"THE HOLY GRAIL", by Norma L. Goodrich (1992), informs us that Joseph of Arimathea is the first person mentioned in history to have possession of the object called "The Holy Grail", after its use by Jesus at the "Last Supper". The word "Grail" derives from the Latin "gradalis" that means "cup" or "chalice". The earliest reference to The Holy Grail is found in a book [now lost] called "The Holy Grail", which is mentioned in later writings, whose author probably wrote the book from materials found in about 200 apocryphal gospels written in the second-century. The Holy Grail was the cup or chalice that Jesus used at the "Last Supper" with which He instituted the "Eucharist", the sacrament and/or rite of the "bread and wine" (Lk. 22:20), to commemorate the sacrifice of His Body [the bread] and His Blood [the wine] as God’s "paschal-lamb" (Gen. 22:8; compare Jn. 1:29; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet. 1:19). The rite replaced the "Passover" among Christians, who regard the rite (Ex. 12:21) as an Old Testament proto-type of "...Christ, Our Passover..." (1 Cor. 5:7). The Levitical animal-sacrifices (Lev. 1-7) are among the Old Testament proto-types of the New Testament Sacrifice of Jesus. The Holy Grail supposedly contained some of Jesus' Holy Blood collected by Joseph of Arimathea, however, according to Christian doctrine, Jesus, having accomplished His Sacrifice, following His resurrection Easter Sunday, collected His spilled Holy Blood, which could not decay, and, acting, as it were, as the High-Priest fulfilling the "Day of Atonement" (Lev. 16), which New Testament doctrine interprets as an Old Testament proto-type, presented His Holy Blood in Heaven for the sins of the human-race (Heb. 9:12). The true Holy Grail which contains Jesus’ Holy Blood sits today upon the high-altar in the celestial temple in Heaven, while its terrestrial counterpart became a holy relic and symbol of Christianity [comparable to the ark-of-the-covenant as the symbol of Judaism].

The earliest reference to "The Holy Grail" is found in a fourth-century book [now lost] called "The Holy Grail", which is mentioned in later writings, whose author [supposedly the Roman Emperor Theodosius "The Great", or probably more likely by an un-named cleric in his court] wrote the book from materials found in about 200 apocryphal gospels that were written during the second-century. In the twentieth-century, Norma L. Goodrich cites some old records in her book, "The Holy Grail", that Joseph of Arimathea is the first person mentioned in classical literature to have possession of the object called "The Holy Grail", after its use by Jesus at the "Last Supper". The story of Joseph of Arimathea is given in the "Cronica sive Historia de Rebus Glastoniensibus" (1342), by John of Glastonbury, a medieval writer. The modern author, Reginald F. Treharne, uses "Cronica" as one of his sources in his book, "The Glastonbury Legends" (1975). Joseph of Arimathea appears in "Cronica" as a wealthy Jewish merchant who traveled all over the Roman Empire, and, according to legend, even did business in Britain. He is so called for a small town in the Judean hill-country, Arimathea [Ramallah], called a descendant of King David and of ancient Jewish royalty, and, was the Virgin Mary’s uncle. Her father Heli had two brothers, namely, Joseph, and Gjor. The son of Gjor, Simon, was Israel’s last king AD 69-70, executed by the Romans, AD 71/73. Joseph of Arimathea is called "uncle" by the "supposed" children of his niece, The Virgin Mary, mentioned in scripture (Mk 6:3), namely, "Saint" James, Jose[ph] "Ha-Rama-Theo", Simon, Jude "of Galilee", and their sisters, Miriam, Anne, and Salome [or Mary, Salome, and Anne]. Joseph of Arimathea, the Virgin Mary's uncle, as "kinsman-redeemer" (Lev 25:25), according to Jewish law, as Mary's nearest senior male relative, claimed her son's [Jesus'] body on her behalf, after His crucifixion, and, the Roman Governor, Pilate, gave Jesus’ mother, Mary, her son’s body. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, one of the members of the Sanhedrin, and, heretofore, a secret disciple of Jesus, came forward publicly at this time and helped Joseph of Arimathea to take down Jesus’ body from the cross. The two men at the bottom of the cross wrapped His body in a linen cloth, reputed to be "The Shroud of Turin", and laid His body in "the garden tomb" (so-called), which was a newly hewed-out un-used cave-tomb originally built by Joseph of Arimathea for himself and his wife. He was one of Jesus’ financial-backers, and gave his tomb for Jesus' temporary use. Joseph of Arimathea kept the relics of the Crucifixion, including the Holy Grail.

