The Search For The Holy Grail Essay

, Research Paper

What is the Holy Grail. A chalice. A philosophers’ stone. The

bloodline of Christ. In Arthurian romances the quest for the ever-elusive

Holy Grail and the secrets therein was the highest spiritual pursuit one

could embark on. In today’s times it is a mental, rather than a physical,

journey, and while not fraught with the danger it once was, it is still, for all

practical purposes, an exciting and adventurous journey. To discover the

truth of the identity of the Holy Grail, one must first look to see what it

originally was, and how it evolved to become what is commonly known

as the Holy Grail today. There are many ways of doing this. For example,

one can look at it through the romances concerned mainly with the quest

for the Grail and the heroes in it, or through the romances whose chief

concern was the history and lore surrounding the Grail itself. Both

examples will be addressed. The best way to start any adventure is from

the beginning; thus, this is where the paper shall start, and then continue

to move chronologically through time and the development of the Grail

stories.

Perceval ou Conte del Graal (Perceval, or the Story of the Grail),

written by Chretien de Troyes around the year 1180, is regarded by many

as the oldest of the Grail romances. The first glimpse of the grail is at a

castle inhabited by a “maimed King”, and also known as the “Fisher King”.

He is a man in perpetual torment, who sustained a mysterious wound in

the thigh caused by the thrust of a javelin. The King’s unhealing wound

subsequently causes the country around the castle to become barren

and becomes known as the Wasteland. When Perceval is admitted to the

hall, he sees a procession of youths carrying mysterious objects passing

through the hall;

“…a squire came forth from a chamber carrying a white lance by the middle of the shaft; he passed between the fire and those seated upon the bed. Everyone in the hall saw the white lance with its white point from whose tip there issued a drop of blood, and this red drop flowed down to the squire’s hand… The other two squires entered holding in their hands a candelabra of pure gold, crafted with enamel inlays… In each of the candelabra there were at least ten candle burning. A maiden accompanying the two young men was carrying a grail with her two hands… After she had entered the hall carrying the grail the room was so brightly illumined that the candles lost their brilliance like stars and the moon when the suns rises. After her came another maiden, carrying a silver carving platter. The grail, which was introduced first, was of fine pure gold. Set in the grail were precious stones of many kinds, the best and costliest to be found in earth or sea: the grail’s stones were finer than any others in the world without any doubt. The grail passed by like the lance; they passed in front of the bed and into another chamber” (de Troyes, 420.

Perceval is curious as to the meaning of these objects, and whom

they serve, but he remembers his teacher in knightly ways, Gornemant,

warning him as to the uncouthness of asking to many questions, and

decides not to ask. This is his downfall, for with one question asked by

Perceval, it is said that the Maimed King would be restored in health,

along with the surrounding Wastelands. Perceval leaves the castle,

shamed. The story continues, but only slightly more is heard about the

Grail, and it is never seen again, as the story ends, abruptly and in mid-

sentence due to Chretien’s death. Thus, while Chretien’s story is unfinished,

enough was written about the Grail to spark the beginnings of a legend to

last for years to come.

In Chretien’s Perceval, the grail does not seem to have any

particular religious character, nor does Chretien go on to explain the

nature of the mysterious objects seen in the hall of the Maimed King. In

fact, the grail does not seem to be anything particularly unique. The term

grail comes from the Latin gradale, which means a slightly deep dish or

platter brought to the table at the various stages of a meal.

The first author to “Christianize” the Grail story and link the Grail to the

cup used by Christ at the Last Supper was Robert de Boron in his poem

Joseph d’Arimathie, written in the early 13th century. He pinpoints the

origin of the Grail as the “very noble vessel” which was used by Christ at

the Last Supper to perform the Holy Sacraments. It was then passed into

the possession of Joseph of Arimathea, a figure described in the New

Testament to have been present at the crucifixion, who used it to gather

the blood of Christ as his body was taken from the cross. The lance used to

pierce the thigh of the Maimed King is also associated with the Lance of

Longinus, the lance used to pierce Christ’s side. Joseph then left the Holy

Land and went to Britain, taking the Grail along with him, drawing a

parallel to the legend that Joseph was responsible for conversion of

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