Question
Which detail in "The Good King Arthur" shows a different key scene than "Excalibur"?
The Good King Arthur
adapted from Myths and Legends of all Nations
by Logan Marshall
The boy Arthur was the son of King Uther Pendragon, but Uther had given him into the care of the enchanter Merlin, who had carried him to the castle of Sir Hector.
Merlin was a very wise man, and when King Uther died several years later, the noblemen asked his advice in choosing a new king.
The enchanter only replied that he should gather everyone together in St. Stephen's Church in London on Christmas Day.
As directed, the knights assembled into the churchyard; there they beheld a large block of stone, upon which rested a heavy anvil. The blade of a jeweled sword was sunk deeply into the anvil.
One of them discovered an inscription upon the hilt, which said that none but the man who could draw out the sword should ever rule in Uther's place. One by one they tried, but the sword was firmly imbedded.
Years later, Sir Hector traveled to London with his foster son, Arthur, and his own son, Sir Kay, who was to take part in his first tournament; however, Sir Kay had forgotten his sword.
"I will fetch it for you," cried the young Arthur, anxious to be of service.
He found Sir Kay's apartment locked, but he was determined to get a sword for his brother, and remembering the huge anvil he had seen in the churchyard, he hurried toward it. Grasping the hilt of the projecting sword, he drew it out easily.
"The king!" the people cried; for they knew that at last they had found a worthy successor to the good King Uther.
The Good King Arthur
adapted from Myths and Legends of all Nations
by Logan Marshall
The boy Arthur was the son of King Uther Pendragon, but Uther had given him into the care of the enchanter Merlin, who had carried him to the castle of Sir Hector.
Merlin was a very wise man, and when King Uther died several years later, the noblemen asked his advice in choosing a new king.
The enchanter only replied that he should gather everyone together in St. Stephen's Church in London on Christmas Day.
As directed, the knights assembled into the churchyard; there they beheld a large block of stone, upon which rested a heavy anvil. The blade of a jeweled sword was sunk deeply into the anvil.
One of them discovered an inscription upon the hilt, which said that none but the man who could draw out the sword should ever rule in Uther's place. One by one they tried, but the sword was firmly imbedded.
Years later, Sir Hector traveled to London with his foster son, Arthur, and his own son, Sir Kay, who was to take part in his first tournament; however, Sir Kay had forgotten his sword.
"I will fetch it for you," cried the young Arthur, anxious to be of service.
He found Sir Kay's apartment locked, but he was determined to get a sword for his brother, and remembering the huge anvil he had seen in the churchyard, he hurried toward it. Grasping the hilt of the projecting sword, he drew it out easily.
"The king!" the people cried; for they knew that at last they had found a worthy successor to the good King Uther.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
The story describes the sword as plunged through a heavy anvil that rests on a large block of stone in the churchyard (and Arthur pulls it while fetching a sword for Sir Kay). In the film Excalibur the iconic scene is portrayed differently — the sword is not shown stuck through an anvil in a churchyard, and Arthur’s claim to it isn’t framed as simply fetching Kay’s sword (the film treats the sword/Excalibur more mythically, with the Lady of the Lake and different staging).
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