Legend says that Joseph of Arimathea, called "The Virgin" Mary’s uncle, came to Britain as the leader of a party of Christian missionaries, at the time of the first persecution of the Jerusalem Church in AD 35/36; and brought with him to Britain some holy relics, which included (a) the Holy Grail; (b) the "three nails of the cross", and (c) the crown of thorns, which anciently were listed among the "Treasures of Britain". The first persecution of the Jerusalem Church in AD 35/36 dispersed many of its members, and some came to Italy, from where many traveled onto France, and others onto Britain. The medieval Italian writer, Casere Baronius, who wrote "Annales Ecclesiastici", described the voyage of Joseph of Arimathea with a party of about seventy-five Christians, who traveled by ship from Judea to Rome [by way of the Isle of Malta], and eventually came to Britain. This party of Christian refugees also included St. Philip, the disciple/apostle; James "The Less", the disciple/apostle; Simon "Zelotes", the disciple/apostle; Trophimus of Arles, Eutrope of Orange, Martial of Limoges, Saturninus of Toulouse, and others including three Marys, who were: (1) Mary of Bethany [misidentified with Mary Magdalene by Rabanus Maurus in his "De Vita Beatae Mariae Magdalenae"], the sister of Martha, and their brother Lazarus, who eventually settled at Marseilles, France; with Marcella, their attendant, and Parmenus, a deacon, and St. Maximin[us] of Aix; (2) Mary Iacobi, i.e., Mary (Miriam), daughter of Jacob (Yakov), the older half-sister of Jesus' foster-father, Joseph, who eventually settled at Civitatensum [Ciudad Ridrigo], Portugal, where she built a church; and (3) Mary Salome, i.e., Mary, daughter of Salome [widow of Zebedee], one of Jesus’ cousins; who were said to have traveled by ship to France and disembarked at the town of Saintes-Maries at the mouth of the Rhone. Too, in another party of Christian refugees, came Mary Magdalene, who eventually made her home at St. Baume, or Le Basme, near Aix in Provence, France. The story that Joseph of Arimathea and his party were thrust by their persecutors into a boat "without oars" that drifted to Provence, France, omits part of the story; for other medieval authors who wrote about this story tell us that the party first arrived at Cyrene, then, Malta, before they arrived in Rome, and from there they went onto Marseilles. Rabanus Maurus wrote: "departing Rome..., they came to Marseilles, whence they spread out ...". This is confirmed by Gervais de Tilbury in his "Otia Imperialia" (1212).

Tradition says that it was St. Philip who sent Joseph of Arimathea to Britain, but another tradition says that he was invited there by the British prince Bran "The Fisher-King", who had married Joseph of Arimathea’s daughter, Enygeus.

The mission of Joseph of Ariamathea to Britain was received by the British king Cunobelinus [Cymbeline], assuming that "Bellinus" is Cunobelinus, which identification is almost certain. The "De Origine Ecclesiae Britannicae" [written about AD 200 by Elvanus of Avalonius, the 2nd Arch-Bishop of London] says that Christianity was introduced into Britain by Joseph of Arimathea in AD 36. [The date "63" is that of Saint Paul's mission to Britain, not that of Joseph of Arimathea's.]

It is said upon coming to Britain that Joseph of Arimathea and his followers, weary, having walked up Wearyall Hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, drove his staff into the ground to lean and rest upon, and that the staff took miraculous root and grew into a tree, called "The Holy Thorn", which still today blossoms every Christmas.

The first church in the British Isles was built by Joseph of Arimathea and his party at Glastonbury, England, on the site of the old pagan temple there, called St. Mary's, which he dedicated to "The Virgin", his niece. The story is given in the "De Antiquitate Glastoniensis Ecclesiae" (1129), by William of Malmesbury, a medieval English writer. Too, Hugh Paulinus de Cressy, a medieval French writer, who quoted freely from the "Annales Ecclesiae Britanniae", a Latin manuscript by an unknown author, spoke of the first church in Britain which he says was built by Joseph of Arimathea. Fire destroyed the original church in the 1100s; and today the "Lady Chapel" marks its site.

