The Sword in the Stone
A folktale from Britain
The Two Swords of Arthur told by Tristan Jackson Pate
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Story
The King of Britain, Uther Pendragon, dies, leaving no heir to the throne. As his most powerful knights fight to decide who will succeed, a mysterious sword appears in a stone. Whoever pulls the sword from the stone will be the next king.
King Arthur appears in myths and legends from the medieval period. He may have been based on a historical figure, a military leader in Roman Britain, who fought against the Saxons in the 5th and 6th century.
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Why we chose it
The legends of Arthur and Merlin contain ideas of destiny and chivalry, wise wizards and magical objects that still run through stories today like Lord of the Rings, The Dark is Rising and Harry Potter.
Explore Further
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Exploring the story - The Sword in the Stone
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City of Stories: a journey through Oxford's story heritage
A 25 minute film, which travels through a thousand years of Oxford's story history. Stories featured include Beowulf, King Arthur, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings and His Dark Materials.