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Arise King Arthur! Replica of legendary sword in the stone pulled by mysterious thief

The sword was mysteriously pulled from its lakeside home - WALES NEWS SERVICE
The sword was mysteriously pulled from its lakeside home - WALES NEWS SERVICE

The story of the magical sword in the stone is one of England's most famous legends.

Plunged into a stone by the wizard Merlin, the blade known as Excalibur could only be reclaimed by the true heir of Uther Pendragon.

Now, 800 years after it first appeared in Robert de Boron's French poem, Merlin, it seems King Arthur's prophecy may have come true after a replica version at one of the possible locations of legendary Camelot went missing.

In the dead of night, a shadowy figure, or figures, pulled the cast iron replica from its site at Llangorse Lake, in the Welsh countryside near Brecon, Powys, and made off with it.

So far no one has claimed responsibility, but locals have an inkling about who might have been responsible.

"As a policy we tend not to take stag dos," said Garnet Davies, owner of Lakeside Caravan Park. "But there was a party in the village over the weekend, and we think it may well have been these lads having a bit of fun. I imagine they've tried to pull it out between them and it's snapped off.

"But we haven't been able to find it anywhere and I've had a good look around for it. They've probably thought 'Oh look, here's a trophy, let's take it home and stick it on the wall'."

The sword was fixed into the stone with cement next to the lake which has been rumoured to be one of the possible locations of legendary Camelot - Credit:  WALES NEWS SERVICE
The sword was fixed into the stone with cement next to the lake which has been rumoured to be one of the possible locations of legendary Camelot Credit: WALES NEWS SERVICE

Prince Charles, it seems, need not worry someone will threaten his claim to the throne just yet.

But that is no comfort to Mr Davies who was proud of the sword he had placed for people visiting the lake more than two years ago. "I had that sword made by a local blacksmith. He did a lovely job of it, but to make it look realistic I think he made it rather thin - slightly too thin given the events of this week," he said.

Gallery puff: The story of King Arthur
Gallery puff: The story of King Arthur

"Next time I intend to make it a lot stronger, to prevent any further incidents."

Llangorse Lake was once home to the ancient kings of Brycheiniog and is one of the locations mooted for Camelot, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

The lost sword has now become the talk of Llangors, a small village nestled within the national park.

So far, however, the park authority says no one had been arrested - and its officers are baffled.

Emily Durrant, a county councillor, said the community "really misses it".

Adam Tatton-Reid, a local photographer who used the sword for a Brecon Beacons brochure, started crowdfunding for a replacement if the original was not found. More than £500 has already been raised.