Perceval and the Holy Grail in Arthurian Romance

The Origins of Arthurian Legend and the Matter of Britain

The Arthurian legends may seem truly British in origin, but they began as a literary form in the twelfth century with traveling minstrels who told stories of heroism, usually built on the exploits of the French king Charlemagne, or Charles the Great (742–814 a.d.). Another group of stories was known as the Matter of Rome, and these included tales from both Rome and Ancient Greece about the period before the siege of Troy. The third group was known as the Matter of Britain. These stories grew in popularity during the twelfth century, telling of the lives of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, of their magnificent castle at Camelot, of Merlin the Magician, and of the Round Table and the search for the Holy Grail.

Oral literature was the only means by which many of these stories were transmitted, and even if there were a kernel of truth in them, it would likely have been changed many times in the course of subsequent tellings until whatever truth remained would be hard to discern. Most of the stories had been known only in parts of England and Wales for some centuries, but in the twelfth century their popularity grew when the French writer Chrétien de Troyes published a popular written version in both France and Britain. One of these stories is that of Perceval.

Summary and Structure of Perceval

Perceval was the fifth of the Arthurian romances by de Troyes, and it was left unfinished. This work is the earliest account of the Arthurian Quest for the Holy Grail and would go on to influence many other versions that followed. The poem tells of Perceval, raised far from civilization in the forests of Wales. He meets several knights and decides he wants to become one himself. His mother objects, but the young man heads off to King Arthur's court to fulfill his dream. He meets a young girl who predicts that he will be a great knight. Once there, he is taunted by Sir Kay, but still receives a knighthood and sets off on his own. He rescues the princess Blanchefleur and trains with the more experienced Gornemant.

He then meets the Fisher King and is invited to his castle, where he witnesses a seeming parade of men and women carrying objects from room to room: a bleeding lance, candelabras, and a richly decorated graal, or "grail." The latter contains a single Mass wafer with miraculous powers. Perceval has been warned not to speak, so he remains silent. The next morning, he returns to King Arthur's court and is admonished by a lady for not asking his host about the Grail. The poem continues in several sections; in the next, Sir Gawain has been challenged to a duel and later liberates a castle, freeing his long-lost mother, grandmother, and his sister Clarissant. Perceval returns near the end of this section to learn from his uncle, a hermit.

Loomis's Three-Part Analysis

Roger Sherman Loomis notes that the poem can be divided into three parts: "the youthful adventures of the hero; his visit to the Grail castle and its sequel; the adventures of Gawain" (60). The first part is a coming-of-age story about the boy who becomes the knight Perceval. There is a religious component to his story, as he first sees the knights in their gleaming armor and "fell on his knees, thinking they were God and His angels" (Loomis 60). His story is presented as a kind of parable of what happens as a young man grows up — he plays as a boy, becomes ambitious when he meets his heroes, and leaves his mother to die of grief when he sets out to fulfill his destiny. He is tested when he fights the Red Knight, who has stolen a cup from Arthur and claimed his lands. Perceval is not yet a knight, but he defeats the Red Knight and then sets out on his own rather than returning to Arthur for his blessing. Instead, he finds the friendly Gornemant to teach him what he needs to know. As Loomis observes:

"All this first part of Perceval's history is a masterpiece of chivalric adventure and light comedy. It justifies the claim which the author made for it, as the best tale ever told in a royal court. Note, however, the ignoble role assigned to Arthur, so sharply contrasted with that of the spirited stripling, Perceval." (Loomis 60)

Loomis notes that the second part consists of four episodes concerning the central theme of the Holy Grail. The first three scenes are set at the castle of the Fisher King and show the strange events that take place there, revealing the Grail to Perceval. When he returns to Arthur's realm, he learns more about what he saw that night as the lady admonishes him for not asking about the Grail:

"The damsel rebuked Perceval bitterly for failing to ask about the graal, for, had he done so, the King would have been healed. The third scene is laid at Arthur's court at Caerleon. A hideous maiden messenger rode in on a mule and cursed Perceval for his silence concerning lance and graal. Utterly humiliated, Perceval departed to seek the Grail castle and remedy his omission. Throughout these three scenes the atmosphere of mystery is maintained, and the reader, like Perceval, awaits with impatience an explanation of the lance, the two vessels, and the hideous damsel." (Loomis 61)

The real meaning of what Perceval witnessed that night is explained in the fourth scene of this section:

"Five years later on Good Friday Perceval visited a hermit, who turned out to be his uncle. From him the young man learned that the graal contained a mass-wafer, and that the Fisher King's invalid father had been kept alive for fifteen years by the daily administration of the sacramental food by the Grail Bearer. Perceval's silence had been caused by his desertion of his mother. Repentant, he stayed with his hermit-uncle over Easter Day in prayer and fasting." (Loomis 61)

Loomis finds that this explanation is itself somewhat absurd and contains a number of anomalies that are left unanswered. He concludes that there is a real, historical explanation for this story and notes how scholars have been trying to find one for decades. Central to the story and the mystery is the meaning of the Grail, which has been described in various ways over the centuries and identified with different sources, different historical ideas, and different religious icons. Loomis notes, for instance, that some have identified the Grail with the eye of the Egyptian god Thoth. Jessie Weston is cited for her view of the Grail and lance as sexual symbols, and that "the scene in the Grail castle was an initiation rite, which in Christianized form had been brought to Britain" (Loomis 62). Loomis, however, notes that there is no record of such a ritual.

Conclusion: Christian and Celtic Legacies in Perceval

Whether the Grail derives from Christian ideas first or from Celtic images and stories, over time the idea of the Grail did become more associated with Christian symbols, so that today it is thought to have some connection with Christ — specifically with the Last Supper or the crucifixion. The Catholic wafer is the primary association with Christian ideas in Perceval, though one can see how the idea of the Grail would be further associated with Christianity because of such references.

Perceval was not finished by de Troyes, but sections have been added by later writers to carry the story forward. There is no way to be certain how de Troyes intended it to end, or whether the extensions faithfully follow his lead or represent more imaginative departures by later authors. The shift to Gawain in the latter half seems unusual, but it carries through some of the same themes, as Gawain is also tested and resists similar temptations in his own journey and quest.

Works Cited

Kaeuper, Richard W. Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Loomis, Roger Sherman. The Development of Arthurian Romance. London: Hutchinson University Library, 1963.