The Holy Grail

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The Holy Grail is the subject of various myths that make it difficult for historians and scholars around the world to distinguish between fact and fiction. The earliest manuscript that mentions a Grail is from Chretien de Troyes' The Perceval, written between 1174 and 1180, however, this story was never completed. According to Stephen Thorson's "A Brief Introduction to the History and Origin of the Holy Grail Motif," he states that the Grail motif may have come from Celtic tradition and later adapted into Arthurian Literature (2). In The Perceval, it was the first time that a quest was mentioned to seek the Grail. Further, Robert de Boron's first poem of a trilogy, Joseph d'Arimathie, written between 118 and 1199, correlated the Grail to the biblical story of the Last Supper, which signified the Grail as a "Christian vessel of grace (2)." 

The Last Supper by Leonardo Davinci (4)

Although the Holy Grail has various Christian significance, the Grail itself has many forms such as a plate, a stone, or a chalice. When Chretien de Troyes first wrote The Perceval, the Grail was a serving dish that had healing powers (1). In Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parizal, the Grail is signified as a stone. It wasn't until de Boron's trilogy of poems (Joseph d'Arimathie, Merlin, Perceval) that the Grail became the Holy Grail and a Christian relic. According to de Boron's poems, the character Joseph of Arimathaea caught the blood of Christ during his crucifixion, which created the Grail Table in a memorandum of the Last Supper (1). 

Galahad, Perceval, and Bors (5)
The Holy Grail's quest has been told in various Arthurian adaptations, however, the common denominator to the end goal of the journey has remained an unsolved mystery (in most cases). The three characters in the Arthurian universe that have been associated with achieving the Holy Grail are Galahad, Perceval, and Bors (1). What is very interesting about the concept of this quest is that there have been a multitude of characters in Arthurian Literature who were unable to seek the Grail. I believe this motif of rarity and mystery stemmed from these early stories and transformed into a symbol of hope just from the simple fact that the first ever mention of the Grail was never completed, but picked up by several writers over hundreds of years. 

The Holy Grail doesn't just have symbolic meaning to Christianity or Celtic traditions but has been defined as achieving divine power. It is known that when or if someone is able to achieve the Holy Grail, that one can possess great power. Overall, the Holy Grail can pertain to a lot of symbolic meaning, but it can also pertain to a lot of meaning when one can obtain it. 

(1) Newell, William Wells. "The Legend of the Holy Grail. I. The Perceval of Crestien." The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 10, no. 37, 1897, pp. 117-34. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/533751.

(2) Thorson, Stephen. "A Brief Introduction to the History and Origin of the Holy Grail Motif." Mythlore, vol. 6, no. 1 (19), 1979, pp. 23-24. JSTOR, https:www.jstor.org/stable/26809870.

(3) Youtube. (2023). The Mystery of the Holy Grail. Youtube. from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fsjfL7XHso.

(4) Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, September 4) The Last Supper (Leonardo). Wikipedia. https://enwikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_%28Leonardo%29

(5) Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Percival Receiving the Sanc Grael (unfinished study). http://www.rossettarchive.org/docs/s94a.rap.html




Comments

  1. Alaina HostetterSeptember 10, 2023 at 12:46 PM

    Hi Dan! You did a great job in explaining what the Holy Grail is and how the idea of the Holy Grail has taken on different meanings over time. I didn't know that the Holy Grail took on different forms as well, and I find it fascinating that there are different interpretations of it (ie: the plate). My favorite line in your blog is: "[The Holy Grail] transformed into a symbol of hope just from the simple fact that the first ever mention of the Grail was never completed, but picked up by several writers over hundreds of years." This line wraps up your blog beautifully towards the end and, overall, is a powerful statement.

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