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"["If the sword really dates to 1180, decades before the first literary reference to the "sword in the stone," it would support the theory that the Celtic myth of King Arthur and his sword Excalibur developed in Italy after the death of Galgano."]

["Hmm..Let's see, "King" Arthur, according to what little is known of him, appears to have lived in the 5th century AD, and been Welsh, and here we have a sword that has been dated to the 12th century, embedding in a rock in Italy."]"

This is very simple guys: Though Arthur may well have lived in the 5th (though I think its the 6th) Century, WRITTEN REFERENCES and/or LEGENDS of Arthur only date back to AFTER this Italian sword legend is supposed to have occured. Therefore the legend of Arthur and the stone, may have in fact come from this (actual) sword in the stone. This doesn't make King Arthur necessarily a myth, just the story of the sword in the stone with him--got it???

Pretty cool though, that there's a real sword in a stone...

"This is very simple guys: Though Arthur may well have lived in the 5th (though I think its the 6th) Century, WRITTEN REFERENCES and/or LEGENDS of Arthur only date back to AFTER this Italian sword legend is supposed to have occured. Therefore the legend of Arthur and the stone, may have in fact come from this (actual) sword in the stone. This doesn't make King Arthur necessarily a myth, just the story of the sword in the stone with him--got it??? "

Yes indeed, finding a "sword in the stone"! The size of this sword is what sent my mind back to little David and that Giant.

Thanks

Guess again...Written references to Arthur are being made in the 4th-5th century. Therefore, the Arthurian legend predates the sword in the stone (at least this ONE) by 6-700 years, NOT the other way around...