If you want to understand what the Grail is, or rather, what was meant by the Grail a millennium ago, then there is nothing more reasonable than to look into the era of the Grail. This is what we will do.
Because the matter of myth has, in some way, a different structure than scientific research, it is impossible to obtain precise indications. Or is it possible? It really depends on how we will get a grasp of the old texts. And what we, in fact, can deduct from them. Indeed, behind the fabulous hints, there is a life remarkably distant from us, with its geography, politics and religion.
We will walk the paths of memory and see how and where the Grail legends came to us.
So what is the Grail? Where did the information about the Grail come from and why is it a Holy One? In general, all our information about the Grail is drawn from medieval knightly novels. Starting with the first of them - "Percival" by Chrétien de Troyes - the legend of the Grail began to walk around the world. That is, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, in the XII century there lived a popular author de Trois, who used some legends he knew to create an adventure novel for his contemporaries.
And what exactly did he call the Grail? What and where? Both of these questions are important, and we will try to answer each of them.
However, before referring to the text of Chrétien de Troyes, it is necessary to say a little about the main character of this epic action. They call him Percival, he is still a boy and lives with his mother in the wilderness, knowing no other people or another world. His whole world is locked on the house, mother, servants. We can say that Percival is a child who was brought up in conditions of strict isolation and therefore is in the utmost ignorance of everything that he has not seen and does not know. That is, it is essentially a tabula rasa, "blank slate", an innocent soul.
And like any child who has not undergone a general educational process, Percival grows among dense forests like grass, remaining ignorant of even a strictly obligatory subject at that time - faith. More precisely - the dogmas of faith. Because he was brought up with great love, not knowing the prohibitions, he is a kind of boy-Adam, living in the Garden of Eden. Of the few books he knows about, he knows about God and angels, but has no idea of any evil. Simply because he did not see evil, and therefore cannot distinguish between good and evil.
And once, several horsemen are brought into this paradise, looking at which, our inexperienced hero comes to the conclusion that they are angels. With eyes on a roll, our hero falls to his knees with only one question, which he asks the commander of this horse patrol: "You are probably God?" What, in fact, causes a healthy laugh in foreign riders. But it turns out that this is not at all God with His angels, but simple knights. The very ones from whom his mother dreamed of isolating, who had lost her husband in various wars, and the rest of her sons - Percival's older brothers.
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It would be better if the unfortunate woman chose a different method of education, not isolation, because now, having met the knights and having received from them minimal information about the knightly code of conduct, Percival realizes what happiness he has been deprived of over the years. Freedom, a cloak fluttering in the wind, a frisky horse, a sword, a shield, war - all this becomes an ideal for him, overshadowing the angels and God. From that time on, our hero disappeared: he went on a journey, from which neither mother's love nor fear of the unknown could restrain him. He saw the embodiment of his dream - a knight who looked like an angel. Therefore, he abandons his home and desperate mother and begins his journey.
Chrétien de Troyes, without completing the story, leaves his hero in search of adventure. However, we will learn about the very first adventures of Percival.
Percival leaves his house in the woods. Before leaving, he asks his mother, resigned to the misfortune, what needs to be done to become a knight, and not even just a knight, but one of the knights of King Arthur (which, in fact, were the strangers he met!). So the mother has to explain in a popular way how a young man of his origin is supposed to behave in the world outside of isolation - that is, how to listen and answer questions, how to behave in the company of husbands and the society of women, and also how to believe in this incomprehensible external the world. Of course, instructions that are not related to practice and experience have no value. That is why our Percival always finds himself in situations where it would be necessary to act from a pure heart and where he acts according to the "instructions of the mother", that is, incorrectly.
In the Russian tradition, there are several fairy tales where the hero is equally inexperienced or lacks the ability to associate an act (or word) and its consequences, why as a result he turns out to be ridiculed or even beaten. Here is our Percival in exactly the same position! Starting his way, he looks into the tent to a beautiful girl and strictly follows his mother's advice (from the field of "how to behave with a beautiful lady" - to get a kiss and take some object as a souvenir that will give him the right to protect this lady). He kisses the stranger and takes the ring from her, which puts the first stone in the building of mistakes.
