The document discusses the legend of King Arthur and his famous sword Excalibur. It describes how Merlin prophesied that Arthur would be the destined king and only he could pull the sword from the stone. Excalibur was a symbol of Arthur's divine right to rule, though it did not possess magical powers as commonly believed, but rather made Arthur a better fighter and had God's blessing. The legend tells how Arthur threw Excalibur into a lake after being mortally wounded, with a hand emerging to grab the sword as a sign that there would be no more divine kings.