The Legends of the Holy Grail

Copyright (c) 2010 James Holan

The legend of the Holy Grail is one of the most debated legends from medieval times. It is surrounded with famous political figures such as King Arthur and his knights, the Knights Templar, several Popes and other religious affiliates, as well as the Christian icons Jesus and God. Despite these political and religious icons, there are also a variety of Pagan and Welsh icons in the early legends who are not only related to these Arthurian concepts but who also quest for the same object, the Holy Grail. The fact that these two traditions, the Pagan/Welsh and the Christian, have similarities opens up the question of whether the Grail is a Christian tradition or if it came from an earlier Welsh/Pagan tradition that eventually became the Arthurian legends we recognize today. In the case of the Holy Grail, there is evidence in both Christian and Pagan/Welsh folklore to suggest that the Grail Legends are in fact a derivative from Pagan/Welsh beliefs. This is seen through the evolution of oral tradition and fairytales, in the accounts of the famous historian Geoffrey who wrote about King Arthur, and the symbol of the Fisher King, the most debated and misunderstood symbol of the Holy Grail Legends.

To truly understand the legend of the Holy Grail two specific aspects of the Grail Legends have to be explored: the history of the Grail and the history of the people who quested for it. The first and possibly most important person in connection with the Holy Grail is Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, the Holy Grail was the cup Christ drank from at the last supper as is depicted in Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" completed in 1497. Next, the cup was used by Joseph of Arimathaea to catch Christ's blood at the crucifixion. Later, the cup was said to have protected Joseph while he was in prison and, after fueling his escape, led him to Europe. Because of this, the Grail has long been associated with bringing the drinker eternal life as is seen in the popular Indiana Jones movie, "The Last Crusade." In the Arthurian Legends, King Arthur and his knights also quest for the Grail to heal the Fisher King and bring order back to medieval Britain. The Holy Grail does not always take on this particular "history," however. In the recent book, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, another possible history of the Grail is explored. According to Brown, the legend of the Holy Grail in Arthurian folklore is mistaken. Instead of being a cup or chalice, the Holy Grail is Christ's bloodline started by Mary Magdalene. This secret, his book suggests, is kept by the secret society of the Knights Templar who were created by the Priority of Sion. The Knights Templar members were in charge of protecting the descendents of Christ by not telling the world of the bloodlines existence (Brown). Historically, the Knights Templar were in charge of helping people through the Holy Land. It is also said that they were responsible for a treasure that was located in the Temple of King Solomon. Some people believe this "treasure" is either the Holy Grail or a written documentation of Christ's bloodline. Unfortunately, the Knights Templar were eventually executed by order of King Philip IV of France, although, some believe that Pope Clement V also had something to do with the Knights Templar's eradication. If this is true, which documentation suggests, the Knights Templar would not be in existence today to guard the secret of the Holy Grail. In both cases, the Holy Grail is still a Christian icon, whether it is a bloodline or a cup. According to other beliefs, however, the Holy Grail is connected to old Welsh and Pagan traditions. In one of the Pagan Traditions of the Holy Grail, the Grail actually is said to evolve from the legend of the Goddess Cerridwyn. Cerridwyn was blessed with a beautiful daughter and an ugly son. According to legend, because of this, she decided to make a potion that would make her son wise. The caldron the potion was made in became known as Cerridwyn's Caldron, which stood for renewal, rebirth, transformation, and the gift of plenty (Mabinogion).

All of these concepts are also attributes of the Grail seen in Arthurian legend, which leads some people to believe that Cerridwyn's Caldron is the original Grail. In other words, the Grail evolved from the earlier Welsh legend to form the Chalice we see in the later Arthurian legends. This legend, in particular, first appears in the Mabinogion, a book of Welsh legends known to be older than the Arthurian legends (Mitchell). Since the story of Cerridwyn is not historical but fictional, it cannot be said to pertain to the actuality of there being a real Grail. However, it does suggest that if there was not an actual Grail but instead a well evolved legend, then the legend would not come from the Christian tradition but instead from the earlier Welsh/Pagan tradition.

The same principle is seen in the Arthurian legends in the Mabinogion with the Legend of Peredur, the Son of Evarwc. The Tale of Peredur is said to be the first tale of the Grail Knight Perceval who, under that name, was written about by Chrestien de Troyes, in his book, Perceval le Galois (Cline). The two stories, although one is a French Romance and the other is a Welsh legend, are surprisingly very similar. In both stories, Peredur/Perceval comes from a single parent household because his father has died leaving his mother a widow. His mother, in both stories, is very protective but eventually lets him go to be a Knight. Before he leaves, in both stories, she tells him to remember his manners, per say. This eventually leads to Peredur/Perceval missing his chance to help the Fisher King by asking the famous question, "For whom does the Grail serve (Cline)." Some people believe that Perceval is based off of Peredur because of the two stories strange similarity. This belief is further solidified by the fact that Chrestien de Troyes was said to have read and owned a manuscript of the Peredur legend before writing his version of the story (Williams). If this is indeed true, then Peredur or Perceval, the very first Grail knight, is actually a Welsh knight not a Christian knight. Both of these stories, however, do not discuss the main character of the legends, King Arthur. King Arthur is one of the most mysterious iconic figures of the Holy Grail legends, mainly because there is a history to suggest he actually existed. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, a historian/writer of the twelfth century, King Arthur was a King of the Britons. Geoffrey said that before King Arthur, Britain was in a period of turmoil and chaos. The Saxons' were trying to invade Britain and the lack of unity among the British tribes was causing the country to fall. It was at this time that Britain needed someone to come in and unite their empire in order to stop the impending invasion by the Saxons. Just as Briton was about reach the point of complete destruction King Arthur comes into existence. He is born to a queen who was tricked into adultery and a father who was also of noble birth (Ashe). Although the story of Arthur according to Geoffrey has no "sword in the stone" or "round table," it is still a fantastic legend of how Arthur overcame his illegitimate birth and became the man to unite Britain and the man who drove the Saxons' from Britain. Afterwards, Arthur even subdued the Picts, the Scots, and the Irish bringing twelve years of peace to Britain. The peace was broken, however, when Arthur decided to invade the Roman Empire. In the end, Arthur won the battle but was mortally wounded. He was then taken to the mystical Isle of Avalon to be healed. This is where Geoffrey's "history" of Arthur ends (Ashe). At no time does Geoffrey mention a Holy Grail or Grail Knights. Instead, he keeps to a historical perspective. Even though it is a historical perspective, it cannot be said to be the actual truth. There is no way to prove that Geoffrey was indeed recounting actual historical events. Still, the lack of the Grail in the history is interesting. If the Holy Grail had been truly important to King Arthur in historical contexts, one would think that it would be mentioned in the proposed history of the original Arthur. Since it is not, it can roughly be concluded that Arthur was not seeking the Grail at all but was instead seeking the European continent.

http://www.blackbeltshop.com Discount martial arts supplies

http://www.taekwondosupplies.com Discount martial arts and Taekwondo supplies