Leaving the unfortunate woman alone with her jealous lover, he goes on to Arthur's court. However, upon arriving at this court, Percival, of course, finds himself in an awkward position. Everyone makes fun of him, and the king decides to keep the young man at court so that he can get comfortable a little and earn the honor of being knighted. Only our hero does not want to wait, but he cannot bear the ridicule, so he leaves the palace, having heard that one bad knight in red had stolen a cup from the castle, and the one who can take this cup from him and return it back will become a knight !
Percival decides that it is he who must fight the kidnapper, and he actually meets this red knight and demands to give him both the goblet and the armor. The knight, much more experienced, does not take the boy seriously (after all, he does not even have a real weapon!); this is what destroys him. Absolutely not trained in the art of war, Percival simply sticks a dart into his eye.
Then he, in vain trying to remove the armor from the dead knight, drags him along until he meets the squire from the castle of King Arthur, who helps him to solve this problem. Tom has to explain to the young winner how to take off and put on the armor, but our ignoramus refuses to all persuasions to return to the court - even having defeated the enemy, he is afraid of the ridicule of the seneschal, whom he wrote down as his enemies. This is exactly how he declares to the discouraged squire: "I'll be back when Kai (his offender. - Author) apologizes for the ridicule."
So Percival drives away, wanting to go away. Fortunately for Percival, he has another castle on his way, the owner of which, an old knight, takes Percival as his apprentice. But, having learned to wield weapons and received knighthood, our hero immediately leaves the hospitable castle. He longs for knightly deeds. Wasn't it because of them that he once left his home ?!
The next castle Percival finds himself in is in trouble. His mistress, the young lady Blancheflor (French for white lily), is besieged by the seneschal of her cruel admirer, and Percival decides to save her and rid the castle from the siege. First, he fights with the seneschal and defeats him, then - with the lady's admirer. Percival sends both defeated prisoners to the court of King Arthur as prisoners. But instead of staying with the beautiful Blancheflore, he remembers his mother and is now in a hurry to return home to prove that he has become an adult, and at the same time to see how her things are.
Immediately forgetting about Blancheflor, he rushes to his home, but only reaches the river. The river - alas - is deep, and the fishing boat cannot carry the knight and his horse to the other side. Finding himself in the twilight with no hope of a crossing or lodging for the night, Percival asks the fisherman if he knows at least some haven where he can spend the night. The fisherman replies that Percival cannot do with one overnight stay, and invites him to his house, the road to which he immediately explains: the path to this house follows a path that is lost in the rocks. It can be clearly seen from the top. Percival climbs a narrow path to the top, but sees nothing - only heaven and earth, and he begins to suspect the old man of deception. However, looking more closely, Percival suddenly notices the tower. This is exactly one of the towers of the hidden castle, where the Grail is kept!
The Grail Castle, according to Chrétien de Trois, consists of three towers and an adjacent building. The towers have a square section and are built of gray stone. Thanking fate and the fisherman who sent him here, Percival drives up to the deflated bridge. Having passed this bridge, he finds himself in the courtyard of the castle, where the servants immediately begin to deal with him. Two help him to get off the horse and take away armor and weapons, the third leads the horse into the stall, the fourth throws a scarlet robe over him, and then all four accompany the young master to the chambers assigned to him. After some time, two servants come for him and escort him into the square hall.
In the middle of the hall there is a couch on which sits a gray-haired and handsome man in a sable hat lined with satin the color of mulberry berries, and in the same color attire: This man beckons Percival to him and orders him to sit next to him, after which he begins to inquire about the journey. Percival answers the questions as a servant enters and brings a sword. The owner slightly extends the sword from its scabbard, and our hero sees the brand on the sword, realizing that this is an expensive and very good sword. Here the servant reports that this sword was sent by the master's niece, who hopes that such an excellent long and wide sword will fall into worthy hands, since this is the last work of one great master, and he forged only three such swords in his entire life. For some reason, the owner immediately decides that it is Percival who is the most worthy, and gives him this sword.
Judging by the description of the sword, it is of Byzantine or Arabic work - at least its hilt is made of oriental gold, but the scabbard is decorated with Venetian script. Having got hold of the sword, having tried and felt its power, Percival immediately hands it over to the servant, to whom he had previously handed over his weapon, and sits next to the master, enjoying the conversation. Bright light pours from the walls, Percival is comfortable and calm.
