All language subtitles for The.UnXplained.Special.Presentation.S02E02.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

WILLIAM SHATNER:
An Egyptian dagger
with celestial powers,

Viking swords

of unexplainable strength,

and a blazing weapon so fierce

it could set the sea on fire.

For thousands of years,
man has been forging weapons

out of bronze, iron, steel.

Over the centuries,
an uncountable number of swords,

daggers and other tools
of destruction

have been created,

but among them are a few
that are truly remarkable.

Weapons that are said
to possess magical powers,

metallurgy that has been
impossible to reproduce

and technology so advanced,

it's as if it came
from the future.

What secrets are
yet to be uncovered

about the amazing armaments

considered to be
legendary weapons?

Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.

♪ ♪

SHATNER:
The Valley of the Kings, Egypt.

February 16, 1923.

A British excavation team

led by archaeologist
Howard Carter

enters an underground
ancient Egyptian burial chamber.

Once inside,
they break a protective seal

that guards the tomb
of King Tutankhamun.

CHRIS NAUNTON:
Carter lifts up a lamp,

and they look through and see
that Tutankhamun is buried

with this fantastic array
of more than 5,000 objects.

The room is absolutely
full to bursting

with gold and precious stones

and various other
precious and valuable items,

more or less exactly
in places they'd been left

more than 3,000 years ago.

SHATNER:
Of the thousands
of wondrous artifacts

found in King Tut's tomb,
perhaps the most extraordinary

is an exquisitely forged
13-inch iron dagger.

NAUNTON:
The dagger is a really
sensational object

with a golden sheath
which is decorated

with a chased feather pattern.

It was placed
on the thigh of the king,

and of all the 5,000 objects
in the tomb,

the vast majority of them
were nowhere near

as close as that
to the very body of the king.

So this is something
very, very important.

RAMY ROMANY:
King Tut's reign
was about 1330 BC.

At that time, King Tut's dagger
was a very important piece,

as a symbol that the gods
handed him this power.

That's why the iron dagger
was buried with King Tut.

He needed it on his journey
to the afterlife.

DOMINIC STEAVU:
In the afterlife,

King Tut was charged, uh,
with the very important mission

of assisting the sun god, Ra.

Ancient Egyptians believed
that when the Sun set every day,

Ra would traverse
the underworld,

which was a dark,
murky, watery place

fraught with dangers
and demons and beasts.

So, King Tut would use
this dagger to literally defend

and fight off
these hordes of enemies.

And so, there's this belief that
the blade of the dagger had...

miraculous and spiritual powers.

SHATNER:
The idea that King Tut was
buried with a mighty iron dagger

to vanquish foes
in the afterlife

is certainly a great story.

But is it possible

that the dagger actually
possesses divine power,

as the ancient Egyptians
believed?

Perhaps the answer lies
in the mysterious origins

of this sacred relic.

NAUNTON:
The Egyptians had,
essentially, no ability

in smelting iron
at the time of Tutankhamun.

And so, the iron, uh,
from this dagger

that, uh, Tutankhamun
was buried with,

uh, comes from elsewhere.

The Egyptians,
of course, thought

that the only
reasonable explanation

for the presence
of a very exquisitely,

perfectly worked iron dagger

was that the iron itself

was some kind of gift
directly from the gods.

We now know, however,

thanks to very recent
scientific analysis,

that the iron doesn't come
from iron ore in the ground,

it is meteoric iron,

which comes from a meteorite

landing on Earth from space.

For Egyptians,
the sky is where the gods were.

So you have to understand,

at that time in ancient Egypt,
3,500 years ago,

a meteorite falling on Earth

with iron in it,

and piece of it
looked like a dagger,

symbolically, that piece of iron

was a gift from the gods
for the ancient Egyptians.

SHATNER:
Did the ancient Egyptians
believe that King Tut's dagger

had otherworldly powers

because it literally came
from another world?

Perhaps, but some people think
that the sacred nature

of this relic
was more than just symbolic.

As evidence,
they point to a series

of mysterious deaths
that took place

after archaeologists removed
the dagger from King Tut's tomb.

