<P> In several early French works, such as Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail and the Vulgate Lancelot Proper section, Excalibur is used by Gawain, Arthur's nephew and one of his best knights . This is in contrast to later versions, where Excalibur belongs solely to the king . </P> <P> In many versions, Excalibur's blade was engraved with phrases on opposite sides: "Take me up" and "Cast me away" (or similar). In addition, when Excalibur was first drawn, in the first battle testing Arthur's sovereignty, its blade blinded his enemies . Thomas Malory writes: "thenne he drewe his swerd Excalibur, but it was so breyght in his enemyes eyen that it gaf light lyke thirty torchys ." </P> <P> Excalibur's scabbard was said to have powers of its own . Loss of blood from injuries, for example, would not kill the bearer . In some tellings, wounds received by one wearing the scabbard did not bleed at all . In the later romance tradition, including Le Morte d'Arthur, the scabbard is stolen from Arthur by his half - sister Morgan le Fay in revenge for the death of her beloved Accolon and thrown into a lake, never to be found again . This act later enables the death of Arthur at the Battle of Camlann . </P> <P> Nineteenth century poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, described the sword in full Romantic detail in his poem "Morte d'Arthur", later rewritten as "The Passing of Arthur", one of the Idylls of the King: </P>

What happened when sir bedivere threw excalibur into the lake