When his influential pseudo-history made it to Continental Europe, writers altered the name further until it finally took on the popular form Excalibur. Geoffrey says the sword was forged in Avalon and Latinises the name "Caledfwlch" as Caliburnus. Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain is the first non-Welsh source to speak of the sword. In Welsh legend, Arthur's sword is known as Caledfwlch. Caliburn was the original name of Excalibur. In most variants, this sword was then broken, and he receives from The Lady of the Lake a new sword called Excalibur, arguably the most famous of magic swords. Only Arthur could draw it out, thereby proving that he is the rightful king. In the legend of King Arthur, the king himself is related to two magical swords, in most variants. "Excalibur the Sword" Illustration of Arthur receiving it from the Lady of the Lake, by Howard Pyle for The Story of King Arthur and his Knights. Later, as the concept of demons, spiritual possession, and elementals entered the realm of mythological themes, it was only a natural leap to attribute magical properties of the swords of folklore to indwelling spirits. Since most of them were Buddhists (a religion that finds violence and murder abhorent), that train of thought gave them some peace of mind in their killing vocation. It was not the wielder but their swords that desired to kill Samurai were just the instrument that the sword used to complete that task. The Samurai of Japan believed that their swords had their own soul that could possess them. These weapons where highly prized for their mana and cherished as heirlooms. They believed a weapon contained a spiritual force called mana and that the weapon held the spirits of its maker, its line of owners and also stole the spirits of those it killed. Polynesian people such as the Māori also had comparable reverence for their weapons.
The value of the blade was not only determined by its quality but also by how many battles that it was used in. The Vikings prized their swords above all other things, handing them down from generation to generation and giving them names. In Japan, the swordsmiths were so concerned with this belief that they would undergo purification rituals and meditation before even attempting to start a new blade, for fear that they might inadvertently create an evil sword. This led to the belief that he was actually imbuing the blade with an essence of his spirit. Thus the swordsmith almost felt like he was one with his work, giving the process his complete devotion of concentration and thought.
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A lack of expertise in knowing when and how to apply carbon and flux and quench the blade could ruin weeks of work. A few degrees too hot or too cold within a very limited temperature range, which could only be discerned by the glowing hue of a hot billet, could make or break a sword. The skill necessary to forge a balanced blade - one which is not too brittle or too soft and able to hold a usefully sharp edge - in the age before automated machines, blast furnaces, and the knowledge of molecular chemistry made the creation of a sword seem almost miraculous. The secrets of doing so were jealously guarded as well as formulas for alloys. While any blacksmith could manufacture a knife or an axehead only a swordsmith could create a high quality sword.
Extending further from the transformation of ore into metal, the difficulty of actually obtaining a quality blade which took intense concentration and skill added to its esoteric qualities. Through the fires of the forge ( fire was also given spiritual connotations) a lump of earth was transformed into a shiny usable object that could be hammered into many shapes. It is probable that the roots of the sentient weapon myths stem from ancient peoples belief that sword making and metallurgy was in fact a magical process.
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