Hexcalibur: Sabrina and the Sword

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 Hexcalibur: Sabrina and the Sword

Episode Summary

Screencap of young King Arthur attempting to pull the sword from the stone, animated in the style of Sabrina: The Animated Show. The show's title is in the bottom left corner in blue font.
Young Arthur attempting to pull the sword from the stone (3)

The court of King Arthur has remained a topic that storytellers have loved to revisit for hundreds of years. Its influence can be found throughout pop culture, even today. Airing in 1999, episode 54 of Sabrina: The Animated Series, "Hexcalibur," is one such example (1). After accidentally destroying an original book of Merlin's spells that belonged to her Aunt Zelda, Sabrina must travel back in time in order to replace it. She travels back too far, however, and winds up meeting Arthur and Merlin when they are young teenagers like her. Sabrina witnesses Arthur pull the sword from the stone, and is eventually kidnapped by Morgan le Fay in a plot devised to steal the sword (1).


still from the episode of Merlin
Young Merlin breaking free of the
chains holding him back (4)

              Merlin's Interpretation

The first Medieval character we are introduced to is a twelve year old Merlin, practicing his magic in the woods. His main struggle throughout the episode is that he is not very confident in his magical abilities. When he meets Sabrina, Merlin wants her to train him to be a better magician, because he takes her talking cat Salem to be the mark of a great wizard. After multiple fumbling attempts at spells, Merlin vows to quit magic. Sabrina frequently drops hints that he should continue to pursue wizardry. He is eventually able to regain his confidence after a magical duel with Morgan le Fay in which he saves the lives of both Sabrina and young Arthur. 






Merlin and Arthur after meeting Sabrina (5)

    Arthur's Interpretation

Along with Merlin we get to see young Arthur before he even knows he might become King. He is not yet an established knight, but is training to become one. He is immediately infatuated with Sabrina and invites her to join them on their adventures. They come upon the sword in the stone, which Arthur tries to pull so that he can cut a giant slab of meat. He is unable to do so, but Sabrina uses her magic to free it for him. The sword is referred to as Excalibur, hence the name of the episode, which differs from the original Arthurian stories that separate the sword in the stone, and the sword Excalibur.




Morgan spying on the group through
her crystal ball (6)

Morgan le Faye's Interpretation 

The main antagonist of the episode is Morgan le Fay, who is trying to steal the sword because she knows the prophecy states whoever has the sword will rule the kingdom. This differs from the original prophecy of the sword, that states whoever pulls it from the stone will be king. It seems to Morgan that she does not have to be the one to pull the sword, only the one to possess it. She displays a multitude of magical abilities in her attempts to steal the sword, from spying on the group through a crystal ball to frequently shapeshifting.


Sabrina's Role

Sabrina represents a modern trope popularized by Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, in which a contemporary character travels back in time to the reign of King Arthur (2). She is influential to the rise of King Arthur, using her magic to help him pull the sword from the stone and planting the seeds in his head that he may one day be king. At one point Arthur is telling her about his dream to become a knight and she suggests, “[have you] ever considered raising your sights a bit higher - say, king?” (1).  The story of King Arthur and his court has been recounted by many authors throughout history. By inserting herself into their affairs, Sabrina is effectively becoming a part of the Arthurian narrative.


This episode of Sabrina: The Animated Series is available to watch for free on YouTube (1)


Citations

(1) Sabrina The Teenage Witch - WildBrain. (2017, May 26). Sabrina The Animated Series 143 - Hexcalibur | HD | Full episode [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtn3AMIxCCw

(2) The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2011, March 25). A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court | Satire, humor, fantasy. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Connecticut-Yankee-in-King-Arthurs-Court-novel-by-Twain







Comments

  1. Veronica SinghOctober 8, 2023 at 4:42 PM

    I love how you included the episode at the very end. I enjoyed the little theme song in the beginning and the adorable animations. My favorite is Morgan le Fay. She looks like a little psychic. I like how you include the Sword but also Merlin and his magic.This episode definitely contains a lot of medieval references. Overall, great job, well done. This blog post is informational but also adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sydney KyleOctober 9, 2023 at 10:14 AM

    Hi Sean! I really enjoyed your discussion of the Sword in the Stone being the same as Excalibur. We learned in class that these two swords are different in the original story, but modern storytellers have combined the two countless times. I talked about this in my blog as well. The anime I looked at also combined the swords into one singular one. I'm not sure why they do this so often. My only guess would be that they think it makes it easier to understand and keep track of if there's only one sword.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Collin TownerOctober 12, 2023 at 9:40 AM

    Hi Sean, I really enjoyed your blog post, and I chose to look at yours specifically because I have never heard of Sabrina The Teenage Witch before. I liked that you provided the full episode. This allowed me to get a feel for the show and what it is about. I also think it is cool that this show made Merlin a twelve-year-old. I had never seen this interpretation of Merlin before, and I thought it was cool. Overall, Good job!

    ReplyDelete

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