arthur mirror sword

From the roof of the palace the king beholds “all the immense aspect of the heavens,” the stars and theplanets, and then, from a balcony, the sea, all the idle and fruitless work of men on earth, and the dangers and cares that beset kings. Morgan then tells him that it is time to return; he has learned about heaven and earth, and can draw norms for his future conduct. She gives him a sword, the hilt of which is made of the shed horns of the hind. In this sword he will mirror himself every day of his life, will see his own defects and how to amend them, thus triumphing over his foes and himself.


The Arthurian Legend in Italian Literature - Edmund Gardner