NAUNTON:
There's the moment where

Howard Carter's
archaeological team

peers into an undiscovered tomb,

and sees loads
of gold and treasure.

And then, shortly after,

Carter's sponsor,
the Earl of Carnarvon, dies

relatively suddenly in unusual,
surprising circumstances.

SHATNER:
The Earl of Carnarvon's
cause of death

was reportedly a mysterious form
of blood poisoning,

and he died only four months
after the tomb had been opened.

All told,
seven members of the expedition

unexpectedly died in the years
after King Tut's dagger

was removed
from his sarcophagus.

Many believed that tampering
with the dagger

had unlocked a deadly curse,

and that the untimely deaths
were proof

of the weapon's
otherworldly power.

If the dagger's there
for the king's protection,

and the point at which
the dagger is removed

by a clumsy, unsuspecting,
unbelieving archaeologist...

...that's the moment at which

some nastiness befalls
the archaeologist.

Then, I think,
if you believe in the curse,

perhaps the dagger
is centrally important to that.

SHATNER:
Could moving
the legendary dagger of King Tut

have launched a deadly curse
on Carter's archaeology team?

Well, it's certainly
a possibility,

if the weapon was truly
a celestial gift from the gods.

But King Tut's dagger
is not the only armament

whose unique strength
is attributed to a higher power.

It is said that
mysteriously crafted swords

of incredible strength

were imbued
with mystical properties

that helped one of the world's
greatest conquerors

change the course
of human history.

SHATNER:
Throughout Europe,
there are numerous museums

that house a countless number
of ancient Viking artifacts,

some of which are
more than 1,000 years old.

Perhaps the most
fascinating objects

left behind by the Vikings
are their swords.

These extraordinary blades
are an iconic symbol

of the Viking Age,

and not only were
they formidable in battle

but they also feature detailed
and exquisite craftsmanship.

The thing about the Viking
swords in particular is,

you'll see, on a lot of
these hilts of the Viking era,

repeating geometric symbols.

Oftentimes, these hilts
were further decorated

largely with silver

or perhaps copper or gold,

inlaid into the hilt.

And some were incredibly
advanced in their techniques,

quite beautiful...

...and hard to produce
even today in a modern shop.

SHATNER:
The sophistication
of Viking swords

shows how important
these blades were

to their warrior culture.

And, in fact, powerful weapons
feature prominently

in Viking mythology.

The Icelandic sagas
are filled with epic tales

about supernatural swords
and spears

that were wielded by the gods.

The god Odin is the supreme
being of the Norse system.

He had an unusual spear,
the Gungnir.

Now, this is
an incredible spear.

It can travel.

It's well-balanced,
so it can go far

with great accuracy.

Odin has this spear that
almost seems to be laser-guided.

It finds its target
regardless of how it's thrown.

And then Thor, of course,
as we all know,

has his hammer called Mjölnir.

It creates thunder,
but it also can, uh, create

massive devastation.

TOK THOMPSON:
Thor's hammer Mjölnir,

it's associated with the skill
of the blacksmith.

Blacksmiths were often
considered, just by nature,

somewhat magic, right?

To be able to take
this raw material

and produce
an incredible steel sword.

SHATNER:
While the sagas
speak of magical armaments,

in reality,
a 170 special Viking swords

have been recovered,
which are so unparalleled

in strength and craftsmanship

that they are
the real-life embodiment

of mythical weapons
celebrated in the sagas.

To this day, no one knows
how they were made,

and curiously, many of them bear

the mysterious inscription:
"Ulfberht."

FURRER:
The Ulfberht swords were made

between about 800 and 1000 AD.

So, right solid
in the high Viking period,

when they were trading
and raiding.

Some Viking swords seem
to be much better than others.

And these were the so-called
"Ulfberht swords."

It was assumed,
without any evidence,

that it was a swordsmith's name.

But why the name Ulfberht
was used is still a mystery.

FURRER:
What does "Ulfberht" mean?

It's probably not a person.

It was probably a word of power.

