There must have been a few people involved to pull this off, perhaps they abseiled down to the sword. No doubt it is a political stunt to provoke a national outrage with the French elections at present. A sword embedded in rock for hundreds of years would not last the ravages of time due to rusting unless it was made using a technique to prevent corrosion.
All that aside who doesn't love a bit of mythology and hopefully the sword will be returned soon and not into the hands of a collector.
Swords of the era in Western and Northern Europe.
