''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'' () is an unfinished verse romance written by

Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (; ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on King Arthur, Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including ''Erec and Enide'' ...

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

in the late 12th century. Later authors added 54,000 more lines to the original 9,000 in what is known collectively as the ''Four Continuations''Grigsby, John L. (1991). "Continuations of ''Perceval''". In Norris J. Lacy, ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', pp. 99–100. New York: Garland. . or ''Perceval Continuations'', as well as other related texts. ''Perceval'' is the earliest recorded account of what was to become the Quest for the

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...

but describes only a golden grail (a serving dish) in the central scene, does not call it "holy" and treats a lance, appearing at the same time, as equally significant. Besides the eponymous tale of the grail and the young knight

Perceval Perceval (, also written Percival, Parzival, Parsifal), alternatively called Peredur (), is a figure in the legend of King Arthur, often appearing as one of the Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Tro ...

, the poem and its continuations also tell of the adventures of

Gawain Gawain ( ), also known in many other forms and spellings, is a character in Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend, in which he is King Arthur's nephew and one of the premier Knights of the Round Table. The prototype of Gawain is mentioned und ...

and some other knights of

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

. Chrétien's own story relates the adventures and growing pains of Perceval, but the story then breaks off and follows an adventure of Gawain of similar length, that also remains incomplete.

Background

''Perceval'' is dedicated to Chrétien's patron

Philip I, Count of Flanders Philip I (1143 – 1 August 1191), commonly known as Philip of Alsace, was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. During his rule Flanders prospered economically. He took part in two crusades and died of disease in the Holy Land. Count of Flanders ...

.Lacy, Norris J. (1991). "Chrétien de Troyes". In Norris J. Lacy, ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', pp. 88–91. New York: Garland. . Chrétien claimed to be working from a source given to him by Philip. His poem was written in

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th

Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

, or the death of the author himself. Some scholars argue that during the time Chrétien was writing ''Perceval'', there was a political crisis taking place between the monarchy and the aristocracy, which included his patron, which may have influenced Chrétien's work. There are some 9,000 lines in total, whereas the other romances by Chrétien seldom exceed 7,000 lines. There are possible parallels in ''Perceval'' with the Irish mythological race of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The race has three central talismans, a spear, a cauldron, and a sword, that correlate with the spear, grail, and sword present in ''Perceval''. Chrétien's ''Perceval'' also includes many similarities to the Irish saga ''

The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn ''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn'' () is a medieval Irish narrative belonging to the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. As its title implies, it recounts the boyhood exploits of Fionn mac Cumhaill, the cycle's central figure. Origin and development T ...

''. The main character,

Fionn mac Cumhaill Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicised Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer a ...

, is raised in isolation and undergoes many adventures akin to those of Perceval, suggesting that the narrative may have been a source of inspiration for Chrétien.

Synopsis

The poem opens with

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

(''Perceval le Gallois''), whose mother has raised him apart from civilization in the Welsh woods. While out riding one day, he encounters a group of knights and realizes he wants to be one. Despite his mother's objections, the boy heads to

's court, where a young girl predicts greatness for him. Kay taunts him and slaps the girl, but Perceval amazes everyone by killing a knight who had been troubling King Arthur and taking his vermilion armor. He then sets out for adventure. He trains under the experienced Gornemant, then falls in love with and rescues Gornemant's niece

Blancheflor Blanchefleur ("white flower", also ''Blancheflor'', ''Blancheflour'', ''Blanziflor'') is the name of a number of characters in literature of the High Middle Ages. Except for in ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', Blanchefleur is typically a cha ...