Many Britons were converted to Christianity by Joseph of Arimathea and his followers, including some druids, e.g., Dadera "The Druid", as well as three British sub-kings, i.e., Belus (Bellinus), King of Wessex; Seraphe, King of Cornwall, and, Evalh (Evallach), King of Mercia. There are several interpolations in "De Antiquitate", one of which gives three different names of the kings who were converted to Christianity by Joseph of Arimathea, as: Marius, Coilus, and Lucius, but this is just in error for Marius, Coilus, and Lucius were not three contemporary British kings but were three successive generations of British kings ("HRB"). Note that Joseph of Arimathea was misidentified by the author of the second-century apocryphal gospel "Nicodemus" with Joseph "[H]A-Rama-Theo", one of Jesus' so-called "brothers", who also came to Britain. The misidentification of Joseph of Arimathea, "The Virgin" Mary’s uncle, with "The Virgin" Mary's "step-son", Joseph "Ha-Rama-Theo", one of Jesus’ so-called "brothers" (Mt. 13:55), was perhaps due to the similarity of the spellings of their epithets, that is, "Ari-ma-thea", or "[h]A-rima-theo", which has caused confusion of the details of their respective careers. The epithet "Ha-Rama-Theo" means "the divine highness", or "his royal highness". His epithet is sometimes translated "the Lord’s brother". The misidentification was picked up by medieval writers and resulted in their respective stories being woven together, whom some medieval writers made into the same person. For example, it was Joseph "Ha-Rama-Theo", not Joseph of Arimathea, whom the Romans [under Titus, not Vespasian] released from his second imprisonment by the Jews after the capture of Jerusalem in AD70. The confusion here may be that he was released by Vespasian from his first imprisonment at an earlier date. The story, according to the "Vindicta Salvatoris" ["The Avenging of The Saviour"], is about how Vespasian, on learning of the details concerning Jesus' "Passion", thinking the Jews undeserving of statehood for rejecting their king, laid siege to Jerusalem, AD 66-69, however, was called back to Rome due to a struggle over the imperial throne, and left the Jewish War to his son, Titus, the future emperor, who took Jerusalem and destroyed the city, in AD 70, and completed the conquest of Palestine by AD 73. Joseph "Ha-Rama-Theo", in AD 73, returned with Titus to Rome, along with other members of Jewish royalty. Joseph "Ha-Rama-Theo" was courteously treated by the [now] Roman Emperor Vespasian as an important prince. In AD76, it is recorded that Joseph "Ha-Rama-Theo" accompanied Vespasian to Britain on his campaign against the rebel British king Arviragus. The story of the rebellion of the British king Arviragus and his reconciliation with Vespasian is told by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his "Historia". John Hardying, in his "Chronicle", tells us that the British King Arviragus gave Joseph "Ha-Rama-Theo" [not Joseph of Arimathea], who accompanied the Roman Emperor Vespasian during his British campaign, twelve hides of land in Britain as his estate, and, his descendants are called in the Welsh "Triads" one of the "three holy families" of Britain. It was Joseph "Rama-Theo" [not Joseph of Arimathea], who, in AD 76, with ten companions, traversed Britain preaching the gospel during Arviragus' reign. Joseph of Arimathea was already dead by this time having died in Britain some years earlier (AD 58), and was buried in the cemetery in the churchyard of the Glastonbury Church, St. Mary’s, which he had built. Joseph "Ha-Rama-Theo" returned to Rome with Vespasian along with one of his sons, Josue "El-Harami", and, eventually returned to Palestine and took up residence at Nazareth, which seems to have become the "family-headquarters" (so to speak), however, the other son, Jasna "Piliste" [his epithet refers to his place of origin in "Palestine"], remained in Britain to tend to the affairs of the estate given to his father by the British king. This estate was run by him and his descendants, who emerge in medieval times as the Welsh lords [later kings] of Garthmadrun, which the Roman Emperor Maximus rose in rank to a regional-kingdom, circa 383. His descendants were called in the "Triads" one of the "three holy families" of Britain, that is, one of the three "desposynic" families [descendants of "The Holy Family" and its relatives] who had settled in Britain.

Following the death of Joseph of Arimathea in AD 58 the Jerusalem "Mother" Church, sent Britain its first bishop, namely, Aristobulus, who had been one of "the seventy" disciples (Lk. 10:1,17), another group of Jesus’ followers. He was ordained Bishop of Britain by St. James, called "Major" or "The Just", the eldest of Jesus’ so-called "brothers" (Mt. 13:55), the first Bishop of the [Jerusalem] Church [not St. Peter]. The "Menology", which is a collection of notes about saints, compiled in the ninth-century from all the eastern churches, says that Aristobulus was Britain’s first bishop. Dorotheous, Bishop of Tyre, stated that "Aristobulus", whom Paul saluted (Rom. 16:10) was the first officially recognized Bishop of Britain. He was the first in a succession of bishops credited by the Jerusalem Church over the next three hundred years, until the fourth-century when the Church at Rome replaced the Jerusalem Church in the government of the western churches. As a result the Church in Britain developed a separate existence as the Celtic Church of the Early Middle Ages.

St. Peter traditionally came to Britain in AD62 and built a chapel on the future site of Westminster Abbey in London, which is still traditionally called St. Peter‘s Chapel after him. Old St. Peter's Abbey following a persecution of Christians during the second-century AD was turned into the "Temple of Apollo" by the pagan Roman authorities.

The next year, AD 63, St. Paul, the Apostle, between his two imprisonments, came himself to Britain, on a missionary tour, and built Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Meantime, after Joseph of Arimathea’s death, the holy relics, that is, the Holy Grail, etc., were temporarily entrusted into the keeping of three of Joseph of Arimathea's followers, namely, Nascor, Manaches, and Lucans, the deacons of the Glastonbury Church, who in turn passed the relics onto [another] Joseph[es], called Joseph of Arimathea's son, who came to Britain to take over his late father’s ministry as pastor of the Glastonbury Church. There is a note in the "De Antiquitatae" that tells us Joseph of Arimathea was accompanied to Rome by his son, Joseph[es], who eventually followed his father to Britain, however, not until after his death.

However, here, Robert de Boron, the medieval author, interwove into his writings the legend of the first-century British prince Bran "The Fisher-King" [who is often misidentified with St. Bran "The Blessed", the fifth-century British prince] into the story of "The Holy Grail", and spins a yarn about how Bran "The Fisher-King" came into possession of the Holy Grail, which was picked-up by later authors, and, thus, entered medieval romance. That set the stage for the substitution of Joseph of Arimathea by Bran "The Blessed" in the revision of the "Myvyrian Archaiology", which is a collection of ancient documents.

