Holy Grail I INTRODUCTION King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table The semilegendary King Arthur is probably the most well-known king in all of English literature.

Holy Grail I INTRODUCTION King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table The semilegendary King Arthur is probably the most well-known king in all of English literature. Tales of Arthur and his knights span several centuries and many different languages. The so-called Round Table, the meeting place of Arthur and the knights, was round so that no one member seemed favored over the others. The New York Public Library Holy Grail, in medieval literature, the sacred cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. In Arthurian legend, the knights of King Arthur embark on a quest for the Grail. According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea kept the Grail after the Last Supper and collected Jesus' blood in it when Jesus was crucified. After being conveyed to Britain, the vessel was passed down from generation to generation in Joseph's family. The Grail supposedly possessed many miraculous properties. It could furnish food for those without sin, and it could blind the impure of heart and strike mute the irreverent who came into its presence. II PERCIVAL AND THE GRAIL The Holy Grail first plays a central role in Arthurian literature in the medieval romance Perceval, ou le conte du graal (Percival, or the Story of the Grail, 1190?) by French poet Chrétien de Troyes. As a youth, the mythical character Percival sets forth to become a knight at King Arthur's court. On the way he reaches the castle of the Fisher King, who is guardian of the Holy Grail and of the spear that wounded Jesus when he was crucified. Because of his sinful ways, the Fisher King is struck mute when he comes into the presence of the sacred chalice. When Percival enters the Fisher King's castle, he witnesses a procession in which the bleeding spear and the Holy Grail pass before the king, who has become speechless in the presence of the chalice. Astonished, Percival fails to ask any questions concerning the strange scene. Later he learns that if he, a pure and guileless soul, had spoken, the king would have been healed. After many wanderings, Percival returns to the Fisher King's castle and welds together a broken sword, or (in another version) restores the power of speech to the king, and succeeds him. III OTHER STORIES OF THE GRAIL In later legend, the Holy Grail becomes the object of a quest in which many of King Arthur's knights take part. In this version of the story, the knight Galahad, who is entirely free of sin, ultimately finds the Grail and completes the quest. Percival and the knight Bors accompany Galahad but are excluded from the final holy vision that appears to Galahad as he approaches the Grail. Writings in which the Grail plays a major role include Parzival (1210?) by German epic poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, Le morte d'Arthur (The Death of Arthur, 14691470) by English writer Sir Thomas Malory, and the series of poems Idylls of the King (1859-1885) by English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The opera Parsifal (1882) by German composer Richard Wagner was based on Wolfram's treatment of the legend. In his epic poem The Wasteland (1922), English writer T. S. Eliot draws on the story of the Grail, but he is most interested in the Fisher King and his realm. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.