Durandal

Durendal, also spelled Durandal, is the sword of Roland, a legendary paladin and partially historical officer of Charlemagne in French epic literature. The sword is famous for its hardness and sharpness. Sources including '' La Chanson de Roland'' (''The Song of Roland'') state that it first belonged to the young Charlemagne.

According to one legend, at the end of the Battle of Roncevaux Roland hurled the sword from him to prevent its being seized by the Saracens, and it came to rest in Rocamadour. A replica sword that was embedded in a rock face there was reported stolen in June 2024.

Etymology

The name ''Durendal'' arguably begins with the French ''dur-'' stem, meaning "hard", though "enduring" may be the intended meaning. Rita Lejeune argues that the name may break down into + , which may be rendered in English as "strong scythe" or explained in more detail to mean "a scimitar or scythe that holds up, resists, endures". Gerhard Rohlfs suggests + , "strong flame" or " flameburns strongly from it".

The '' Pseudo-Turpin'' explains that the name "'Durendal' is interpreted to mean hatit gives a hard strike" (). It has been argued that the ''Pseudo-Turpin'' offering a gloss of the meaning constitutes evidence that it was a name that was not readily understood in French.

One non-French etymology is Edwin B. Place's attempt to construe it in Breton as , meaning "blade hatdulls cutting edge" or "blade hatblinds". Another is James A. Bellamy's Arabic etymology, explaining a possible origin of the sword's name in (), meaning "master of stone".

Properties

According to legend, the sword was capable of cutting through giant boulders with a single strike, and was indestructible.

In the ''Chanson de Roland''

In '' La Chanson de Roland'' (''The Song of Roland''), the sword is said to contain within its golden hilt a tooth of Saint Peter, blood of Basil of Caesarea, hair of Saint Denis, and a piece of the raiment of Mary, mother of Jesus., laisse CLXXIII

According to legend as recounted in the poem, at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass Roland took the rearguard to hold off Saracen troops long enough for Charlemagne's army to retreat into France. He slew a vast number of enemies: wielding Durendal, he sliced the right arm of the Saracen king Marsile, decapitated the king's son Jursaleu or Jurfaleu and put the one-hundred-thousand-strong army to flight. His mission accomplished, Roland then attempted to destroy Durendal by hitting it against blocks of marble, to prevent it from being captured by the Saracens, but the sword proved to be indestructible. Finally, mortally wounded, he hid it beneath his body as he lay dying along with the oliphant, the horn he had used to alert Charlemagne.

In Spanish tradition

In Spanish Carolingian literature, "Durandarte" refers both to the sword and to a companion of Roland, famous for his relationship with the lady Belerma.

Origins and previous ownership

The sword has been given various provenances. Several of the works of the Matter of France agree that it was forged by Wayland the Smith, who is commonly cited as a maker of weapons in chivalric romances.

According to ''La Chanson de Roland'', an angel brought Durendal to Charlemagne in the vale of Moriane, and Charlemagne then gave it to Roland.

According to the 12th-century fragmentary ''chanson de geste'' known as ''Mainet'' (referring to the pseudonym that Charlemagne adopted in his youth), Durendal was once captured, but not kept, by the young Charlemagne when he fled to Spain. Young Charles (Mainés in the text) slays Braimant, obtaining his sword (Durendaus). This tale is better preserved in some non-''chanson de geste'' texts, and in adaptations such as the Franco-Italian ''Karleto''. According to the Low-German version ''Karl Mainet'', the place of combat was near the vale of Moriane (Vael Moriale), near Toledo.

According to another 12th-century ''chanson de geste'', the ''Song of Aspremont'', the owner of Durendal just before Roland obtained it was a Saracen named Aumon, son of king Agolant,. Young Roland mounted Naimes's horse Morel without permission, and armed only with a rod, defeated Aumon, taking as spoils both the sword and the horse Veillantif.

These materials were combined in the Italian prose ''Aspramonte'' by Andrea da Barberino in the late 14th to early 15th century. That work stated that after young Carlo (Charlemagne) came into possession of Durindarda (Durendal) by killing Bramante in Spain, Galafro gave it to Galiziella, who then gave it to Almonte the son of Agolante (i.e., ). Galiziella is glossed as the bastard daughter of Agolante, making her Almonte's half-sister. Durindana is eventually won by Orlandino (young Orlando).

