by Tony Hays
The invention of “Caesar’s Stone” as the origin of the “sword in the stone” legend might not be as farfetched as would first appear. That the Britons venerated places is well known. That they believed that mystic power from sacred places flowed into them and strengthened them is equally obvious. I refer specifically to the so-called Brutus Stone, said to be the spot where the founder of Britannia, Brutus, first landed, and the London Stone, an altar set up in Cannon Street to honor the goddess Diana. One legend holds that Vortimer wanted to be buried near the spot (rock) where the Saxons first made landfall in Kent (Adventus Saxonum). Is it then such a great leap to think they might assign great tradition to the stone that Caesar first stepped on? I think not.
For the inevitable errors, I apologize and take complete responsibility. They are mine and mine alone.