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note: The Legend of Bran "The ["1st"] Fisher-King", so-called for duplicating one of Jesus’ miracles, the 1st-century British prince, the brother of Beli, the son[s] of the British ex-king Dubnovellus [Dunvallo] in exile in Rome, has been confused with other figures of that name in history, among whom were: (a) Bran, the brother of Beli Mawr, who flourished in the 5th/4th century BC; (b) Bran, the brother of Beli, the sons of Dunvallo "Molmutius", who flourished in the 5th-century AD; and (c) Bran, "The Blessed", the Welsh "Bran ap Llyr", son of the 5th-century AD local British king Llyr "Lleidiath", and, father of Cerdic "of Wessex". More recently, another example of misidentification is that of making Bran and Beli into father and son rather than brothers.

Bran married the daughter of Joseph of Arimathea, Enygeus, and was among the followers of Joseph of Arimathea, who came with him to Britain in AD36. He is confused in one story with his brother, Beli, which makes him the husband of Anne. Bran appears suddenly in the middle of the medieval romance, "L'Estoire del Saint Grail", among the followers of Joseph of Arimathea without having previously been introduced, suggesting that the readers would already know who he was. In the story he was among those who came to Britain in the second wave of Christian missionaries, which party was led by Joseph[es], the son of Joseph of Arimathea, who eventually followed his father to Britain. In another story it was Bran, converted by St. Paul, who is said to have brought Christianity to Britain, accompanying Aristobulus to Britain, AD 58, and was therefore called "The Blessed".

The 1st-century Bran is sometimes called "The Blessed" ["Bendigeid"] from the circumstances of his conversion to Christianity, however, the 5th-century Bran is the original Bran called "The Blessed", and rightly so, for the sibyl's prophecy that his descendants would give Britain a great line of kings, which is the case for identifying his son, Cerdic, with Cerdic of Wessex, and, also for having brought the "True Cross" to Britain from Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, circa AD 475, when the Church had sunk to the depths of selling its relics. The misidentification of the 1st-century AD Bran [son of Dubnovellus] with the 5th-century Bran [son of Llyr "Llediaith"], called "The Blessed" [="Bendigeid"], the father of Cerdic, set the stage for the misidentification of the 5th/6th century AD "Cerdic ap Bran" with the 1st-century AD British hero-king Caratacus, of which name "Cerdic" is a variant form; and, due to the false equation of the 1st-century "Caratacus, son of Cunobelinus", the Welsh "Caratauc map Cinbelin", with the 5th/6th-century "Cerdic ap Bran", some medieval writers incorrectly substituted Bran "The Blessed" for Cymbeline, which erroneously made the 5th-century Bran into the father of the 1st-century Cerdic, and, thus, further confused the genealogy of the Old British Royal House as recorded in some medieval manuscripts. The substitution set the stage for several misidentifications by medieval writers, and laid the foundation for numerous fables in medieval romance. It appears that medieval writers during the 9th-century connected the 1st-century Cerdic with the complex myth of St. Bran "The Blessed", the father of the 5th/6th century Cerdic. To add to the confusion, the story of Bran, the brother of Beli Mawr, was meshed with the story of Bran "The Blessed" [and his son, Cerdic], whose story borrowed from other British legends, including the story of Caswallawn, the 1st-century BC British king of the same name. Hence, we find in the "MAB" the fable of Caswallawn, called son of Beli Mawr, who is said to have usurped the throne while Bran "The Blessed", the King of Britain, was absent on campaign in Ireland on a mission to rescue his sister, Branwen. Caswallawn, according to the "MAB", slays the regents whom Bran had left in charge in Britain except St. Bran's son, Cerdic, since Cerdic's mother was Caswallawn's sister. Here, the 5th-century AD British king Caswallawn is confused with the 1st-century BC British king, namely, Caswallawn [I]. Their stories which were originally historical events which took place chronologically in completely different times were meshed together to make a very un-historical fable. The descendants of Bran are called the "Fisher-Kings" in medieval romance, which confused them with the descendants of Joseph of Arimathea who were called the "Grail-Kings". The family of Bran [some versions say "Beli"] is listed as one of the "three saintly families" of Britain in the latest edition of the "Triads" (MA, 3rd Ser. Triad 18, Iolo MS), replacing the family of Joseph of Arimathea in the earlier versions (TYP # 81). The title "Fisher-King" early passed from a British royal-line to a desposynic descent-line and was made an order of the church with the ministry of feeding and attending to the needs of the poor. The title came to be an office, and the order became a large organization with many workers. The [ten] generations of the fishers-kings is: (1) Ameshas Spentas, fl. c. AD 150, (2) Theophilus (d181), (3) Narcissus (d211), (4) Ipromorus, (5) Flammulus (Flambeaus), (6) Tytalus, (7) Pamphilus (d309), (8) Maximus, (9) Patricius Quiriacus, & (10) Ignis Cyriacus Magus.

