The Holy Grail: The Knights Of The Round Table
The Holy Grail is one of the most enigmatic and coveted relics in the world. With its roots stemming from Celtic mythology, it is often described as the sacred chalice, dish or vessel that Jesus Christ drank out of during the Last Supper. One of the most prevalent themes of Western literature is the search for the Holy Grail; from Indiana Jones to Monty Python, the legend of the Grail has endured for countless centuries, most recently inspiring a best-selling novel that unleashed a wave of conspiracy theories. The quest for the Grail, which was most famously undertaken by King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, symbolized the pursuit of union with God. Despite its significance in the Christian world, the Holy Grail is never mentioned in
…show more content…
The search for the Grail was the primary quest taken by the Knights of the Round Table. In some tales, Joseph of Arimathea brings the Holy Grail to the Isle of Avalon, the mystical island where King Arthur is taken to after his fight with Mordred. The Grail is believed to be resting in a hidden castle surrounded by a wasteland with the Fisher King acting as its guard. The Fisher King is a man who came from a family of Grail-guardians, and was rendered crippled by a perpetual wound in either his groin or thigh. Because of his immobility, the Fisher King is mostly bedridden, and sometimes fishes in a nearby river, waiting for a knight to find the Grail and heal his wound by asking a question that would heal the king and revive his wasteland. Percival, one of King Arthur’s knights, is usually the “chosen knight” who finds the Grail. In Troyes’ story, Perceval, he meets the Fisher King but fails to ask the healing question, making him unable to get the Grail. In Wolfram von Eschenbach’s story, Percival goes on a long quest, initially failing to heal the King, but finally does after the course of many years and becomes the king of the Grail. In later pieces of literature, Percival is joined by Bors and Galahad on his
The search for the Grail was the primary quest taken by the Knights of the Round Table. In some tales, Joseph of Arimathea brings the Holy Grail to the Isle of Avalon, the mystical island where King Arthur is taken to after his fight with Mordred. The Grail is believed to be resting in a hidden castle surrounded by a wasteland with the Fisher King acting as its guard. The Fisher King is a man who came from a family of Grail-guardians, and was rendered crippled by a perpetual wound in either his groin or thigh. Because of his immobility, the Fisher King is mostly bedridden, and sometimes fishes in a nearby river, waiting for a knight to find the Grail and heal his wound by asking a question that would heal the king and revive his wasteland. Percival, one of King Arthur’s knights, is usually the “chosen knight” who finds the Grail. In Troyes’ story, Perceval, he meets the Fisher King but fails to ask the healing question, making him unable to get the Grail. In Wolfram von Eschenbach’s story, Percival goes on a long quest, initially failing to heal the King, but finally does after the course of many years and becomes the king of the Grail. In later pieces of literature, Percival is joined by Bors and Galahad on his