Clarent

Clarent, pronounced (cluh-rent), is the mythical sword in the stone which Arthur pulled free to become King of Britain. It is central to Arthur's rise and later serves as a symbol of Arthur's right to rule, but it is also the instrument of Arthur's death at the hands of Mordred. Clarent's role as the sword in the stone overlaps with that of Excalibur. While it is absent from many versions, Clarent is distinct from Excalibur in works such as the Alliterative Morte Arthur.There are other stories where Clarent was Mordred's sword.
The Sword in the Stone
The story of the Sword in the Stone is a story about Arthur's claim to the throne of Britain. According to legend, the sword was Uther's sword, the sword of the High King of Britain. After Uther's death there is no known heir and the barons fight amongst themselves to find out who is to be the next High King of Britain. Merlin, who was Uther's counselor, has the solution: he takes Uther's sword, and with his magic, he runs it into a rock. The man who is able to draw the sword from the stone will be the rightful heir. Many have tried: Lot, Uriens, Leodegrance and many more, but no one was able to draw the sword out of the stone.
Versions of how Arthur withdrew the sword from the stone vary, from his foster brother needing a new sword and sending him to fetch one, to being in the midst of an actual war in which he snatches up the blade nearest him; in all of them the blade is universally recognized as the one enchanted by Merlin, and he is revealed to be Uther Pendragon's rightful heir and the proper king of Britain.
Excalibur
Origins of the name are somewhat confusing as it is said that the Welsh name for Excalibur was Caladvwlch, or Caledfwlch, equated linguistically by some with the Irish Caladbolg, the name of a sword borne by heroes in Irish legend, derived from CALAD (hard) and BOLG (lightning). Caladbolg is also known as the sword of the Irish legend Cuchullain. Caliburn is supposed to be the old Welsh name for the sword as well, which was later transformed to 'Excalibur' by French poets like Chretien de Troyes. The evolution of the name throughout the various Celtic dialects causes some slight confusion with "Clarent," and both names have overlapped across versions. However, in what is sometimes called the Post-Vulgate Merlin, Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign. She calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel." This is evidence that Clarent and Excalibur are two different swords. For more information, see Excalibur.
Over time the two swords have apparently been mistakenly written as one, such as in Robert de Boron's Merlin which features two separate swords (one drawn from the stone, and one bestowed by the Lady of the Lake) but calls both by the name Excalibur.
In Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon (a recent retelling of the legend) Arthur simply retrieves the sword from an altar on which it had been placed after Uther's death in preparation of his funeral, astonishing priests with his ability to touch it. (Apparently they had a superstitious fear surrounding it.) He was then revealed by those who knew to be Uther's son simply being fostered, and is put to the throne. The Lady of the Lake (a druid High Priestess of Avalon in this version) then retires Excalibur, and as a coronation present has her priestesses enchant the sword, and restores and enchants its scabbard, endowing it with a spell to prevent him from becoming mortally wounded. The sword is then returned to him for his oath of treaty and alliance with the pagans, thus effectively combining both stories (and swords) into one.

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