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The object, called "The Holy Grail", was passed down from generation to generation through Joseph of Arimathea’s descendants, who were called the "Grail-Kings". The "Triads" says that the descendants of Joseph of Arimathea were one of the "three saintly lineages" of Britain, which means that his family-line was one of three desposynic descent-lines in Britain. The most complete pedigree of Joseph of Arimathea’s descendants, that is, the "Grail-Kings", is given by John of Glastonbury in his "Cronica sive Historia de Rebus Glastoniensibus" (1342), which is based on the pedigree given in the romance known as "L'Estoire del Saint Graal" (1210). Its author drew from the poem "Joseph d'Arimathie" (1205), by Robert de Boron, and a story about the Holy Grail, "Li Conte del Graal" (1190), by Chretien de Troyes, whose source he confessed was an earlier work [now lost] called "The Holy Grail", written by the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius "The Great" (375), which he says was based on one of the over 200 second-century apocryphal gospels. The link to Arthur was either traced or invented by John of Glastonbury?

The "Grail-Kings" were said to have been the descendants of Joseph of Arimethea, the Virgin Mary's uncle (dc AD58), the 41st generation in male-line descent from King David of Israel, &, who, as Jesus’ so-called "uncle" [actually His great-uncle], was therefore a scion of ancient Hebrew kings. Joseph of Arimathea, by wife, Alyuba [dau of Akar], begot (1)/(42A) Joseph[es] (d82) [the father of (43) Joshua (Jesus), first Grail-King, circa AD 100 (below)], & (2)/(42B) Enygeus (dau), wife of Bran "The Fisher-King", a British prince, the brother of Beli, the husband of Anne, one of Jesus' so-called "sisters".

Legend says that Joshua, the first Grail-King, went from Septimania to "Terre Foraine" with his followers. In "Terre Foraine" a castle was built to house the Holy Grail, and to be the home of the religious order, "The Order of The Holy Grail", which Joshua [variant spelling: Jesus] was the founder of and was its first Grand-Master, that is, the first "Grail-King", circa AD 100.

There were three grail-castles during the history of the "Order of The Holy Grail". The first grail-castle may have been located on the Isle of Malta, for legend says that its king, Calafes, helped Joshua and his brother Alain "Li Gros" to build the castle. Its name was "Munsalvaesche Castle". The "Order of the Holy Grail" was later removed to the town of Corbeni in Picardy, France, where "Corbenic Castle" was built as the second grail-castle. The name "Corbenic" [= "cors benoit"] means "blessed body" [of Christ]. Then, in the time of King Arthur, the "Order of the Holy Grail" was removed to Dinas Bran, Llangollen, Clywd [formerly Denbighshire], in Northern Wales. Its name was "Illes Castle" [so-called in "Diu Crone" by Heinrich von dem Turlin].

The "Order of The Holy Grail" was originally an order of the Jerusalem "Mother" Church, but when the Roman Emperor Hadrian closed the Jerusalem Church in AD135 and again in 136, St. Hyginus, the Bishop of the Church at Rome, started sending monies to support the religious order; monies it had formerly been sent from the Jerusalem "Mother" Church]. St. Hyginus (136-140), St. Pius I (140-155), and St. Anicetus (155-166), the 9th, 10th, and 11th bishops of Rome, were all members of the "Desposyni" ["the Master’s kin"], thus, it is no surprise of St. Hyginus' interest in the Grail-Order.

The Holy Grail is the subject of the late medieval romance "Li Conte del Graal" (1190), by Chretien de Troyes, who makes Perceval [Parzival] the story’s hero. Parzival (525) is identified with Sir Percy in Arthurian Romance. Wolfram von Eschenbach says that he wrote "Parzival" (1220) to correct the version Chretien de Troyes gives. Parzival descends from the Grail-King Zamphir through his 2nd son, Addanz, the father of Gaudin, the father of Gahmuret, the father of Parzival. The "son" of Parzival is said to have been Lohengrin, but "descendant" is what is meant here, for Lohengrin has been identified by modern scholarship with Warin of Lorraine (1025), who lived 500 years after Parzival’s time. Lohengrin ["Loherenc Garin", whose name is a corruption of the name "Warin of Lorraine"], was the father of the epic crusader hero, Helyas "The Swan-Knight", the last Grail-King, who, the father of Godfred of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade (1096-99), accompanied his son to Jerusalem and set The Holy Grail on the high-altar in The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Year 1099, after which the Knights-Templars, whose 1st Grand Master was Godfred of Bouillon, became the new custodians and guardians of the Holy Grail and other holy relics. The fact that Helyas "The Swan-Knight" had possession of the Holy Grail indicates that he was very likely descended from the "Grail-Kings", according to "The History of Helyas, Knight of The Swan", by Chevalier au Cygne (tr. by Robert Copland).

