After the death of King Uther, his knights argued among themselves over who should be the next king.
Finally, the great wizard, Merlin, ordered the nobles and knights to gather in London.
When they had all crowded into London’s main cathedral, Merlin revealed a mysterious stone with a sword embedded into it. Chiseled into the stone were the words:
“Whoever pulls the sword from this stone is the rightful king of all England.”
Naturally, each knight and noble believed that he was the true king. Boastful and full of confidence, they took their turns straining, tugging, and pulling at the sword.
But at the end of the day, their hopes were dashed. The sword did not budge. Instead, it remained in the churchyard for several years.
Every year, hopefuls wrapped their hands around the sword’s handle and tried their luck.
But no one succeeded.
