At Mategrant's castle, in Broceliande, the seneschal broke this sword while wounding Joseph of Arimathea in the thigh with it. Joseph miraculously extracted the broken piece of metal from his wound and predicted that the sword would never be joined until the one handle it who would achieve the Grail. The broken sword was held in great honor at Mategrant's castle, at least for a while. Later, Sir Eliazar brought it from Mategrant's castle to Carbonek.

Malory omits this early history of the sword, but tells how Eliazar, Pellam's son, brought it forth for Galahad and his companions to attempt mending it. After Bors and Percivale tried unsuccessfully, Galahad soldered the broken pieces by simply setting them together with his hands. Kissing the sword would keep whomever kissed it safe from being mortally wounded for the day.