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LIST:GRAIL-KINGS

01. Joshua (Jesus), first Grail-King, circa AD 100; 43rd generation in male-line descent from King David of Israel; died unwed without issue

02/(43B) Alain "Li Gros" ["The Large"], 2nd Grail-King, his younger brother

= [his cousin] Elis, daughter of Bran "The Fisher-King" & Enygeus, Joseph of Arimathea’s daughter

03/(44A) Josue, Grail-King, had a bro, (44B) Isaiah

04/(45) Alphanye, Grail-King

05/(46) Aminadab, Grail-King

06/(47) Catheloys (Carcelois), Grail-King; founded the religious-order of the "Castellors", which was later suppressed by the Catholic Church; built Corbenic Castle to house The Holy Grail & as the home of the Grail-Kings & the religious order [note: the name "Corbenic", is derived from "cors benoit" [= "blessed body"], whence the town of "Corbeni" in Picardy, France, got its name]. The order of the Grail-Kings was removed to Britain in the early 500s, and left "Corbenic Castle" empty, which was later razed by Charlemagne, circa 800]

07/(48) Emanuel, Grail-King, son, the father of

08/(49) Titurel, Grail-King; founded military-order of the Grail-Knights, circa AD250; the father of

09/(50) Enfertez [a.k.a. Anfortas I] (275), Grail-King, the father of

10/(51) Frimutel, Grail-King (300), the father of

11/(52) Mazadan [Ahura Mazda], Grail-King (325)

= Terdelaschoye

12/(53) Laziliez, Grail-King (350), the father of

13/(54) Zamphir (Zamfir; Zambor) (Zamvirz), Grail-King (375)

issue of (55) Zamphir (above), was:

(55A) Lambor, Grail-King (400)

(55B) Galegant (Garlon; Galant), father of (56A) Tampenteire [father of (57) Kardeiz [I], father of (58) Condure (dau), [3rd] wife of Parzival (below)], (56B) Gurnemanz [father of (57) Gurzgar, father of (58) Gandiluz], & (56C) Manpfilkjot [who, by wife, Schoysiane, begot (57A) Trevrizent "The Hermit" & (57B) Sigune (dau), wife of ... ]

(55C) Addanz (below)

14/(55) Lambor, Grail-King

issue of (55A) Lambor (above) was:

(56A) Pellam [Pellehen], Grail-King

(56B) Yglais (Eglise) (dau), [3rd] wife of Amlawd "Wledic", King of Britain, the father of (57) Ygerne, mother of (58) King Arthur of Britain]

15/(56) Pellam, Grail-King

issue of (56A) Pellam (above) was:

(57) Pelles of Corbenic Castle

16/(57) Pelles of Corbenic Castle, Grail-King

issue of (57) Pelles (above) was:

(58A) Amfortas [II] "Grail-King"

(58B) Herzeloyde (dau), [2nd] wife of Gahmuret, &, the mother of Parzival (below)

(58C) Elaischoye [note: the post-Vulgate changed her name to "Elayne"], wife of Lancelot, mother of [Sir] Galahad, a knight, later, "Keeper of The Grail", who died celibate

17/(58) Amfortas [II] "Grail-King", the last of the main-line

= Orgeluse

issue:

(59) Elayne (dau), who died unwed and childless

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issue of (55C) Addanz (above) was:

(56) Gaudin, who, by wife, Schoette, begot three sons,

namely:

(57A) Gaheviez, the father of (58) Ither "The Red-Knight"

(57B) Galoes, who, by wife, Flurdamur, begot two or more sons, including (58a) Antikonie & (58b) Vergulaht, as well as several daughters, including (58c) Rischoyde [wife of Kaylet], (58d) Repanse de Schoye [wife of Feirefiz]; & (58e) Riautrise [wife of Guerin]

(57C) Gahmuret

18/(57) Gahmuret, Grail-King; was contemporary with his cousin Amfortas II (above), the last of the main-line, and appears as the next male-line heir

=1 Achefleur

=2 Belakane, Queen of Zazamanc [Africa]

=3 Herzeloyde (above)

issue of (58C) Gahmuret (above) by 1st wife was:

(58A) Aglovale

(58B) Lamorat (Lamerocke)(Lischoise)

(58C) Schenote

issue of (58C) Gahmuret (above) by 2nd wife was:

(58D) Feirefiz; = Repanse de Schoye [Repense de Joie], & begot of (60) John "The Prester"

issue of (58C) Gahmuret (above) by 3rd wife was:

(58E) Parzival (Perceval) (Parsifal) (525), posthumous son, is made the story’s hero in the medieval romance "Li Conte del Graal" (1190), by Chretien de Troyes. Parzival is identified with Sir Percy in Medieval Arthurian Romance. Wolfram von Eschenbach says that he wrote "Parzival" (1220) to correct the version Chretien de Troyes gives. The "son" of Parzival is said to have been Lohengrin, but "descendant" is what is meant here, for Lohengrin has been identified with Warin of Lorraine (1025), who lived 500 years after Parzival’s time. The name "Lohengrin" [="Loherenc Garin"] is a corruption in medieval romance of the name "Warin of Lorraine".

