Interpretations of the Holy Grail
The “Quest for the Eternal,” the Holy Grail, is one of the world’s most romantic and adventurous quests that have spawned many myths of the Grail origin and final resting location over a period of 150 years. The spiritual goal of the quest represented inner wholeness, union with the divine, and self-fulfillment. The scene for the quest is not consistent through all the myths, for the legends are placed in a far off country of a type of paradisal status. The Grail is usually thought to be in a temple resting on the top of a mountain, surrounded by water and obstacles that only a chosen few can overcome. The guardian of the grail is depicted as both a priest and a king, holding both positions in a somewhat mortal/immortal state. The reward of the hero by finding the grail was thought to be good fortune, blessings, and in some cases, the hand of the king’s daughter. The legend of the Holy Grail is one of the most enduring in Western European literature and art. At the Last Supper, Jesus filled a vessel with wine and passed it among his disciples, instructing them to "drink his blood." Later, as Christ was removed from the cross, Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of the Savior in this vessel. Fleeing Jerusalem, Joseph carried the cup with him, to England, to Glastonbury. There he established a castle, and his family and his descendants were made guardians of this vessel, this Holy Grail.. It was brought to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea, where it lay hidden for centuries. The search for the vessel became the principal quest of the knights of King Arthur. It was believed to be kept in a mysterious castle surrounded by a wasteland and guarded by a custodian called the Fisher King, who suffered from a wound that would not heal. His recovery and the renewal of the blighted lands depended upon the successful completion of the quest. Equally, the self-realization of the questing knight was assured by finding the Grail. The magical properties attributed to the Holy Grail have been traced to the magic vessels of Celtic myth that satisfied the tastes and needs of all who ate and drank from them. The Holy Grail first appeared in a written text in Chrétien de Troyes's Old French verse romance, the Conte de Graal ('Story of the Grail'), or Perceval. (c.1180) During the next 50 years several works by Chretien, both in verse and prose, were written although the story, and the principal character, vary from one work to another. With the passing of the Middle Ages, the Grail disappears until the nineteenth century when medieval history and legend awoke. The symbol of the Grail is a mysterious object of search and as the source of the ultimate mystical, or even physical experience. When Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade opened to packed houses, it was apparent that the legend of the Grail was not dead. The film on the surface perpetuates the Grail in the Cup of Christ image. The search for the Cup of Christ is the “search for the Divine in all of us". Indiana Jones portrays the religious and symbolic representation of the Grail as the cup that was used at the last supper from which wine was drunk as a symbol of Jesus' blood. HAPPY READING TO DR. FAJARDO'S ENG 484 BRITISH LITERATURE NIGHT CLASS! By Erica Iverson, Class of 2000
HOLY GRAIL LINKS ***indicates self-created sites
Grail Texts and Literary Summaries
*Holy Grail lists
*The Sacred Vessel
*Fischer King Legends
*The Knights Templar
*The Holy Grail in Hollywood