. Perceval captures her assailants and sends them to King Arthur's court to proclaim Perceval's vow of revenge on Sir Kay. Perceval remembers that his mother fainted when he went off to become a knight, and goes to visit her. During his journey, he comes across the

Fisher King The Fisher King (; ; ; ) is a figure in Arthurian legend, the last in a long line of British kings tasked with guarding the Holy Grail. The Fisher King is both the protector and physical embodiment of his lands, but a wound renders him impoten ...

fishing in a boat on a river, who invites him to stay at his castle. While there, Perceval witnesses a strange procession in which young men and women carry magnificent objects from one chamber to another. First comes a young man carrying a bleeding lance, then two boys carrying candelabra. Then a beautiful young girl emerges bearing an elaborately decorated '' graal''. Finally another maiden carried a silver platter. They passed before him at each course of the meal. Perceval, who had been trained by his guardian Gornemant not to talk too much, remains silent through all of this. He wakes up the next morning alone and resumes his journey home. He encounters a girl in mourning, who admonishes him for not asking about the grail, as that would have healed the wounded king. He also learns that his mother has died. Perceval captures another knight and sends him to King Arthur's court with the same message as before. King Arthur sets out to find Perceval and, upon finding him, attempts to convince him to join the court. Perceval unknowingly challenges Sir Kay to a fight, in which he breaks Sir Kay's arm and exacts his revenge. Perceval agrees to join the court, but soon after a

loathly lady The loathly lady (, Motif D732 in Aarne–Thompson classification system, Stith Thompson's motif index), is a tale type commonly used in medieval literature, most famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Wife of Bath's Tale''. The motif is that of a ...

enters and admonishes Perceval once again for failing to ask the Fisher King whom the grail served. No more is heard of Perceval except in a short later passage, in which a hermit explains that the grail contains a single

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

that miraculously sustains the Fisher King's wounded father. The loathly lady announces other quests that the

Knights of the Round Table The Knights of the Round Table (, , ) are the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur that first appeared in the Matter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are a chivalric order dedicated to ensuring the peace ...

proceed to take up and the remainder of the poem deals with Arthur's nephew and best knight

, who has been challenged to a duel by Guiromelant, a knight who claims Gawain had slain his lord. Gawain offers a contrast and complement to Perceval's naiveté as a courtly knight having to function in un-courtly settings. An important episode is Gawain's liberation of a castle whose inhabitants include his long-lost mother, his grandmother Ygerne, and his sister Clarissant, whose existence was unknown to him. This tale also breaks off unfinished, interrupted when a messenger arrives at Arthur's court to request his presence at Gawain's upcoming fight against Guiromelant.

''Perceval Continuations''

Over the following half century, multiple different authors attempted to continue the story begun by Chrétien.

''First Continuation''

The ''First Continuation'' (French: ''Première Continuation''), also known as the ''Gawain Continuation'' (French: ''Continuation Gauvain''), was a poem written around 1200, adding 9,500 to 19,600 lines (depending on the manuscripts, with three known distinct versions) to Chrétien's romance. It was once attributed to

Wauchier de Denain Wauchier de Denain (also spelled "Gauchier de Donaing") was a French writer and translator in the langue d'oïl, active at the start of the 13th century. He is most notable for writing the first and second continuations of Chrétien de Troyes' '' ...

("Gauchier de Donaing"), and as such it is sometimes called the ''Pseudo-Wauchier Continuation''. The work exists in three versions: short, long, and mixed. The short version was the earliest and the most loosely linked to Chrétien's work, while the mixed version is considered to be the latest, drawing on both earlier versions.

Roger Sherman Loomis Roger Sherman Loomis (1887–1966) was an American scholar and one of the foremost authorities on medieval and Arthurian literature. Loomis is perhaps best known for showing the roots of Arthurian legend, in particular the Holy Grail, in native C ...

believed that the short version, which was added to an existing ''Perceval'' manuscript ten or twenty years later, represents a version of the story that was originally independent of Chrétien's. The ''First Continuation'' picks up the narrative of Gawain's adventures where Chrétien left off and focused on the adventures of Gawain and several other knights of the Arthurian universe. All versions include six "branches" (major episodes), more or less connected, which may have been inspired by independent tales pre-existing the composition of this continuation: "Guiromelant" which ends the episode begun in Chrétien's book as Gawain, his mother and grandmother are reunited with Arthur, and Gawain's sister Clarissant marries Guiromelant; "Brun de Branlant" which tells of a war of King Arthur against a rebellious vassal; "Caradoc" which tells the story of

Caradoc Caradoc Vreichvras (; Modern , ) was a semi-legendary ancestor to the kings of Gwent. He may have lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is remembered in the Matter of Britain as a Knight of the Round Table, under the names King Carados and C ...

