The Legend of Saint Galgano

"The Legend of Saint. Galgano,"

A Version of The Sword in the Stone

Italy, AD 1100’s,

Legend passed down through the generations.

The story of the sword in the stone most of us know is that of King Arthur, but there is another sword in stone. In Italy in the 1100’s a man named Galgano Guidotti lived a thoughtless life. According to the legend, Galgano was visited by an angel telling him to give up the life he was living and become a hermit. He decided to follow the angel’s wishes, but his mother had other plans. She told him to put on his finest clothes and visit his fiancé one last time. While riding his horse to visit his fiancé, the horse reared back and threw Galgano off. Soon he felt himself lifted off the ground, and a voice told him to climb the hill. When he arrived at the top, the voice told him, again, to give up his worldly goods and become a hermit. Galgano said that was too difficult, and it would be easier to break a rock in half with his sword. He decided to prove his point by stabbing the rock with his sword expecting the sword to break. Instead, the sword slid into the rock like butter. When Galgano saw this, he immediately gave up his worldly life and became a hermit. He was friends with animals and took pity on any who needed help. For this, he was called Saint Galgano. For many years, people believed this legend to be just that, a legend. However, in 2001, archeologist found the sword in the stone, and it can now be visited in Italy today.