Typically, "ulf" means wolf.

And "berht" is an adjective
meaning bright.

So, it might be, "bright wolf."

SHATNER:
Even more mysterious

than their enigmatic inscription

is the seemingly-impossible
strength of Ulfberht swords.

I've analyzed 40 or 50
Ulfberht swords.

It's certainly interesting
to find

that many of them still have
a sharp edge,

which is certainly unexpected.

These swords were made
of a very high carbon steel.

The chemistry's
completely different

to any other weapons found
in medieval Europe.

It would be vastly superior
to any other weapon in combat.

SHATNER:
To forge
these extraordinary swords,

the Vikings would have had
to generate extreme temperatures

exceeding
3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

But incredibly, the technology

to accomplish such a feat
is not known

to have existed
until the Industrial Revolution,

nearly 800 years
after the end of the Viking age.

So how did
Viking blacksmiths forge

these marvels
of medieval warfare?

The search for answers leads
far from Scandinavia...

...to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Here, in his workshop,

blacksmith Ric Furrer is
committed to forging swords

that closely resemble
an authentic Ulfberht.

How I reproduce
an Ulfberht blade

is prepare the raw materials.

All of that material
gets brought up

to about 3,000 degrees
Fahrenheit.

So, very hot.

Hotter than
a typical blacksmith fire

would be allowed to get.

In the sagas, heat control
in the fire was very important.

It was even mentioned
as being important

when the two dwarf brothers
made Thor's hammer.

And we've got
a nice temperature here.

SHATNER:
After heating the metal
with temperatures

that, as far as we know,
were supposedly impossible

to achieve
during the Viking Age,

the raw material
becomes molten liquid.

And when the liquid cools down,

it hardens into a purified chunk
of metal called an "ingot."

FURRER:
And you would take
this steel ingot

and then start forging it.

So, you'd change its shape,

making it progressively
more bar-like as you go.

Ready, ready? Three hits.

One hit.

Hit. Hit.

And that's it.

That looks really good.

So, if you look here,

we have the finished blade.

SHATNER:
How did Viking blacksmiths,

working with
comparatively-primitive tools,

complete this process

with such precision
and expertise?

It's a fascinating question
that,

despite his extensive
understanding of metallurgy

and years of intense study,
even Ric cannot answer.

I don't think anyone
has produced an Ulfberht

using completely
traditional methods.

Because we don't know
what those methods were.

The Vikings had
these mythological stories

that involve weapons
in the hands of a god.

And it isn't a far stretch
to say that some of the swords

that they actually had
could also do miraculous things.

There's still a huge mystery
in steel.

SHATNER:
What strange power lies
within the twisted metal

of the Ulfberht swords?

It appears that question
may remain a mystery

until we uncover the true origin
of these extraordinary blades.

But there's another
ancient weapon

that's just as baffling
to historians

and experts alike--

a lethal concoction

that harnessed fire
into a stream of deadly flames

and massive destruction,

known as...

..."Greek fire."

(people yelling)

SHATNER: For four long years,
Arab forces have laid siege

to the capital
of the Byzantine Empire.

But then, the Byzantines risk
a daring counterattack

and unleash
a devastating inferno.

Streams of flame shoot out
from Byzantine vessels,

lighting the water on fire

and incinerating the Arab ships.

This fearsome weapon would come
to be known as "Greek fire."

GILLAN:
Greek fire was one

of the most formidable weapons
of its era.

Imagine your ship suddenly
being engulfed in flames

that were almost impossible
to extinguish.

Not only was there
this immense physical danger,

but there was also
a massive psychological impact.

The loud roar of the flames,

the sight of it,
the sound of it,

was really enough

to put terror
into these Arab forces.

STEPHEN BULL:
At sea,
Greek fire was very useful

because if there's something
a mariner really has a fear of,

it's being set light to
on a ship,

because there's nowhere to go.

And so, Greek fire had
a terrifying aspect to it,

setting light to ships

and burning people.

SHATNER:
Throughout the Middle Ages,

the Byzantine Empire used
Greek fire to strike fear

into the hearts of fighting men.

