Holy Grail Books Of Modern And Ancient Time

By Maria Peterson


When it comes to spanning the course of history, the holy grail most likely holds the prize. For, legends related to the object date back over 900 years as told in a number of holy grail books. In addition, there are also more than a few dramatic and comedic films and plays which deal with the subject.

Ultimately, most adhering to the legend associated with the Fisher King believe the wafer to be that which provided eternal life, or at the very least an healing element. While this is the case, somehow the wafer became a cup or chalice rather than the contents in later versions of the story. As a result, the ongoing search, legend and stories related to the holy relic still continue all over the world.

Whether The Da Vinci Code, Indiana Jones or Monty Python, the cup holds a spectacular narrative in relation to Christ. For, the narrative related to the search has now spanned over nine-hundred years. In one case, believing immortal life will come to all those whom drink from the goblet.

The all-encompassing attraction to the object has expanded throughout the Western art world and well into the literary one. In most cases, art and writing which has been entirely inspired by different legends related to the object. While interesting, even more interesting is the fact that the cup is believed to have been used by Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper, then having caught the blood of Jesus while dying on the cross.

When people discuss the object today, it is often described as some type of vessel depending on whose telling the story. In some cases, it has been described as a chalice, stone, dish or similar item. Most often, whichever item one describes holds magical powers such as the promise of eternal youth, abundance, never ending happiness or eternal life to whomever holds it at the time.

Arthurian literature has done a lot to shape different legends surrounding the object. Still, the story tends to change over time. In fact, there have been numerous adaptations and translations to the original story. Whether having been a stone which fell from the sky, a bowl which provides eternal youth or a cup which caught Christ's blood during the crucifixion, the tales often seem endless, not to mention exaggerated.

The original story actually began when an explorer found a French verse which illustrated the history of the object. For, written by Chretien de Troyes in French, the text provided an illustration of the holy object from the time it is reported to have caught Christ's blood on the cross all the way up to King Arthur's death. While this is the first text to be discovered, this does not mean there are not earlier versions still yet to be found.

The Conte de Graal, written on the claims Chretien and patron Count Phillip of Flanders, provided the original text. It is this text in which the chalice was described as a bowl or dish rather than a cup. As such, it is believed that the grail was a magnificent object presented during a parade which Perceval attended. In this legend, the grail did not contain fish or wine but rather a wafer used for Mass which had cured the father of the Fisher King.




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