Holy Grail: Difference between revisions

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In [[Christian mythology]], the '''Holy Grail''' was the [[dishware|dish]], [[plate (dishware)|plate]], [[drinkware|cup]] or vessel used by [[Jesus]] at the [[Last Supper]], said to possess miraculous powers. According to many versions of the story, [[Joseph of Arimathea]] used the Grail to catch [[Christ]]'s blood while interring him and then took the object to [[Britain]], where he founded a line of guardians to keep it safe. The quest for the Holy Grail makes up an important segment of the [[King Arthur|Arthurian]] cycle, appearing first in works by [[Chrétien de Troyes]] (Loomis 1991). The legend may combine [[Christian lore]] with a [[Celtic mythology|Celtic myth]] of a [[cauldron]] endowed with special powers.

The development of the Grail legend has been traced in detail by cultural historians: it'sIt is a [[Gothic literature|gothic]] legend, which first came together in the form of written romances, deriving perhaps from some pre-Christian folklore hints, in the later [[12th century|12th]] and early [[13th century|13th]] centuries. The early Grail romances centred on [[Percival]] and were woven into the more general Arthurian fabric. The Grail romances started in [[France]] and were translated into other European vernaculars; only a handful of non-French romances added any essential new elements.

Some of the Grail legend is interwoven with legends of the [[Holy Chalice]].