Temples of the Grail by John Matthews

Author:John Matthews
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: CVR08242018;temple of the grail;holy grail;where is the holy grail;what is the holy grail;john matthews;john mathews;gareth knight;garth knoight;arthur;king arthur;arthurian legend;CVR04012019
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2019-05-20T18:56:45+00:00

Sacred Land

The central part of Albrecht’s work can be seen almost as an interpolation into the story of the Grail. It was perhaps his intention to join his own work (hitherto separate) with Wolfram’s via the latter’s fragmentary Titurel poems. It takes us off on a wild range of adventures with Schionatulander and Sigune, many of them at Arthur’s court. In the end Schionatulander is killed by his nemesis Orilus, and after a long period of mourning, the stories briefly merge when Percival meets Sigune with the body of Schionatulander in a linden tree. The only part of the story that is of interest to us here is that in which Sigune has a hermitage built for her on Muntsalvasche. Albrecht tells us that it is next to the Font Salvasch (Fountain of Salvation) and is covered in gold and jewels such as those used to adorn the temple of Solomon.

In the same section we learn of the death of Perceval’s father, Gahmuret, while serving in the East. On the return of Sigune, who had accompanied him to the war against the infidels, Herzeloyde, as Gahmuret’s queen, gives the care of her kingdoms to Schionatulander. A few days later she gives birth to Perceval, who will one day inherit the guardianship of the Grail.

The third and final section of the poem, as noted, continues the story of the Grail as if the middle section had never existed. This has led more than one scholar to wonder if the poem was not originally intended to be two, which were later put together either by Albrecht himself or by an anonymous scribe. In any case, it has a number of variations to the more familiar description of the Grail story, which have been largely ignored due to the tendency of most scholars to concentrate on the description of the temple of the Grail. The following summary, which extends beyond previous references, leads us to some interesting areas and suggests an important link with another early account of a sacred temple.

As noted above, dissension breaks out amongst the company of the Grail, and it is decided to take it to another place. Led by Titurel, the true followers of the Grail set out, crossing many countries until they arrived at the port of Marseille. From here they take a ship, guided and fed by the Grail itself and accompanied by the scent of lilies brought on a breeze from paradise. They reached an island called Pitimont, which is five hundred miles from the nearest place. There they remained for four days. The people who lived on the island accepted food and wine from the Grail and asked Titurel to stay and rule over them. But he refused and on the fifth day the travellers resumed their journey. The people of the island renamed their city Grals and built a new temple with 22 (or 72) galleries.

This is, of course, strikingly similar to the description of the Island of the Grail in Sone, while

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