Andrea da Barberino was a major source for later Italian writers. Boiardo's ''Orlando innamorato'' traces the sword's origin to Hector of Troy; it belonged for a while to the Amazonian queen Pantasilea, and was passed down to Almonte before Orlando gained possession of it. Ludovico Ariosto's ''Orlando Furioso'' follows Boiardo, saying it once belonged to Hector of Troy, but that it was given to Roland by Malagigi (Maugris).

Local lore

Tradition has it that Roland's Breach in the Pyrenees was created when Roland, attempting to break Durendal, instead cut a huge gash in the mountainside with one blow. A similar legend is used to explain a notch in the peak of Puig Campana in the Province of Alicante, Spain.

In Rocamadour, in the Lot department, a local legend holds that instead of dying with Durendal hidden under his body, Roland called on the Archangel Michael for assistance and was able to throw the sword several hundred kilometres across the border into France, where it came to rest in Rocamadour. There it was deposited in the chapel of Mary, but was stolen by Henry the Young King in 1183. Successive replicas have been stolen; most recently a sword fashioned from sheet metal was embedded in a cleft in a cliff wall, secured with a chain. That sword was reported stolen in June 2024.

In popular culture

Durandal is the name of an artificial intelligence in the '' Marathon Trilogy'' by Bungie. Appearing first in ''Marathon'', Durandal was initially introduced as an antagonist, his self-awareness causing him to collude with the enemy Pfhor when the player attempts to disable his access to important systems pertaining to the UESC ''Marathon''. Beginning in '' Marathon 2: Durandal'', the eponymous artificial intelligence becomes an ally with the player and the S'pht, a slave race of the Pfhor that was freed in the previous game, as he believes the S'pht homeworld of Lh'owon can give him insight into escaping the ultimate death of the universe and become a god like the Jjaro, a race of advanced extraterrestrials that have since disappeared. In the final installment, '' Marathon Infinity'', as a consequence of the reality hopping abilities of both the technology of the Jjaro and the W'rkncacnter, an eldritch being once imprisoned within the sun of the S'pht System that was freed when the Pfhor destroyed the sun, Durandal can serve as either an ally or an enemy to the player.

A sword named Durendal appears in a number of fantasy video games. In '' Final Fantasy Legend III'' (1991) it's one of four mystic swords (its name shortened to 'Durend' due to character limitations). In the ''Super Sentai'' series '' Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger'' (1992). the monster Dora Knight wields a magic sword called Durandal. In the ''Fire Emblem'' videogame series, Durandal is the name of the legendary claymore sword wielded by one of the characters. Durandal is the name of a character in '' Honkai Impact 3rd''; her namesake is the super-AI Holy Blade Durandal, which takes the form of a sword. In '' Library of Ruina'' (2020), Durandal is the signature weapon of Roland, one of the main protagonists. A sword named Durandal is in '' Chained Echoes'' (2022), as well as a lesser known game, Days Bygone.

In ''Terraria'', Durendal is a weapon that the player is able to craft, but it's a whip rather than a sword. Durendal is the name of a spaceship in ''Xenosaga'' and of an organization in '' Front Mission 4''. The name also appears in '' Fate/Grand Order'' (2015).

A sword named Durendal also appears in literature. In the xianxia-inspired series of novels ''The Godking's Legacy'' by author Virlyce, Durandal is the name of one of the main characters, a sentient sword that previously belonged to the legendary warrior-mage Roland. In ''The Dresden Files'' book series, Durendal is one of three powerful swords and is linked to the emotion of hope. In the light novel and anime series ''High School DxD'', the historical Durandal that was first used by Roland is wielded by a current character.

Durandel is used as a name, although not of a sword, in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, '' Macross Frontier'', and '' Space Battleship Tiramisu'', and in the live-action tokusatsu series '' Kamen Rider Saber'' (2020) and the spinoff '' Kamen Rider Sabela & Durendal'' (2022).

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General bibliography

Primary sources

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Secondary sources

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{{Matter of France

Medieval European swords
Mythological swords
The Song of Roland
Matter of France
Lost objects
Henry the Young King