The Legend of the Durandal Sword

According to legend, the Durandal sword was a divine weapon bestowed upon Roland, a renowned military leader serving under Charlemagne in the 8th century. The sword was said to be so powerful that Roland’s final mission was to destroy it. When attempts to break the sword failed, Roland flung it with all his might. The sword, named Durandal, traveled over 100 miles before embedding itself in the side of a rock in the medieval French village of Rocamadour.

For nearly 1,300 years, the legendary blade remained wedged in the stone, becoming a significant landmark and a popular tourist attraction in Rocamadour, a quaint village in southwestern France, located approximately 110 miles east of Bordeaux. The residents and officials of Rocamadour were shocked to find out recently that the iconic sword had disappeared, as reported by La Dépêche du Midi, a French newspaper.

An officer from France’s national police force in Cahors, a town situated about 30 miles southwest of Rocamadour, revealed that the sword went missing sometime after nightfall on June 21. The authorities initiated an investigation after a passerby reported the following morning that the sword was no longer there. While the officer clarified that the missing sword was a replica, he acknowledged its profound symbolic value.

Further inquiries were directed to the office of the prosecutor of the republic in Cahors, which has yet to respond to requests for comments regarding the mysterious disappearance of the legendary Durandal sword.