19/(57) Kardeiz [I], Grail-King

20/(58A) Aglovale, Grail-King

21/(58B) Lamorat (Lamerocke)(Lischoise), Grail-King

22/(58C) Schenote, Grail-King

23/(58E) Parzival, Grail-King

=1 Lafamur

=2 Sangive

=3 Condure

issue of (58E) Parzival (above) by 1st wife was:

(59A) Oriantix (Oriante), who, by wife, Elouse, was the father of triplets

issue of (58E) Parzival (above) by 2nd wife was:

(59B) Houdourans

issue of (58E) Parzival (above) by 3rd wife was:

(59C) Kardeiz [II]

24/(59A) Oriantix (Oriante), Grail-King

25(59B) Houdourans, Grail-King, who, by wife, Matabrunne, begot sons & daus

26/(59C) Kardeiz [II]

issue of (59C) Kardeiz [II] (above) was:

(60) Charlot, 60th in male-line descent from Israel's King David

issue of (60) Charlot (above) was:

there are 16 generations missing in the pedigree here

(77) Otto "of Lillefort", 77th in male-line descent from Israel's King David, the father of

(78) Warin of Lorraine [a.k.a. "Loherenc Garin", whose name was corrupted in medieval romantic literature into "Lohengrin"], one of "The Conqueror's Companions" (1066) (dc1071)

[note: his parentage is confused in medieval writings. Warin of Lorraine was the son [or grandson] of one of three contemporary counts or dukes who each had the name "Otto", who were: (1) Otto "of Lillefort", the "descendant" [not "son"], of Parzival, who descended through a 1000-year-old-line of "Grail-Kings" from Joseph of Arimathea, the uncle of "The Virgin" Mary, and, a scion of Israel's Davidic Dynasty; or, (2) the posthumous son of Otto, Duke of Lorraine (d1012), the son of Charles of Lorraine (d994), the Carolingian heir, which would make him descended in the male-line from Charlemagne; or, (3) the grandson of [another] Otto, Count of Chiny [Warcq], whose male-line ancestors were [also] descendants of Charlemagne. The fact that his son, Helyas "The Swan-Knight", had the Holy Grail in his possession would indicate that the father of Warin of Lorraine was Otto "of Lillefort", a descendant of the Grail-Kings. Warin of Lorraine, by wife, Biautris, begot

(79) Helyas "The Swan-Knight", epic-hero of the First Crusade 1096-99, the 40th and last Grail-King, who, upon entering Jerusalem [accompanying his son, Geoffrey of Bouillon, the crusade's leader] following the First Crusade (1096-99) returned The Holy Grail to The Church of The Holy Sepulchre and placed it himself on the high-altar (1099). Helyas "The Swan-Knight" married thrice, and, by each wife had a son: his eldest son inherited the French fiefdom of Bouillon from his mother; his second son married the heiress of Oldenburg [Oldcastle] and inherited the Dutch county through her; and, his third son inherited the German fiefdom of Kleve (Cleves) from his mother, hence, founding three great families. The legend of Helyas "The Swan-Knight" takes place during the last half of the eleventh century. He arrives on the scene when the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (1056-1106) held court at Neumagen to decide a claim by the Count of Frankfort for the duchy of Bouillon, then held by Ida of Louvain, the widow of the Duke of Bouillon, its duchess. The matter was decided by hand-to-hand combat between the Count of Frankfort and Helyas of Lorraine, who championed the duchess, who legend says sailed up the Meuse on a boat drawn by a swan by means of a silver chain, whence his epithet. He won the battle, married her, and became the Duke of Bouillon in right of his wife, by whom he begot Geoffrey of Bouillon, Leader of the First Crusade 1096-99; Protector of The Holy Sepulchre 1099-1100. The legend was embellished by medieval romance that says before their marriage Helyas warned the duchess that if she ever asked his identity he would have to leave her. As the story goes she later tempted disregarding her husband’s warning asked him his identity. [The wife's desire to know her husband's "true self" appears here to parallel the myth of Cupid and Psyche.] He rebuked her sorrowfully, and, instantly the boat drawn by the swan re-appeared on the river next to where they were, Helyas stepped into the boat, and the swan swam off with him in the boat out of sight of his sorrowing wife. That is medieval romance, but the fact is Helyas divorced Ida of Louvain, soon after the birth of their son, Geoffrey, and she [his ex-wife] married thirdly Eustace II, Count of Boulogne. Helyas, meanwhile, had come to the aid of Elsa of Brabant, divorced wife of Regnier, Count of Hainault, against a suitor, Frederic de Telramund, who claimed she had promised to marry him. Instead, Elsa of Brabant married Helyas of Lorraine. It was his second marriage, as well as hers. The marriage produced a son, Elimar [Egilmar], who married Rixa [Rikissa], the heiress of Oldenburg, and became the Count of Oldenburg ["Oldcastle"] in "right of his wife". Helyas divorced Elsa of Brabant soon after the birth of their son, Elimar, and, she married thirdly Hajo, Count of Uprustringen. Helyas, meanwhile, married thirdly Beatrix of Cleves [identified with Belayne of Lizaborye in medieval romance], daughter of Rutger II, Count of Cleves, and, widow of the Count of Lizaborye. The marriage produced a son, Dietrich [II]. Soon after, Helyas divorced Beatrix of Cleves, who married thirdly Dietrich I, Count of Cleves. Hence, Helyas “The Swan-Knight”, the last in the long-line of “Grail-Kings”, was the ancestor of three great noble European houses, those of Oldenburg [Oldcastle], Bouillon, and Cleves. Legend says that Helyas was murdered by armed men sent by his ex-wife [not by her parents as one romance says, who had already dead by that time], circa 1100. The three sons of Helyas, all born out of wedlock & were reared by their mothers, who were:

