Sword Sunday #45 - "the sword in the stump" lost... and then found.

A sword that had stood immovably wedged into a stump in the middle of a small community, which had served as a focal point of interest and conversation for the residents there, vanished one day,  as suddenly and unexpectedly as it had appeared years before.

As ready as you are to to hear the some magical story sent in some isolated farming hamlet in the north of England, this story is set among the suburban streets of Arkon, Ohio. 

For a century and a half, a tall white ash tree stood looming over its small plot of the neighborhood, happily occupying a so-called "devil's strip" between a lot and  public street. its end came not from fire, or flood, but at the unforgiving mandibles of emerald ash borers, an invasive, and persistent species of wood eating beetle, who's larvae dealt the tree a fatal blow in 2015. The city finally cut it down in order to prevent it from collapsing on some unfortunate passer buy. 

Interestingly, it was not the tree's first brush with the saw. in 2002, it was slated to be cut down for construction, but the local residents protested, convincing the property owner at the time to leave it standing. But, even this long, and fortunate history wasn't enough to spare it. By the winter of 2015, the tree was no more, leaving only a stump as a monument to its one-time history. 

But, that's where our story begins. 

Enter, the artist.

Michael Marras grew up in Arkon, and knew the trees from his earliest memories. He considered it a magical item, invocative, and inspirational. Watching the tree come down left it mark, not only on Marras, but the community. When Childhood was traded for adulthood, Marras embraced art and creativity, becoming a metal sculptor and artist. In 2016, his artistry and the ash tree met in a spectacular, and covert act of metalwork. 

Under the cover of dreary weather, something that usually pushes most residents indoors for the day, Marras ventured out tot he stump, and affixed a massive sculpture of a sword to the hardened wood, holding it in place with heavy bolts to assure it didn't venture off. 

Photo: Jeff Lang, Arkon beacon Journal

The effect was immediate, even is no one else knew where the sculpture came from. 

Megan Moreland, who now lives on the property containing the stump, spoke about her first encounter with the sculpture. 

"I recall driving home by it, and it filled me with utter joy to the point I was just laughing."

The community as a whole was fascinated, and then enchanted by the object. “It's been a really positive experience,” Moreland added. “Mainly because I think it captures people's imagination and whimsy and a sense of childhood.”

Try as Marras did to keep his name apart from the display, it wasn't hard, after a while, to piece together the most likely of culprits. 

“There’s only so many metal sculpture artists in Akron, It was a secret for maybe like a couple years — until people started deducing who might have done it.”- Marras 

And then, it vanished. 

No one can say exactly when the sword vanished, but it was sometime earlier this year (2020), before the COVID situation drove most people in to their homes.  but by March, it was definitively gone, and the community noticed. 

The memory of the sword and the emotions and feelings it inspired lived on, with people talking about it weeks and then months after its disappearance. In some cases, neighbors, and even strangers would reportedly donate money to Marras in and effort fashion a new one. 

Enter the hero.

Everette Walker may not be what anyone would consider a hero, but the diminutive, blond haired 8 year old remembered the sword every bit as much as the adults in the town who fondly recalled their own time as children when they saw 'the sword in the stump'. 

One day, while out playing in the woods near his home, Everette discovered the thing that childhood dreams are made of.

“He just walked up and was like, ‘Look what I found,’” Jennifer Walker, the boy’s mother said. “And of course, everyone in the neighborhood knew that sword was missing for a long time.”

The artist pointed out that the sculpture (which was designed as a as structure, and not an actual combat weapon) probably weighs as much as, if not more than 8 year old Everette, so his presenting it to his mother is all the more remarkable. 

“I like that we have our young King Arthur in the neighborhood,” Megan Moreland said of Everette's epic find. 

But the real magic of the moment is not just in finding the sculpture.

Everette's mother noted that King Arthur was known not only for pulling the sword from the tone, but also uniting the warring factions of his fledgling kingdom. This aspect of the story has also played out in Akron, invoking the legend in ways that Marras could not have foreseen when he first made it.

Arkon is no less touched by the division and anger surrounding the 2020 presidential campaign. Jennifer Walker and Michael Marras both noted that the sword, even in its absence, brought people together, unified them, and reminded them of a common purpose. 

“That’s probably one of my favorite parts of the sword in the stump story. I feel like people who are able to think differently and see things different are able to imagine things being better. I think something small like that can have a big impact.” - Michael Marras

"The Sword in the stump" is located  on West Exchange & Elmdale, Akron, OH, 44313, and situated near a public street for open viewing. 

Michael Marras, who now lives in Los Angeles, has gone on to create an extensive portfolio of metal artwork. 

Note: Most of the information gathered for this post was collected for  the Akron Beacon Journal article by Sean McDonnell.

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"