Briefbras, an illegitimate son of the enchanter Eliavrés and King Caradoc's wife (and Arthur's niece) Ysaive; "Castle Orgueilleux" which tells of a tournament between the people of this castle and those of King Arthur; "Gawain at the castle of the Grail"; and "Guerrehet", the first known story of

Gareth Gareth (; Old French: ''Guerehet'', ''Guerrehet'', etc.) is a Knights of the Round Table">Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the youngest son of King Lot and Morgause, Queen Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making hi ...

. As this continuation does not return to the adventures of Perceval and as Gawain does not pass the test of the Castle of the Grail, it does not propose an actual end for the text of Chrétien. In the long version, Gawain opposes the marriage and rides off in anger, reaching the Grail Castle. After further adventures he rejoins Arthur (and the long version rejoins the short) and helps him besiege a rebel's castle. The long version inserts several additional episodes in the thread of the text, especially in the first branch and the third. Some of these episodes revisit the events of ''The Story of the Grail''. Some medievalists have seen in this a desire by the editor of this version to correct the shortcomings of the short version, which leaves out Gawain fulfilling his promise to rescue the damsel of Montesclaire, winning the Sword with the Strange Straps (which once belonged to

Judas Maccabeus Judas Maccabaeus or Maccabeus ( ), also known as Judah Maccabee (), was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE). The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Ded ...

), and bringing back the Bleeding Lance to the sons of the King of Escavalon. The ''First Continuation'' is notable for its cavalier approach to the narrative agenda set by Chrétien. In particular it includes a seemingly independent romance, which in the long version spans over 6,000 lines: the '' Livre de Caradoc'', starring Arthur's knight Caradoc, which explains how the hero got his nickname "Briefbras", or "Short Arm". All versions of the ''First Continuation'' describe Gawain's visit to a Grail castle unlike Chrétien's, a scene that introduces the motif of a broken sword that can only be mended by the hero destined to heal the Fisher King and his lands. Gawain is not this hero and he fails. The final episode recounts the misadventures of Gawain's brother Guerrehet who is humiliated by a dwarf knight before avenging himself and a mysteriously murdered stranger. In the closing scene, he returns to court asleep on a swan boat.

''Second Continuation''

Shortly after the ''First Continuation'' was completed, no later than 1210, another author added 13,000 lines to the total. This ''Second Continuation'', also known as just the ''Perceval Continuation'', has been sometimes attributed to Wauchier de Denain as well. Making extensive use of motifs and themes drawn from Chrétien and the ''First Continuation'', its story has Perceval returning to the Grail Castle and repairing his sword, but a hairline fissure that remains in the blade symbolizes his still-flawed psyche.

''Third Continuation''

Around 1225, the ''Third Continuation'', also known as ''Manessier's Continuation'', added verse lines and an ending. The author Manessier wrapped up many of the loose ends from the previous authors, and includes several episodes from other works, including the "Joie de la Cour" adventure from Chrétien's ''

Erec and Enide ''Erec and Enide'' () is the first of Chrétien de Troyes' five romance poems, completed around 1170. It is one of three completed works by the author. ''Erec and Enide'' tells the story of the marriage of the titular characters, as well as the ...

'' and

Calogrenant The Knights of the Round Table (, , ) are the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur that first appeared in the Matter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are a chivalric order dedicated to ensuring the peace ...