Here, with a peripheral vision, he notices that a servant enters the hall, holding a white spear by the middle of the shaft. It passes exactly between the hearth and the people sitting closer to the warmth. Blood falls from the end of the spear, drop by drop. Scarlet drops on a snow-white tip. One of the drops falls on Percival's hand. Our hero understands that he is faced with a kind of miracle, and he wants to ask what all this could mean. But the old knight, who taught him to wield weapons, said in parting that it was necessary to be polite and patient and not ask unnecessary questions, but because Percival feels kindly in this house, he pretends not to notice anything. The spear is carried away.
Next came two young squires with candlesticks made of scarlet gold in their hands, each with 10 candles burning. Behind them is a beautiful young maiden with the Grail in her hands. Chrétien de Trois no longer says anything about the Grail, he only points out that when the maiden entered the room, such a pure and bright light emanated from the Grail that the light of the candles instantly faded, and this Grail was made of pure gold and richly decorated with precious stones. The Grail was carried past Percival as well as the spear, but although he really wanted to know who this Grail serves, he again does not ask anything, again following the advice of the old knight.
Since the necessary questions were not asked, the servants bring in towels and serve water to prepare the guest for the meal. Two youths set up a carved bone table, which also amazes Percival, who notices that it is made from a single piece. Two more servants bring in a pair of ebony goats, on which the tabletop is laid.
The table is covered with a rich snow-white tablecloth, then the blues are served. First there is a deer leg with spices, all sorts of sweet wines in golden cups, toasted slices of bread, and all this is perfectly served. During a meal in front of Percival, the Grail is again carried, and here Chretien de Troyes already mentions it as a cup: Percival wonders who is drinking from this wonderful cup, but again hesitates to ask. Curiosity torments him more and more, but, trying to show himself as a well-mannered person, Percival overcomes himself, hoping to later question the servants about the Grail. In the meantime, he is simply enjoying food and wine.
After eating, he again talks to the owner, but not a single question about the spear and the Grail leaves his lips. Servants bring extraordinary overseas fruits, which our hero has never seen, and to top off this gluttony - golden Alexandrian honey, ginger, sweet wines of oriental origin. Finally, realizing that the young man will never ask about anything, the owner invites him to go to bed: he himself complains that he does not feel his legs, therefore he will be carried to the servant's bedchamber, and the young man invites him to either lie down in his chambers or to stay in the hall … Percival remains in the hall.
The owner is carried away on a sheet, as if on a stretcher. The servants undress Percival, lay him down and cover him with a snow-white linen blanket. He falls asleep. In the morning, although not too early, he wakes up and sees that no one is around. Percival tries to call the servants, but none of them responds. He wants to go to the owner in the neighboring chambers, but all the doors are locked.
As Chrétien de Trois writes, having shouted to his heart's content, Percival is forced to dress himself. He finds his clothes and armor lying on the table. When he walks out into the courtyard, the courtyard is empty, but his weapon and shield are propped against the wall. The drawbridge is trimmed. Percival thought that the servants went into the forest to check if the game was caught in the snare, so he saddles his horse and drives out of the courtyard of the hospitable castle. To himself, he thinks that as soon as he sees these servants, he will immediately question them about the spear and the Grail. But something makes him turn around, and when he turns around, he suddenly sees; that the bridge is raised again!
Horse Percival, making a monstrous leap, literally hovers in the air, trying to overcome the void under his feet. Percival, realizing that the bridge could not rise by itself, calls out, but in vain, for no one ever shows up and does not answer his call. Percival suddenly realizes that he did wrong: he should have asked, but he never asked, which means he did not fulfill his duty! The owner of the castle, the king, expected his participation and help; by not asking the right question at the right time, Percival condemned him to suffering. All this Percival already understands, so to speak, in hindsight. He cannot return to the past and change the course of events; all that remains is to strive forward, relying on chance.
And this case is not long in coming, because it again confronts him with the unfortunate lady (Blancheflor), who because of him was accused of infidelity, and with the seneschal, who ridiculed him. Percival gets a chance to correct his earlier mistakes: he returns the ill-fated ring to the lady, and in a duel with the seneschal deftly knocks him out of the saddle.
