Durandal

is a sword wielded by the Maiden of Versailles, referred to as the sword of France and a magical artifact said to be connected to the French and English royal families.
==Etymology==
 (or Durendal) is a sword which is wielded by the in the Carolingian Cycle, given to him by . In (The Song of Roland), the sword is described as having holy relics in its golden hilt; 's tooth, 's blood, 's hair and a piece of the 's clothes.
==Appearance==
Described as a showy and over-ornamented Western sword, Durandal's blade is red with a gilded edge and a round guard.
==Principles==
Similar to the Curtana, which uses a spell woven into the United Kingdom to grant its royal wielder the power of Archangel Michael within the nation's borders, Durandal is a special sword which uses spells unique to France to channel the destructive power of France itself into its blade. Chapter 4 Part 4
As the histories and bloodlines of the royal families of England and France are intertwined, Durandal is capable of breaking through the Knight Leader's 'Thororm's Defense Formula', which has a deliberate flaw that means it doesn't work on weapons related to the royal family, as a sign he is loyal to the British Royal Family and not making a weapon against them. Chapter 8 Part 1
==Chronology==
===Toaru Majutsu no Index===
====World War III Arc====
The Maiden of Versailles wielded Durandal when she entered the Battle of the Dover Strait, bypassing the Knight Leader's defensive spell and clashing with Carissa's Curtana fragment-produced sword. War Report
The Maiden continued to wield Durandal when she teamed up with Carissa and the Knight Leader against Misha Kreutzev, channelling all of France's power into the blade to face the archangel. Chapter 8 Part 1 Although it was initially able to cut through some of Misha's ice wings, the artifact's strike on the archangel's main body was stopped completely by Misha itself. Chapter 8 Part 2
She later used it sever some of the Golden Arms of Telesma emerging from the ground as Fiamma enacted the last stages of his plan with the Star of Bethlehem. Chapter 11 Part 3
==Gallery==
As Haimura's initial design for the sword in the Maiden of Versailles' character design didn't come across too well, he redesigned the sword. Its redesign is based on the image or idea of "holy relics (hair, bones, blood and other parts of past saints) becoming a sword as there are", and Haimura notes that although it is called a holy sword, it has a bit of a grotesque feeling to it.Rainbow Spectrum
MaidenofVersailles.jpg|The Maiden of Versailles' character design by Haimura, with Durandal's initial design
Ilpa31.jpg|Durandal's final design by Haimura Kiyotaka
==External Links==
*
==References==
Category:Magic
Category:Magic s and Artifacts
Category:France
Category:Terminology