(man yelling)

But how did the Byzantines
develop such a powerful weapon

of mass destruction?

STEPHEN RESSLER:
Greek fire acquired its name

simply because
the Byzantines spoke Greek.

It was quite mysterious because

it was very quickly established
as a state secret

of the Byzantine Empire.

So we don't have
a really good, clear idea

of what its constituents were,
or precisely how it operated.

But we do know that it was
a very effective weapons system.

SHATNER:
While the exact formula

of Greek fire may be lost
to history,

experts have proposed
several theories

regarding the composition
of this fiery concoction.

RESSLER:
Most scholars agree

that the basic constituent
materials were probably naphtha,

a naturally-occurring
hydrocarbon,

mixed with pine resin.

The naphtha provided
the flammability,

and the pine resin
thickened the substance

and caused it to burn longer
once it had been ignited.

MATHAUDHU:
The secret to Greek fire

being used on water

is probably the addition
of quicklime,

which likely gave it
an explosive quality

that allowed it to burn

and have much more damage
on water.

In fact, the water played a role

in perpetuating the reaction

and causing
the burning to increase.

There is certainly speculation

as to the different recipes
for Greek fire.

But it would be very difficult

to say what the classic
Greek fire actually is.

And nobody has
actually recreated it

with perfect accuracy.

SHATNER:
It seems that,
just as the Byzantines intended,

the mystery of Greek fire
may never be solved.

But there's another
enigmatic weapon from antiquity

that experts can examine
more closely,

because its secrets
are preserved... in steel.

(men yelling)

SHATNER: For eight long months,
European Crusader knights

on a quest
to conquer the Holy Land

lay siege
to this Middle Eastern city.

In the course
of the bloody fighting,

the Crusaders encounter
numerous Muslim warriors

who wield astonishing,
razor-sharp swords

that are forged from steel
that seems to be unbreakable.

The European invaders
named these fearsome weapons

after a nearby city,

and thus,
the blades became known

as "Damascus swords."

For the time, the properties
of the Damascus blades

bordered on the edge of magic.

Damascus swords
had extraordinary,

legendary performance
because of their sharpness,

compared to some
of the materials at the time.

They were ten times
as hard on the edge.

They were also
highly superplastic,

meaning
that they could bend extremely

and still spring back
into the original shape.

This was something that was
observed by the Crusaders.

They saw these blades

that they claim
could bend 90 degrees,

that could cut silk in half
in the middle of the air.

For anyone who was in a fight
against a Damascus blade,

the behavior of that sword
would have been mind-blowing.

SHATNER:
More than 500 years
after the end of the Crusades,

the remarkable properties
of Damascus swords continue

to inspire fascination
and mystery.

What made these ancient blades
so exceptionally strong

and flexible?

And how were they created?

Curiously,
the answer can be found

not in the city of Damascus,
but rather

3,000 miles away in India.

MATHAUDHU:
In southern India,

they developed the steel
that was used, eventually,

to make Damascus swords
and blades.

The legends of Indian steel
go back to ancient times.

Over time, via trade routes
around the Arabian Sea,

the Indians were able to move
those materials into Persia,

and that became the center
of trade from which Indian steel

got distributed
to the rest of the world.

SHATNER:
It's fascinating to think

that the legendary
Damascus swords

trace their origins
back to India.

But how did Indian craftsmen
create such incredible steel?

What did they know that
the rest of the world didn't?

MATHAUDHU:
One of the keys
to making high quality-steel

is getting the material
to be very hot,

typically thousands of degrees,

and that was very difficult
in ancient times.

But in India,
they had developed technologies

where they were able
to use monsoon winds

to fuel these fires

and get them
to very high temperatures.

SHATNER:
The idea that the strength
of Damascus swords

was forged in the intense flames
of Indian fires is intriguing,

but it doesn't
completely solve the mystery.

Because even
with today's powerful furnaces,

experts still cannot precisely
recreate Damascus swords.

And according to one theory,
the secret may lie

in the raw material

Indian craftsmen used
to fashion their steel.

