This is probably a reference to one of the legends surrounding King Arthur's ascension to the throne and/or his possession of the sword Excalibur.
In Arthurian romance, a number of explanations are given for Arthur's possession of Excalibur and his right to sovereignty.
Excalibur or Caliburn is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate.
Most accounts have Arthur pulling a sword from a stone, an act which could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir to the throne. That sword is thought by most to be the famous Excalibur.
However, in what is called the Post-Vulgate Cycle, Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign. She calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel."
There is much more to both legends of course, but in any event Keel's story about the British family clearly refers to one of these.
In Arthurian romance, a number of explanations are given for Arthur's possession of Excalibur and his right to sovereignty.
Excalibur or Caliburn is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate.
Most accounts have Arthur pulling a sword from a stone, an act which could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir to the throne. That sword is thought by most to be the famous Excalibur.
However, in what is called the Post-Vulgate Cycle, Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign. She calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel."
There is much more to both legends of course, but in any event Keel's story about the British family clearly refers to one of these.