The Waste Land of the Two Marches is a region in Logris whose name commemorates a supernatural catastrophe. An enchanted sword, drawn by King Hurlame and used against King Labor, brought devastation to the surrounding lands: crops and fruit ceased to grow, and fish disappeared from the waters. The place preserves the consequence of the blow as part of its identity, making a moment of violence endure in the landscape.

The Sword and the Wounding

The account begins with a sword found aboard a wondrous ship. Its inscription warns that drawing it brings death or a mortal wound, and the sword’s use confirms the danger: King Hurlame draws it and strikes King Labor, the Christian king, with a single blow. The tale presents the weapon not as an ordinary instrument of war but as the cause of an affliction extending beyond the combatants.

The Waste Lands

After the blow, neither realm escapes harm. The narrative specifies that corn and grass no longer grew, nearly all fruit failed, and fish were scarce in the water. These losses define the land through the collapse of ordinary fertility and sustenance; the devastation is broad enough that the two border realms are called the Waste Land of the Two Marches.

The Sword’s Return and the Name

Having struck King Labor, Hurlame returned to the ship to retrieve the scabbard and sheathe the sword. He fell dead in front of the bed immediately after putting it away. The sequence binds the sword’s destructive power to its scabbard and makes Hurlame, though the wielder, another casualty of the weapon. The land’s name carries this chain of consequences forward: a king is struck, the wielder dies, and the country remains barren.