- Arms and Armor
- ARTHURIAN ITEMS
- French Romance Tradition
- Grail Relics and Sacred Objects
- Grail Tradition
- Source | Continuations of Perceval
- Source | La Tavola Ritonda
- Source | Le Morte Darthur
- Source | Meraugis de Portlesquez
- Source | Perceval, or Le Conte del Graal
- Source | Post-Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal
- Source | Vulgate Estoire del Saint Graal
- Source | Vulgate Mort Artu
- Source | Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal
- THE GRAIL TRADITION
Sword with the Strange Hangings
A sacred sword of the Grail tradition, destined for the greatest knight.
Introduction#
The Sword with the Strange Hangings is one of the most important legendary weapons of the Grail tradition. First mentioned in the romances connected to Perceval, it later becomes a sacred relic within the Grail cycle, associated with biblical history and destined only for the worthiest knight.
Alternative Names | Sword of the Strange Hangings, Sword with the Strange Baldric, Sword of David
French: Épée aux Estrange Renges, L’Espée aux Estraignes Renges, L’Espée de David
In the First Continuation, Gawain undertakes the quest and wins the sword. Here, the weapon is said to have originally belonged to Judas Maccabeus, the Jewish warrior and patriot, linking it to heroic and biblical tradition.
In Meraugis de Portlesquez, Gawain again seeks the sword, this time on the mysterious Island without a Name, reinforcing its status as an object of adventure and trial.
The Grail Cycle Transformation#
The full legend of the sword is revealed in the Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal, where it becomes one of the sacred objects connected to the Grail.
The sword is transformed into a sacred relic of immense importance. It is said to have belonged to King David of Israel, and was therefore also known as the Sword of David. Upon David’s death it passed to his son King Solomon, who adorned it with precious jewels. The crossguard was made from the ribs of two mythical beasts, the Papagustes and the Cortenans (Ortenax).
The sword rested in a scabbard known as the Memory of Blood, fashioned from wood taken from the Tree of Life in Eden and covered with the skin of a serpent. Although the weapon itself was magnificent, its girdle was made from humble hemp, crafted by Solomon’s wife.
The Ship of Solomon#
King Solomon placed the sword aboard the mysterious Ship of Solomon and set it adrift upon the sea. An inscription on the pommel declared that only the best knight in the world would ever draw it safely.
Many men attempted to draw the sword and were injured.
The first was Nascien, who discovered the ship at the Turning Isle. After drawing the sword and slaying a giant, he was wounded through the thighs by a holy lance and the sword was broken. The weapon was later repaired by King Mordrain.
The Dolorous Stroke#
The sword later passed into the hands of King Varlan of Wales, who used it to slay King Lambor of Listenois, the Grail King. This blow became known as the Dolorous Stroke, turning the lands of Wales and Listenois into the Waste Land.
Varlan himself died immediately after returning the sword to its scabbard.
Later still, King Pelles, another Grail King, attempted to draw the weapon and was likewise struck through the thighs with a spear. From this wound he became known as the Maimed King.
Galahad and the Grail Quest#
The sword’s destined owner proved to be Galahad, who found it aboard the Ship of Solomon during the Grail Quest.
Perceval’s sister, Agrestizia, created a new girdle for the sword from her own hair, symbolizing purity and devotion. The scholar R.S. Loomis suggested that this replacement symbolized the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
Galahad wielded the sword during several battles of the Grail Quest, and it becomes one of the defining weapons of the final generation of knights.
Later, King Arthur himself remarks that the magnificence of Excalibur was second only to that of the Sword with the Strange Hangings.
Later Traditions#
In the Italian romance La Tavola Ritonda, the sword is said to have been left hanging upon the statue of Galahad at the castle of Leverzep. Centuries later, Charlemagne takes it and renames it Gioisa, linking Arthurian legend to later heroic tradition.
In many other traditions, however, the fate of the sword is left unknown.
Significance#
The sword stand at the center of the Grail tradition as a counterpart to the Grail and the Bleeding Lance. Together, these objects form a symbolic system in which power is inseparable from moral and spiritual worth.
Through this weapon, the Grail narratives connect the chivalric world of Arthur with the deeper history of sacred kingship and divine destiny.
Sources#
Perceval, or Le Conte del Graal | Chrétien de Troyes, late 12th century
First Continuation of Chrétien’s Perceval | attributed to Wauchier of Denain, c.1200
Meraugis de Portlesquez | Raoul de Houdenc, early 13th century
Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal | 1215–1230
Vulgate Estoire del Saint Graal | 1220–1235
Vulgate Mort Artu | 1215–1230
Post-Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal | 1230–1240
Le Morte d’Arthur | Sir Thomas Malory, 1469–1470
La Tavola Ritonda | c. 1325-1350
