A Yorkshire school girl has made the unexpected discovery of a four-foot sword in the lake that King Arthur's Excalibur was apocryphally hurled into.
Matilda Jones, aged seven, from Doncaster, found the sword when she was paddling in Dozmary Pool, in Cornwall with her father, Paul.
"It was a blistering hot day and Matilda asked if we could go for a paddle," Paul Jones told The Sheffield Star. "She was only waist deep when she said she could see a sword."
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"I told her not to be silly and it was probably a bit of fencing, but when I looked down I realised it was a sword. It was just there laying flat on the bottom of the lake."
By chance, the find occurred just a day after Paul Jones had told his daughter about the legend of King Arthur on the way to the lake.
According to folklore, Sir Bedivere threw Excalibur into Dozmary Pool after the Battle of Camlann, where Arthur died. Just as he hurled the sword into the lake, an arm rose from the surface to grab it and disappeared back into the water.
Dozmary Pool is also the home of the Lady of the Lake and is where a young Arthur rowed out to claim the mighty Excalibur.
But as with all good yarns, there must be a twist and Jones believes the sword is actually only about 20-30 years old and probably an old film prop.
Nevertheless "Matilda is enjoying telling all her family and friends about her discovery," says the Star.