At the court of King Arthur, a little later, he meets a certain maiden, who reveals, or rather, reveals to him the secret of the Grail and the Grail castle. She reports: due to the fact that Percival did not ask the right question, the Fisher King, the owner of the castle, will experience suffering and will not be able to fully govern his lands, which will cause the people to suffer: the knights will die, the ladies will lose their husbands, the children will lose their fathers and the lands themselves will be desolate. The reason for this is the wound that the king received in fair battle and from which Percival could spare him if he asked the right question. The strange maiden asks King Arthur to have his knights come to the aid of Lady Montclair, and almost at the same time, a messenger who has arrived accuses Arthur's nephew Sir Gowain of treason.
The knights go with Arthur on exploits, Gowain - to restore his reputation, and Percival vows not to spend the night twice under the same roof and not fight anyone until he reveals the secrets of the Grail and learns the secret of the spear.
Percival travels, and he is so deep in his search for the Grail that he forgot literally everything. From the words of Chrétien de Trois, we know that five years later. Percival never even went to church in all these years. It is only known that, despite the promise not to fight, he captured 60 knights and sent all of them to Arthur's court. And so he would not remember the time further, that is, live for only one purpose, if after these five years he suddenly met the familiar knights who, accompanied by a dozen ladies, walked barefoot, making a pilgrimage. The knights were quite surprised that Percival was armed on such a day. To which Percival himself asked: "What day is it?" It turned out - the eve of Easter, Good Friday, that is, the day of Christ's death on the cross!
The knight met by Percival, wounded by the young man's lack of piety, read him a whole lecture on the death of the Savior on the cross, but did not arouse much interest in him. After listening to this whole tirade, Percival only asked where the pilgrims were coming from, and learned that from a holy hermit who communicates directly with God. It was to him Percival, instantly awakening from the spleen, and hurried. Near the hermit's dwelling, he took off his armor, weapons, tied his horse and humbly, sobbing, entered under the arches of the chapel.
When the hermit asked why he was so upset, the young man replied that he was guilty of a terrible sin. In confession, he told the hermit that he once spent the night in the castle near the Fisher King, where he saw strange things: a spear that was bleeding, and the Grail, but did not dare to ask who was eating from the cup and why the spear was bleeding. Since that time, Percival added, he never once turned to God and did not ask Him for forgiveness, moreover, he did nothing to deserve this forgiveness.
Having heard such a strange story, the hermit asked the name of the young man. He named himself. And then the hermit sighed and told him that he could not ask the right question, not because of doubt, but because his departure from home did great harm: Percival's mother, unable to withstand the grief that befell her, fell immediately as he drove away and died near the bridge where they parted. It was precisely this act that prevented Percival from asking his questions at the proper moment. And only the mother's prayer kept him throughout this time.
The hermit also added that he could well answer Percival's questions: only a select few were given to eat from the Grail, among them were the hermit's brother and Percival's mother herself, as well as the Fisher King and his father. But, the hermit noted, the Grail does not offer a taste of pike, salmon or lamb, it contains a host (wafer), which is capable of supporting life in the body. The Fisher King, according to him, for 12 years only ate the hospitality from the Grail, other food became unnecessary for him. Since Percival - from the point of view of the church - violated every conceivable and inconceivable rule, the hermit imposed a penance on him and explained how he should continue to fulfill his duty as a believer. For two days the young man had to stay with the hermit, eating only bread and water.
Since Percival was not accustomed to praying, the hermit taught him one correct prayer, in which "many of the names of Our Lord sounded, including the greatest and most formidable, which the language of man should not utter, except for the fear of death!" The hermit made a special mention of this, forbidding him to use such a prayer, except in special cases when he was in extreme danger.
Our hero honestly withstood a two-day fast, eating water and simple plant foods with the hermit, and then received the Holy Communion. At this point, Percival's story ends, but now he is being replaced by another hero - the knight Gowain, who went, as you remember, to prove his innocence. And further in the book it is only about his adventures. The grail also no longer appears in the text.
For Chrétien de Trois, the Grail is a richly decorated bowl in which the host rests and which emits a magical light, because it is marked by the highest grace of Heaven. The spear exudes not just blood, but the blood of Jesus Christ! Together, both objects very much resemble the elements of Holy Communion: the host that bestows divine nourishment, in other words - the body of Christ, and sweet wine for the sacrament - the very blood of Christ. In the original version, no other Christian motives appear. Everything else is a product of completely different time layers.
V. Pimenova