Post by Sir John on Sept 30, 2009 13:12:40 GMT -5
The first reference to the Grail—not yet the Holy Grail—is in Percival, an unfinished Arthurian tale written by the French poet Chretien de Troyes late in the 12th century.
In the course of the poem, Percival visits a mysterious castle where he witnesses a procession of wonders, including a girl carrying a “grail”—an old world for a serving platter—shining with gold and gems, which the girl takes into another room to feed someone. The grail is only one among several wonders of the castle and Percival is too tongue-tied to ask who eats from the dish.
We learn later it's the father of the king of the castle, and that he is so spiritual that one Eucharist wafer a day, served on the grail, is enough to feed him. Because Percival never bothered to ask, the king is condemned to suffering and injury.
Continuations of Percival
Chretien never finished his story, but four different authors wrote continuations. In some of them, the Grail is shown as even more miraculous, appearing and disappearing at will and feeding the entire company by its mere presence. In the First Continuation, the dish is known for the first time as the Holy Grail.
Robert de Boron’s History of the Grail
History of the Grail, a 13th-century epic, takes the spiritual aspect of the Grail even further, identifying it as a dish from the last supper, brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea. Several other authors would enlarge on this idea—and over time, would change the appearance of the Grail from a serving dish to a drinking goblet.
The Vulgate Cycle
The collection of French works known as the Vulgate Cycle include a much expanded Grail story that brings all of Arthur's court into the adventure. The Holy Grail appears at Arthur’s castle, performs wonders and disappears. The knights set off on a quest to find the Grail, which Sir Galahad—a pure, sinless knight, dedicated to God—achieves.
Origins of the Holy Grail
Long before Dan Brown, writers were trying to explain the meaning of the Grail legend. Is it a pagan symbol, reworked into a Christian image? The confused result of mistranslating Celtic legends into French? Is the term san greal actually sang real, the blood of Christ, as Brown suggests?
Richard Barber’s book The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief is an excellent source for an in-depth discussion of these questions. Barber thoroughly crushes the sang real theory and argues the Grail should be seen not as an ancient myth or a secret Christian symbol but as a literary creation by Chretien and other talented writers.
Read more: medievalhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_history_of_the_holy_grail#ixzz0ScBK2KWA
Read more: medievalhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_history_of_the_holy_grail#ixzz0ScArnKkV
In the course of the poem, Percival visits a mysterious castle where he witnesses a procession of wonders, including a girl carrying a “grail”—an old world for a serving platter—shining with gold and gems, which the girl takes into another room to feed someone. The grail is only one among several wonders of the castle and Percival is too tongue-tied to ask who eats from the dish.
We learn later it's the father of the king of the castle, and that he is so spiritual that one Eucharist wafer a day, served on the grail, is enough to feed him. Because Percival never bothered to ask, the king is condemned to suffering and injury.
Continuations of Percival
Chretien never finished his story, but four different authors wrote continuations. In some of them, the Grail is shown as even more miraculous, appearing and disappearing at will and feeding the entire company by its mere presence. In the First Continuation, the dish is known for the first time as the Holy Grail.
Robert de Boron’s History of the Grail
History of the Grail, a 13th-century epic, takes the spiritual aspect of the Grail even further, identifying it as a dish from the last supper, brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea. Several other authors would enlarge on this idea—and over time, would change the appearance of the Grail from a serving dish to a drinking goblet.
The Vulgate Cycle
The collection of French works known as the Vulgate Cycle include a much expanded Grail story that brings all of Arthur's court into the adventure. The Holy Grail appears at Arthur’s castle, performs wonders and disappears. The knights set off on a quest to find the Grail, which Sir Galahad—a pure, sinless knight, dedicated to God—achieves.
Origins of the Holy Grail
Long before Dan Brown, writers were trying to explain the meaning of the Grail legend. Is it a pagan symbol, reworked into a Christian image? The confused result of mistranslating Celtic legends into French? Is the term san greal actually sang real, the blood of Christ, as Brown suggests?
Richard Barber’s book The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief is an excellent source for an in-depth discussion of these questions. Barber thoroughly crushes the sang real theory and argues the Grail should be seen not as an ancient myth or a secret Christian symbol but as a literary creation by Chretien and other talented writers.
Read more: medievalhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_history_of_the_holy_grail#ixzz0ScBK2KWA
Read more: medievalhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_history_of_the_holy_grail#ixzz0ScArnKkV
