In The Once and Future King, Arthur draws the legendary sword Excalibur from the stone.
T.H. White’s novel retells the Arthurian tradition in four parts, beginning with The Sword in the Stone. The young Arthur, called Wart, is raised without knowing that he is the son of King Uther Pendragon. After Uther’s death, the sword embedded in a stone becomes the test that will reveal England’s rightful king.
Arthur succeeds because he can pull the sword free, while stronger or more experienced men fail. The episode establishes his legitimacy and begins his transformation from an unworldly boy into a ruler. White combines medieval legend with modern reflections on education, politics, war, and the use of power.
Excalibur is sometimes confused with Clarent, another sword associated with Arthur in later Arthurian traditions. In White’s narrative, the sword-in-the-stone episode is distinct from later stories about Excalibur’s origins and Arthur’s final battle.