decided to make an offering and give the blade back”.
5. A Remake
ancientorigins.com
Paul was right; The sword that Mark threw into the lake was a remake of the old swords used in battle. The sword he got was called the ‘Flambard fantasy’ and he bought it from Battle Order’s UK. He then went on to tell reporters what he offered the sword for,“I didn’t offer the sword for anything special, only to honour the legend”. Mark became sort of a legend himself, however…
4. The People Of Bodmin
Crowdfunder.co.uk
Mark also recounted about his sword phase, and how everyone in Bodmin knew who he was,“The funniest thing is that I have people who can vouch I had the sword back then because I had a phase when I would have a few drinks and go around knighting the people of Bodmin when I lived there”. He even loves to lean into the idea that whoever finds the sword is the rightful Queen or King of England…
3. Almost Forgotten
plymouthherald.com
Mark finds it interesting that the story got so much press, because he almost forgot about the sword and the offering,”The lake decided to give it to somebody worthy…I loved the photos. It was quite comical really because the sword is so much bigger than the little girl”. It’s quite something that Mark’s offering had the whole world buzzing about the historical site, over 30 years later…
2. Spotlight
usatoday.com
Mark also shared why he decided to reveal the origin of the sword, “I love the legend. I hope for her it’s a magical thing and that she gets strength from it”. Most of the time, when the real story of a legend or tale is revealed, it can lose some of the romance. But not in this case…
1. Matilda The Queen
allthingsinteresting.com
Although Matilda didn’t get the official rights to the throne, the little girl should always feel special because of the chance encounter she got to experience. She can now look at the sword forever, and just as Mark hoped, recognize her strength.