- "The power of ancient Excalibur can only be evoked when the weapon is used in the cause of justice, truth and good..."
- ―Indiana Jones[src]
Excalibur was the famed sword of King Arthur.
History[]
According to legend, Excalibur came from a lake and was passed from Uther to the stone and from there to Uther's son Arthur. Excalibur was placed in a tomb in London which was lost for hundreds of years after it became submerged by the Wallbrook river.
During the Blitz, the bombings near St. Paul's gave access to the river and Indiana Jones sought the sword. However, after gaining permission to explore the site, Jones found that centuries-old Cult of Morgana had designs on Excalibur.[1]
With scuba gear, the cultists found the tomb but Jones collected the artifact out from under them. Jones managed to escape into the Thames with help from Excalibur, which seemingly moved with a will of its own, and the archaeologist saw that the artifact went on display.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Excalibur is sought out in both Indiana Jones and the Sword of Excalibur[1] and the Indiana Jones and the Sword in the Stone portion of Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Templars.[2] However, the narratives contradict each other. The parties searching for Excalibur, and the location and fate of the artifact differ. Tomb of the Templars takes place in the aftermath of the 1936 abdication of King Edward VIII[2] while Sword of Excalibur is set during the London Blitz (1940—1941) of World War II.[1] Indiana Jones und das Erbe von Avalon also includes a prominent version of the blade where it's wielded by Lancelot.[3]
LucasArts considered setting an Indiana Jones game around Excalibur but felt the artifact limited the potential avenues for globetrotting to England so chose instead to develop a story about the Atlantis legend.[4]
Excalibur is also featured in the unofficial fan script titled Indiana Jones and the Sword of Arthur.
Appearances[]
- Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones and the White Witch (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade novel (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones and the Sword of Excalibur
- Indiana Jones und das Erbe von Avalon
Sources[]
- Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Templars
- Indiana Jones Artifacts
- Research Begins in the Library on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
Notes and references[]
See also[]
- Caliburn
- Lancelot's sword
- Sword of Saint Joan