(80A) Geoffrey of Bouillon, Leader of the First Crusade 1096-99, &, "Protector of The Holy Sepulchre" 1099, called "First" Grand-Master of the Knights-Templars, whose mother, Ida of Louvain, widow of the Duke of Bouillon, married 3rdly Eustace II, Count of Boulogne

(80B) Egilmar I, Count of Oldenburg [Oldcastle], 1091, [by virtue of his marriage to Rixa, the heiress of Oldenburg] (d1108), whose mother, Elsa of Brabant, divorced wife of Regnier, Count of Hainault, married 3rdly Hajo, Count of Uprustringen. [note: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince-Consort of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, is a male-line descendant of Helyas "The Swan-Knight" through the Counts of Oldcastle (Oldenburg), though his official genealogy is traced through the royal house of Greece, which may trace its descent from ancient Greek kings.]

(80C) Dietrich II, Count of Cleves 1085/92 (d1114/19?), whose mother, Beatrix (Belayne) of Cleves, daughter of Rutger II, Count of Cleves, widow of the Count of Lizaborye, married 3rdly Dietrich I, Count of Cleves (d1056)

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LIST: GRAND MASTERS of the KNIGHTS-TEMPLARS

01. Geoffrey of Bouillon ......................... 1099-1100

02. Ursus of Calabria .............................. 1100-1118

03. Hugh de Payens.................................... 1118-1136

04. Robert I de Craon................................. 1136-1146

05. Everard des Barres................................ 1146-1149

06. Bernard de Tormelai.............................. 1149-1153

07. Andre de Montbard................................. 1153-1156

08. Bertrand de Blanchefort ..................... 1156-1169

09. Philippe I de Milly ............................. 1169-1171

10. Eudes de St. Amand................................ 1171-1179

11. Arnold de Toroga.................................. 1179-1184

12. Gerard de Ridfort................................. 1185-1189

X. vacant.................................................... 1189-1191

13. Robert II de Sable.................................... 1191-1193

14. Gilbert Erail ............................................ 1193-1200

X. vacant ................................................... 1200-1201

15. Philippe II de Plessiez ........................... 1201-1208

X. vacant............................................ 1208-1209

16. Guillaume I de Chartres ........................... 1209-1219

17. Pierre de Montaigu ................................ 1219-1230

X. vacant............................................ 1230-1231

18. Herman de Perigord .............................. 1231-1244

X. vacant............................................ 1244-1245

19. Richard de Bures .................................. 1245-1247

20. Guillaume II de Sonnac ............................ 1247-1250

21. Reynald de Vichiers ............................... 1250-1256

22. Thomas Berard ..................................... 1256-1273

23. Guillaume III de Beaujeu .......................... 1273-1291

took the "Holy Grail" to Antioch and entrusted it into the care of Tibald de Gaudin, the city’s bishop, who became the next Grand-Master

24. Tibald de Gaudin .................................. 1291-1293

25. Jacques de Molay, last Grand-Master............ 1293-1314, executed by the King of France

note: the Knights-Templars were scattered in 1314 by the King of France

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                                                            POST-SCRIPT

The Holy Grail came to symbolize Christianity and the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem just like the "Ark-of-the-Covenant" came to symbolize Judaism and the ancient Judaic kingdom of Israel/Judah. The Holy Grail was taken out of Jerusalem to Acre at the time of Jerusalem’s fall to the Muslims either in 1187 and/or 1244, and there remained at Acre until 1291 when it was taken by the Knight-Templar Guillaume [III] de Beaujeu to Antioch and entrusted into the care of Tibald de Gaudin, the city’s bishop. The Holy Grail after that disappears from recorded history until 1910 when there was found in the ruins of a church at Antioch, a cup, containing an inner cup, that is thought by able scholars to be the Holy Grail. The inner cup is plain silver, however, its container, the outer cup, is exquisitely carved silver with the figures of Christ and His disciples at the "Last Supper". The outer cup was obviously made to hold the inner cup, as a sacred, precious object older than itself. The artistic style and workmanship is considered to be of first century date. The Holy Grail, now called "The Chalice of Antioch", eventually came into the possession of the Cloister's Museum in New York City and is privately owned today by the Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY.

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