Iron ores vary tremendously
from place to place.

No two ores are exactly alike.

One theory is that there
just happened to be an iron ore

with just the right
chemical properties

that happened
to be available in India,

and this was the real basis
for the very high-quality steel

that was produced
from that material.

MATHAUDHU:
The reason that the secret

to Damascus steel was lost is
that the ore sources ran out,

and so, we can't know
the individual elements

that were in those iron ores.

There is no way for us
to go back in

and recreate the magic
that they had done

with those original swords.

Greek fire and the Damascus
sword are great examples

of advanced technology
that have been lost to time.

But there's another
legendary weapon--

from the Second World War--
that could be considered

the most powerful weapon
ever created

that simply disappeared.

SHATNER:
At a top-secret military

research and development
facility,

Nazi Germany unleashes
a terrifying new weapon:

the V-2 rocket.

During the next six months,

the Nazis launch roughly 1,100
V-2 rockets against England,

which decimate buildings
throughout London,

and kill
approximately 9,000 people.

These missiles belong
to a category

of advanced technology

that the Nazis call
"Wunderwaffe,"

or "wonder weapons."

Hitler's wonder weapons were

high-technology weapons.

While the Allies were
dropping bombs on German cities,

the Germans were launching
a ballistic missile,

which could travel from Germany
to London in just minutes...

...and unleash hell.

In many respects, the Germans
were well ahead of the Allies

in technological advances
in a whole range of fields.

And Hitler was promising
the party faithful that,

"We have a game-changing
addition to the war.

We can turn the tide."

So that confidence must have
come from somewhere.

SHATNER:
What secret technology
were Nazi scientists working on

that convinced Hitler
that Germany could win the war?

Well, according
to Polish researcher

and author Igor Witkowski,

who has investigated that very
question for more than 20 years,

it was a mysterious Nazi weapon

known as "Die Glocke,"

or "The Bell."

SHATNER:
In 2007, Igor Witkowski's
extraordinary claims

were revealed
to the wider world

when he published a book titled,

The Truth About
The Wunderwaffe.

SWARTZ:
According to Igor Witkowski,

The Bell was described as being
about 12 to 15 feet tall,

and shaped like a bell.

It had two
counterrotating cylinders

that were filled
with a mercury-like substance

that was highly radioactive.

Once it was activated,

it emitted a field
that was about

600 feet in diameter.

Anybody that got too close
to this field died.

Several of the scientists
who were working

on The Bell suffered this fate.

The theory was that
when The Bell was activated,

if you create a powerful enough
electromagnetic field,

that you could actually warp
space-time

in a highly localized area,

creating antigravity

and possibly even time travel.

SHATNER:
But if The Bell did exist,

as Igor Witkowski claims,

then where were
the Nazis developing

such an extraordinary piece
of secret technology?

SHATNER:
This densely-forested area
hides remnants

of an ultra-clandestine
test facility

with secret
subterranean chambers,

tunnels and fortifications.

And Igor Witkowski contends
that this town was dedicated

to the development of The Bell.

SHATNER:
Could this secret facility
have been the test site

for The Bell?

Some believe the proof lies
with an enigmatic structure

at the center of the complex
known as "The Henge."

POPE:
The Henge is a name given

to this bizarre structure,

which really does look almost
like a concrete Stonehenge.

And some researchers believe

that Die Glocke, or The Bell,

was somehow inserted
into this structure.

POPE:
We've heard all the theories,

but we don't know,
because apparently,

it was not ready
for operational use.

But had The Bell been developed

and had it proven
to be an effective weapon,

Hitler would have used it.

SHATNER:
The possibility of Die Glocke
becoming operational

in the hands
of the Third Reich is...

frightening, to say the least.

But in addition
to creating weapons of war,

the German forces were also
on the hunt

for an ancient holy relic,

described in the Old Testament
as an object so powerful,

one touch
could strike a person dead.

SHATNER:
This mountainous region is more

than 500 miles from Rome,

and almost 2,000 miles
from Jerusalem.

