Percival (, also spelled Perceval, Parzival), alternatively called Peredur (), was one of
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
's legendary
Knights
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
of the
Round Table
The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...
. First mentioned by the French author
Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes (Modern ; fro, Crestien de Troies ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on Arthurian subjects, and for first writing of Lancelot, Percival and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's works, including ''E ...
in the tale ''
Perceval, the Story of the Grail
, original_title_lang = fro
, translator =
, written = between 1182 and 1190
, country =
, language = Old French
, subject = Arthurian legend
, genre = Chivalric romance
, for ...
'', he is best known for being the original hero in the quest for the
Grail
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was an American lunar science mission in NASA's Discovery Program which used high-quality gravitational field mapping of the Moon to determine its interior structure. The two small spacecraf ...
, before being replaced in later English and French literature by
Galahad
Sir Galahad (), sometimes referred to as Galeas () or Galath (), among other versions of his name, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of S ...
.
Etymology and origin
![Boys King Arthur - N](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Boys_King_Arthur_-_N._C._Wyeth_-_p214.jpg)
The earliest reference to Perceval is in
Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes (Modern ; fro, Crestien de Troies ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on Arthurian subjects, and for first writing of Lancelot, Percival and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's works, including ''E ...
's first Arthurian romance ''
Erec et Enide
, original_title_lang = fro
, translator =
, written = c. 1170
, country =
, language = Old French
, subject = Arthurian legend
, genre = Chivalric romance
, form ...
'', where, as "Percevaus
li Galois" (Percevaus of Wales), he appears in a list of Arthur's knights; in another of Chrétien's romances, ''
Cligés'', he is a "renowned vassal" who is defeated by the knight Cligés in a tournament. He then becomes the protagonist in Chrétien's final romance, ''
Perceval, the Story of the Grail
, original_title_lang = fro
, translator =
, written = between 1182 and 1190
, country =
, language = Old French
, subject = Arthurian legend
, genre = Chivalric romance
, for ...
''.
In the Welsh romance ''
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 striking dif ...
'', the figure goes by the name
Peredur
Peredur (, Old Welsh ''Peretur'') is the name of a number of men from the boundaries of history and legend in sub-Roman Britain. The Peredur who is most familiar to a modern audience is the character who made his entrance as a knight in the Art ...
. The name "Peredur" may derive from Welsh ''par'' (spear) and ''dur'' (hard, steel). It is generally accepted that Peredur was a well-established figure before he became the hero of ''Peredur son of Efrawg''. However, the earliest Welsh Arthurian text, ''
Culhwch and Olwen
''Culhwch and Olwen'' ( cy, Culhwch ac Olwen) is a Welsh tale that survives in only two manuscripts about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, c. 1400, and a fragmented version in the Whit ...
'', does not mention Peredur in any of its extended catalogues of famous and less famous warriors. Peredur does appear in the romance ''
Geraint and Enid
Geraint () is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a valiant warrior possibly related to the historical Geraint, an early 8th-century king of Dumnonia. It is also the name of a 6th-century Dumnonian saint king from Briton hagi ...
'', which includes "Peredur son of Efrawg" in a list of warriors accompanying
Geraint
Geraint () is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a valiant warrior possibly related to the historical Geraint, an early 8th-century king of Dumnonia. It is also the name of a 6th-century Dumnonian saint king from Briton hagi ...
. A comparable list in the last pages of ''
The Dream of Rhonabwy
''The Dream of Rhonabwy'' ( cy, Breuddwyd Rhonabwy) is a Middle Welsh prose tale. Set during the reign of Madog ap Maredudd, prince of Powys (died 1160), its composition is typically dated to somewhere between the late 12th through the late 14th c ...
'' refers to a Peredur ''Paladr Hir'' ("of the Long Spear-Shaft"), whom Peter Bartrum identifies as the same figure.
[Koch, "Peredur fab Efrawg", pp. 1437–8.] Peredur may derive in part from the sixth-century
Coeling
Coel (Old Welsh: ''Coil''), also called ''Coel Hen'' (Coel the Old) and King Cole, is a figure prominent in Welsh literature and legend since the Middle Ages. Early Welsh tradition knew of a Coel Hen, a 4th-century leader in Roman or Sub-Roma ...
chieftain
Peredur son of Eliffer. The Peredur of Welsh romance differs from the Coeling chieftain if only in that his father is called Efrawg, rather than Eliffer, and there is no sign of a brother called Gwrgi. Efrawg, on the other hand, is not an ordinary personal name, but the historical Welsh name for the city of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
(Latin ''Eburacum'', modern Welsh ''Efrog'').
This may represent an epithet that denoted a local association, possibly pointing to Eliffer's son as the prototype, but which came to be understood and used as a patronymic in the Welsh Arthurian tales.
Scholars disagree as to the exact relationship between Peredur and Percival.
