The legendary magical sword of King Arthur, given to him by the Lady of the Lake. It is said that Merlin feared that Arthur would fall in battle, and so decided he needed a special sword: he took the young king on a journey and they came to the shores of a wide and still lake. Arthur then beheld an arm, clothed in samite, suddenly rise from the dark waters, the hand holding a great sword. The great wizard told him to speak kindly to the Lady of the Lake, so that she may favour him and cede the sword to his keeping. This the young king did and, sure enough, the Lady invited him to row out into the lake and take the sword and it's scabbard.
Once back on shore, Merlin asked him which he preferred, sword or scabbard: Arthur gave some thought to the question and finally answered that he preferred the Sword. The wizard told him that the scabbard was the greater of the two gifts, for he who held the scabbard would shed no blood, no matter how great the wound he might have.