According to legend,

the Ark of the Covenant
was once hidden,

not in these holy cities,

but in a 13th-century
French fortress

called
the "Château de Montségur."

McGOWAN:
Throughout France,

there are legends,
from north to south,

about
the Ark of the Covenant being

in the land there
at different periods of time.

One of the potential
resting sites

of the Ark of the Covenant
in France

was on the mountaintop
of Montségur.

And it was a stronghold
of the Cathar people.

Now the Cathars were
a Christian sect

that lived in France
in the Middle Ages,

and they had strong
spiritual convictions.

So there is an idea
that because these treasures

that were brought back from
the Holy Land were spiritual,

and the Cathars were
deeply spiritual people,

that the church may have
brought these treasures,

including
the Ark of the Covenant,

to the Cathar people.

SHATNER:
The Ark of the Covenant
in southern France?

It's an intriguing possibility,

one that, in 1936,
caught the attention

of the second most powerful man
in Nazi Germany--

Heinrich Himmler.

Himmler and Hitler were both
obsessed with obtaining relics.

During the occupation
of France,

there were a number
of Nazi brigades

that were actually dispatched

throughout the region
of the Pyrenees,

into Montségur, in search
of the Ark of the Covenant.

There are still tracks
in the mountains today

from where the Nazis were
mining, essentially,

in the mountains, looking for
these potential artifacts.

They truly did believe

that the Ark may have still
been there in those mountains.

McMAHON:
Heinrich Himmler was obsessed

with occultism,
and you have to remember

that the occult had
had a massive influence

on Nazi ideology.

And it may seem crazy,
but he sent people out

on these quests
to find these sacred items.

SHATNER:
The Nazis never found
the Ark at Montségur,

but what compelled them

to invest so much time
and effort into finding it?

Were they simply trying to find
a magnificent golden chest?

Perhaps.

But there are many who believe

that the Nazis
had an ulterior motive.

McMAHON:
The Ark of the Covenant

was particularly coveted
by Heinrich Himmler

because it possessed
enormous power,

and it was carried
by the Israelites

in the long exodus
to the promised land.

So when they fought
their enemies

in order
to establish their homeland,

the Ark of the Covenant would be
carried before them,

and would emit terrible power,

smiting their enemies.

It brought down the walls of
Jericho simply by its presence.

It emitted thunderbolts
at the enemy,

and in the eyes of a Nazi,
what was not to like?

They believed that this would
usher in the 1,000-year Reich.

RABBI BARRY LEFF:
If you watch the movie
Indiana Jones,

and the end
of the Raiders of the Lost Ark,

all that magical stuff
the Ark does,

you know, Steven Spielberg
didn't make that up.

That's all in the midrash,
that's all in Jewish legends.

It's like a nuclear weapon, so,

by legend, the Ark had
these tremendous powers,

and that's why people wanted to
take it with them into battle,

because it was powerful
and dangerous.

According to the story
that we have in the Bible,

when the Ark is coming up
to Jerusalem,

this cart that it's on
hits a bump or something,

and it starts to tip.

And this nice guy
named Uzzah reaches out

to keep it from tipping over,

but because
he touched the Ark...

...God strikes him dead.

So, everybody's terrified
of this thing.

It has so much power,
it can just zap people dead.

(thunderclap)

SHATNER:
Struck down by the wrath of God?

Perhaps.

But there are some who claim

that there is
a more scientific way

to explain this extraordinary
account from the Bible.

TRAVIS TAYLOR:
The Ark of the Covenant
is a fascinating story,

and concept, for that matter.

You have,
in the biblical scripture,

a description of a device.

It's got specific dimensions,
specific materials,

and specific structures
and shapes.

So what the device is for
is a whole other question.

But it sounds like
a technological device

to store energy,
like a modern-day capacitor,

because it is coated
with a conductor-- gold.

Then, there is another material
inside that

that is a non-conductor-- wood.

And then, it's got another layer
of gold on the inside,

and that's exactly
how we build capacitors.

There's a conductor,
an insulator, then a conductor.

