French 'Excalibur' sword stuck in cliff for 1,300 years goes missing

An ancient French sword has disappeared from a small town named Rocamadour, where it was lodged in a cliff for 1300 years, NDTV reported.

Durandal as the sword is called, is said to have belonged to Roland, a legendary paladin or knight and an officer of Charlemagne in French epic literature The Song of Roland.

The eleventh century epic poem says that the sword has magical powers and that it contained one tooth of St Peter, the blood of St Basil, and the hair of St Denis.

It is said that an angel gave the sword to Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne in the eighth century and King Charlemagne then gifted the sword to Roland, who was one of his best knights. Before his death in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, Roland tried to destroy the sword so that the sword would not go into the hands of the army of Saracens. However, he was was unable to do so. Therefore, he threw the sword in desperation and the weapon flew hundreds of Kilometres before wedging into the rock in Rocamadour in south of France.

The Durandal sword is often termed as the French Excalibur, referring to the sword King Arthur, which was pulled from stone as "the true king" of Britain.

The locals, who believe their destiny is linked to the sword, were upset over the theft.

”We're going to miss Durandal. It's been part of Rocamadour for centuries, and there's not a guide who doesn't point it out when he visits,” Mayor Dominique Lenfant told La Dépêche, as quoted by The Independent.

“Rocamadour feels it’s been robbed of a part of itself, but even if it’s a legend, the destinies of our village and this sword are entwined,” he added.

An investigation has been initiated to track down the sword, which was lodged into a rock about 32-feet above the ground.