The sword in the stone is the blade only the rightful king could draw. Draw the sword in the stone, the sword in the stone test, like the sword in the stone.
The sword in the stone settles who should rule by making the answer impossible to fake, which is exactly what a contested succession lacks. In the older tellings this is not Excalibur — that comes later from the lake, and the two are constantly confused.
1phrasesword in the stoneThe blade only the rightful king could draw.
“Many knights tried to pull out the sword in the stone, but only young Arthur could.”
sword in the stone is a legendary object.
Practised in Myths & Legends, Fairy Tales & Folklore