And then on top of the Ark

are these wing-shaped,
pointing structures.

If you look
at modern-day Tesla coils

and Van de Graaff generators,

we always put a probe
on the top of it,

like a little needle,
or a little metal arm,

so that lightning can
jump off of that.

It's a point of which
the energy is transmitted from.

This sounds a lot like
the Ark of the Covenant.

RABBI ARIEL BAR TZADOK:
It has long been believed

that the Ark of the Covenant
had some type of

electromagnetic energy,

a power that is not supernatural
or spiritual in nature,

but very much technological.

So, the powers that it had,

the abilities
that it was able to manifest,

to this day is still a mystery.

SHATNER: One of the most iconic
stories in medieval literature

is from the tales
of King Arthur,

where young Arthur
single-handedly

pulls a sword out of a stone.

It was a feat that revealed him

to be the one true king
of Britain.

But there's another sword
in the Arthur legend

that is no less compelling.

YOUNG:
There are two swords
in the Arthur story.

One comes out of that stone,
and later,

he gets a sword as a gift
from the Lady of the Lake.

This is the goddess of the lake.

And her arm comes up out
of the water holding a sword.

And that is Excalibur,
a sword beyond other swords.

GRAHAM PHILLIPS:
Excalibur,

we are told, had a golden hilt
and had magical powers.

It's a sword that's supposed
to make Arthur invincible.

YOUNG:
Arthur's story is
the hero's journey,

because it has the magic
and the sacred

and all the mystical dimensions.

In the hero's journey,

the protagonist gains
a special tool or weapon.

This is the magical thing.

It will be just the thing
you needed,

although you might not know it
at the time.

And then the moment will arise,

and you see exactly
why you have it.

SHATNER:
According to legend,
King Arthur used Excalibur

to win many battles and unite
Britain under his leadership.

But alas,

Arthur finally died
on the battlefield

when he was mortally wounded
by his son, Mordred.

PHILLIPS:
As King Arthur

lies dying
on the field of battle,

he asked
that his sword, Excalibur,

the source of all his power,

be taken by a knight
and thrown into a nearby lake.

When this happens,

the hand of the Lady of the Lake

breaks through the surface
of the water,

grabs hold of the sword

and takes it down
into the crystal depth

to keep it until
some future king may need it

when Britain
is again threatened.

SHATNER:
Many scholars believe
that magic is an important part

of what makes the King Arthur
story so powerful.

And curiously,

the supernatural elements
of Excalibur

may not have been
merely a fantasy.

The story of Excalibur may seem
one of the medieval additions,

if you like,
to the tale of King Arthur,

that sounds the least likely.

But in fact,
the story of Excalibur

and the knight throwing it
to the Lady of the Lake

could be based
on historical events.

(men screaming)

The Celtic warriors
of the time Arthur existed

had a tradition that their soul,
if you like, was in their sword.

And at their funerals,
their swords were often thrown

into a sacred lake or pool

as an offering
to a water goddess.

And in fact, archaeology has
discovered many ancient swords

that had been thrown into lakes
that have since dried up.

So the story
of the Lady of the Lake,

this strange nymph-like woman
that takes the sword,

could have originated
with the tradition

of casting a warrior's sword

as an offering
to a water goddess.

SHATNER:
It's intriguing
to think that Excalibur,

the sword with mystical powers
that would unite a nation,

might really exist.

And if the Arthurian legends
are true, maybe one day,

a shining glimmer under
the water's surface will reveal

the final resting place

of the heroic king's
powerful weapon.

Could the legendary Excalibur
still lie

at the bottom of a lake,
waiting to be reclaimed?

It would be
a profound discovery,

and one that would certainly
rewrite the history books.

And while there are
many extraordinary weapons

that are perhaps the stuff
of tall tales,

it's the remarkable daggers,
swords and armaments

that we know exist

that continue to captivate
and confound us.

Will we ever learn

how these legendary weapons
were made,

or what special powers
they may have possessed?

Well, for now,
these questions will remain...

...unexplained.

CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY
A+E NETWORKS