No one is sure where the word even came from.

This has led linguistic detectives to theorize that “grail” comes from the Old French word “graal,” meaning dish or shallow platter. Joseph of Arimathea, who was said to have received the vessel after the Last Supper and it was used to catch Christ’s blood during the crucifixion. But it took on a distinctly Christian aura in France about 800 years ago when it became linked to St. Origins of the Grail storyMany scholars contend the Grail story borrowed elements of Celtic lore and other bits from the myths of antiquity. “The Grail is always leading you on in some ways.” “The important thing about the Grail is it’s elusive quality,” said Joseph Goering, a University of Toronto professor of medieval history whose 2005 book, “The Virgin and the Grail: Origins of a Legend” draws links to 12th century paintings of Mary holding an enigmatic, radiant bowl. Some historians claim that Wagner’s work so captivated Adolf Hitler that he set up an elite Nazi unit to try to find the Grail. Richard Wagner’s last opera, “Parsifal,” is based on the medieval story of a young Welsh knight who glimpses the Grail in the castle of its guardian. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.” In movies, it’s been pursued by Indiana Jones and lampooned by the Monty Python troupe.

In literature, the search for the Grail has inspired imaginations for centuries, from the sagas of King Arthur to T.S. The Grail could simply be an artifact of language that’s still familiar today: a metaphor for a quest in which only the most clever and steadfast can succeed. Or it could be, some scholars suggest, nothing at all. Others have described it as a kind of Holy Spirit that bestows wisdom and revelation. In some, the Grail is a stone that fell from heaven and has mystical powers. The most enduring Grail image is as a vessel - perhaps a chalice - held by Christ at the Last Supper and later used to catch his blood during his final hours.īut the stories also soar off in many other directions. Since the Holy Grail became part of the popular Christian imagination in the Middle Ages, it’s taken an array of forms.

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