The Holy Grail and Its Uncertain But Influential Presence

Imagine you are a knight about to embark on a marvelous adventure in search of a magical and elusive object in which is said to have magical powers. What would this magical grail do and what exactly is it supposed to look like. Numerous people had gone in search of this so-called Holy Grail with the copious tales of old talking about their quests to find it. Although a greater amount of the stories may be exaggerated or blatantly false the Holy Grail remains to be undoubtedly influential. As a result, the grail remains to be a relic of the past that will make countless people curious about how the world works and the past with its mystifying properties. So what exactly is the Holy Grail what does it look like and why was it so sought after and important. What is the overall history of the Holy Grail who first talked about it and what were some of the quests to find it? Finally, what is known to be true about the Holy Grail, and how has it influenced people where is it now, or had it ever existed in the first place?

The Holy Grail as a whole is widely debated as much of the overall origins as well as just what the grail was is unknown as over the years stories about the Holy Grail describe the grail differently. Some state that the word grail may be referring to the Latin word gradale which was a deep patter that food was commonly served on during medieval banquets. As stated before the grail had been described as numerous different objects throughout the years such as a dish, a chalice, a platter, a goblet, and even a stone(“Holy Grail”). According to many of the stories and quests to find the grail describe it was said to contain otherworldly powers and the ability to grant a person a great power of healing which was said to heal any deadly wounds some also said that the grail could grant eternal youth as well as everlasting happiness. 

Overall the history of the Holy Grail is quite interesting as just like how the grail has described the history of the grail is also quite debated and uncertain. For Instance, it is commonly said that the Holy Grail was used by Jesus during the last supper and it was also said that the grail was used to collect Jesus’s blood during the time he was crucified this brings together a connection to Jesus during his life and death. The grail was first referenced in a story from a French romance written by Chretien de Troyes and in his story, he mentions a dish in which was planned to be found and then used to heal a dying kingdom but in the end, he never did finish his story and remained unfinished until his demise. Nevertheless eventually, a man named Robert de Boron expanded on the unfinished story and proposed that the grail be the cup from the last supper witch in another story he stated that the cup was also used for collecting Jesus’s blood during his crucifixion. Others say a monk may have written more truly about the grail as in his story it shows he states the grail to have a  greater sense of Christianity and it also shares trial in which only the most virtuous can complete commonly found in many future stories of the grail it also shows the grail as having a divine grace and has it represented by a dish in which paschal lamb was served(“The Real”). Countless medieval time quests and legends share the grail as a center point. One example can be seen in a story from the crusades with the Knights Templar seizing the grail for themselves to inevitably hide the grail away. An example of the grails magical powers can be seen with a character called Fisher King as it was said that he had a wound that prevented him from moving and to be able to become mobile once again he would need the grail to heal him so he was doomed to nothing but fish until someone was to find the grail to heal him(“Holy Grail”).

Whether or not the Holy Grail can still be found today is unknown as no one truly knows whether or not the grail ever existed in the first place. Conceptions about how the world has worked had changed as well as a result of the grail but many old believes had originally thought the grail to be the center of mysteries. Nevertheless, as the years went on technologies and knowledge grew, and as the new age of science was introduced it changed how people perceived how the world worked. An Example of this can be seen with a river that ran red as it was originally believed that the grail was buried there somewhere under the earth and because of that the water ran through the blood of Jesus turning the water red it was later discovered that the red water was a result of the red iron oxide in the soil(“What is”). Sighting of the grail went as recently as 2014 when Spanish historians claimed that they had discovered the grail and even though they were able to date it back to between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D. but they were unable to confirm that it was drunk from Jesus. In total there had been around 200 times in which people stated that they had found the grail all of them had in different locations and all of them were either fake or there was not enough evidence to state whether or not it was the real deal(“Holy Grail”). Although the Holy Grails’ whereabouts and overall credibility are unknown on the other hand the Holy Grail remains to be a staple for influence in a myriad of different types of media ranging from movies to games, books, ideas, and even products.

Lastly, the Holy Grail has been important in history whether it be in the past or even now. The Holy Grail remains to be a relic of the past that will make countless people curious about how the world works and the past with its mystifying properties. Although it isn't known where the grail is now or if it had ever existed in the first place it does not halt the grail from being an influence and starting point for endless ideas and stories and with that only time will tell whether or not the Holy Grail will ever truly be found or fully understood.

Works Cited

Evans, Steve. “British Legends: The Quest for the Holy Grail.” #FolkloreThursday, 25 Sept. 2019, folklorethursday.com/legends/british-legends-the-quest-for-the-holy-grail.

History.com Editors. “Holy Grail.” HISTORY, 7 June 2019, www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/holy-grail.

Miesel, Sandra. “Library: The Real History of the Holy Grail.” Catholic Culture, Sept. 2004, www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=6511.

Synan, Mariel. “What Is the Holy Grail?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 26   June 2013, www.history.com/news/what-is-the-holy-grail.