's death as told in the ''Queste del Saint Graal'' section of the

Lancelot-Grail The ''Lancelot-Grail Cycle'', also known as the Vulgate Cycle or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is an early 13th-century French Arthurian legend, Arthurian literary cycle consisting of interconnected prose episodes of chivalric romance originally writte ...

cycle. The tale ends with the Fisher King's death and Perceval's ascension to his throne. After seven peaceful years, Perceval goes off to live as a hermit in the woods, where he dies shortly after. Manessier proposes that he took the Grail, the Lance, and the silver plate with him to

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

''Fourth Continuation''

Also around 1225, the ''Fourth Continuation'', or ''Gerbert's Continuation'', added 17,000 verse lines. The author, usually considered to be Gerbert de Montreuil, composed his version independently of Manessier, and probably around the same time. He tried to tie up loose ends left by Chrétien and the other continuations and creates his own additions, notably a complete

Tristan Tristan (Latin/ Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; ; ), also known as Tristran or Tristram and similar names, is the folk hero of the legend of Tristan and Iseult. While escorting the Irish princess Iseult to wed Tristan's uncle, King Mark of ...

episode. ''Gerbert's Continuation'' seems not to have enjoyed great popularity; it survives in only two manuscripts, one of which is heavily damaged, as an interpolation between the ''Second Continuation'' and the ''Third Continuation''. It is likely Gerbert wrote an ending for the story, but it has been excised from both surviving copies to facilitate its position between the two other continuations.

Influence

Though Chrétien did not complete his romance, it had an enormous impact on the literary world of the Middle Ages. ''Perceval'' introduced an enthusiastic Europe to the grail and all versions of the story, including those that made it the "

", probably derive directly or indirectly from it. The grail in ''Perceval'' has the power to heal the Fisher King so it may have been seen as a mystical or holy object by readers.

Other related works

Wolfram von Eschenbach Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Life Little is known of Wolfram's life. Ther ...

's ''

Parzival ''Parzival'' () is a medieval chivalric romance by the poet and knight Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, centers on the Arthurian hero Parzival (Percival in English) ...

'', one of the greatest works of medieval Germany, is based largely on Chrétien's poem. When comparing Wolfram's ''Parzival'' to Chrétien's ''Perceval'' some scholars not only suggest that the structure is different, but that Chrétien focuses on the religious context of knighthood while Eschenbach focuses on other aspects. ''

Perlesvaus ''Perlesvaus'', also called ''Li Hauz Livres du Graal'' (''The High Book of the Grail''), is an Old French Arthurian romance from the 13th century. It purports to be a continuation of romance (heroic literature)">romance from the 13th century. ...

'', also called ''Li Hauz Livres du Graal'' (''The High History of the Holy Grail''), is an Old French Arthurian prose romance dating to the first decade of the 13th century. It purports to be a continuation of ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', but it has been called the least canonical Arthurian tale because of its striking differences from other versions. It survives in three manuscripts, two fragments, and two 16th-century printings. The '' Elucidation'' is an anonymous Old French poem of the early 13th century, which was written to serve as a prologue to Chrétien's ''Perceval''. The poem counts 484 lines and cites one Master Blihis as a source for its contents. ''Bliocadran'', another prologue to ''Perceval'', consists of 800 verses preserved in two 13th-century manuscripts. Here, Perceval's father (who is left unnamed in Chrétien's original) is called Bliocadran. In the case of the Welsh ''

Peredur son of Efrawg ''Peredur son of Efrawg'' is one of the Three Welsh Romances associated with the '' Mabinogion''. It tells a story roughly analogous to Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished romance '' Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', but it contains many strikin ...

'', one of the Three Welsh Romances associated with the ''

Mabinogion The ''Mabinogion'' () is a collection of the earliest Welsh prose stories, compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, created –1410, as well as a few earlier frag ...

'', the exact connection to the French work is unclear. The romance ''Perchevael'' found in the Dutch ''Lancelot Compilation'' contains only the Gawain episodes from Chrétien's work and from the ''First Continuation''. '' Sir Perceval of Galles'' is an English rewrite that some scholars believe is a comedic interpretation, and which does not mention the grail.

References

Bibliography

* * * * . * . * . *

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1180s books Arthurian literature in French French novels adapted into films French poems Love stories Medieval French romances Holy Grail in fiction Unfinished literature completed by others Works by Chrétien de Troyes