When he reached it, he saw two statues of knights cast in copper, each holding a steel sword so heavy that two men could barely have lifted it. They stood guard at the doorway and kept striking with their swords at such a pace that no one could pass through without being hit.

The knight was not frightened of them, but raised his shield above his head and plunged on through. One struck a blow that sliced right through his shield and came down onto the right shoulder, cutting so fiercely through the mail of his hauberk that red blood started flowing down the whole length of his body and he fell face down on the ground. But he jumped right back up and, picking up his shield and the sword, which had fallen, he held the shield over his head and never looked anywhere but straight ahead.

The Vulgate Cycle