He praised the beauty and quality of Tristano's image above all the others, and inspecting the five swords found Tristano's bigger and heavier and better tempered than any of the others. Because of its weight, no knight after Carlo Magno could use it, except the Danish knight Ugieri.

And these were the deeds of giants. The greatest regret Carlo Magno had was that the sword was not at its best, because it had been blunted. No one was able to sharpen it because no wheel would bear its weight, and it could not be put in a fire for fear of ruining its fine temper. So he used it blunted thus, and for that reason it was called Cortana.

La Tavola Ritonda