Arthur Groos
Arthur B. Groos (born 5 February 1943 in Fullerton, California) is an American philologist, musicologist, medievalist and Germanist.
Groos began teaching at Cornell University in 1973, held the Avalon Foundation Professorship in Humanities, and w ...
and
Norris J. Lacy Norris J. Lacy (born March 8, 1940 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky) is an American scholar focusing on French medieval literature. He was the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor Emeritus of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University until ...
argue that it is most likely that the use of the name Peredur in ''Peredur son of Efrawg'' "represent
an attempt to adapt the name
ercevalto Welsh onomastic traditions", as the Welsh romance appears to depend on Chrétien de Troyes, at least partially, as a source, and as the name Peredur is attested for unrelated characters in ''
Historia Regum Britanniae
''Historia regum Britanniae'' (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called ''De gestis Britonum'' (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. I ...
'' and ''
Roman de Brut
The ''Brut'' or ''Roman de Brut'' (completed 1155) by the poet Wace is a loose and expanded translation in almost 15,000 lines of Norman-French verse of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin ''History of the Kings of Britain''. It was formerly known as ...
''.
Rachel Bromwich
Rachel Bromwich (30 July 1915 – 15 December 2010) born Rachel Sheldon Amos, was a British scholar. Her focus was on medieval Welsh literature, and she taught Celtic Languages and Literature in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at ...
, however, regards the name ''Perceval'' as a loose French approximation of the Welsh name ''Peredur''.
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 Ce ...
attempted to derive both Perceval and Peredur from the Welsh ''
Pryderi
Pryderi fab Pwyll is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and king of Dyfed after his father's death. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi, although the size of his role varies ...
'', a mythological figure in the
Four Branches of the Mabinogi
The ''Four Branches of the Mabinogi'' or ''Pedair Cainc Y Mabinogi'' are the earliest prose stories in the literature of Britain. Originally written in Wales in Middle Welsh, but widely available in translations, the ''Mabinogi'' is generally agre ...
, a derivation that Groos and Lacy find "now seems even less likely".
In all of his appearances, Chrétien de Troyes identifies Perceval as "the Welshman" (''li Galois''), indicating that, even if he does not originate in Celtic tradition, he alludes to it. Groos and Lacy argue that, "even though there may have been a pre-existing 'Perceval prototype,' Chrétien was primarily responsible
..for the creation of
ne of
NE, Ne or ne may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Neutral Evil, an alignment in the American role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''
* New Edition, an American vocal group
* Nicomachean Ethics, a collection of ten books by Greek philosopher Ar ...
the most fascinating, complex, and productive characters in Arthurian fiction".
In some French texts, the name "Perceval" is derived from either
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...
''per ce val'' (through this valley) or ''perce val'' (pierce the valley). These etymologies are not found in Chrétien de Troyes, however. ''
Perlesvaus
''Perlesvaus'', also called ''Li Hauz Livres du Graal'' (''The High Book of the Grail''), is an Old French Arthurian romance dating to the first decade of the 13th century. It purports to be a continuation of Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished ''Perc ...
'' etymologizes the name (there: ''Pellesvax'') as meaning "He Who Has Lost The Vales", referring to the loss of land by his father, while also saying Perceval called himself ''Par-lui-fet'' (made by himself).
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. There are ...
's German ''
Parzival
''Parzival'' is a medieval romance (heroic literature), romance by the knight-poet Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, centers on the Arthurian hero Percival, Parziva ...
'' provides the meaning "right through the middle" for the name (there: Parzival).
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
followed a discredited etymology proposed by journalist and historian
Joseph Görres
Johann Joseph Görres, since 1839 von Görres (25 January 1776 – 29 January 1848), was a German writer, philosopher, theologian, historian and journalist.
Early life
Görres was born in Koblenz. His father was moderately well off, and sent hi ...
that the name derived from Arabic ''fal parsi'' (pure fool) when choosing the spelling "Parsifal" for the figure in his opera.
In Arthurian legend
Peredur
In a large series of episodes, ''Peredur son of Efrawg'' tells the story of Peredur's education as a knight. It begins with his birth and secluded upbringing as a naive boy by his widowed mother. When he meets a group of knights, he joins them on their way to
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
's court. Once there, he is ridiculed by
Cei and sets out on further adventures, promising to avenge Cei's insults to himself and those who defended him. While travelling he meets two of his uncles. The first, who is analogous to the
Gornemant
The Knights of the Round Table ( cy, Marchogion y Ford Gron, kw, Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, br, Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the knights of the fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain. First appearing in lit ...
of ''Perceval'', trains him in arms and warns him not to ask the significance of what he sees. The second uncle is analogous to Chrétien's
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 incapable and hi ...
, but what Peredur sees being carried before him in his uncle's castle is not the
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) 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 miracul ...
(Old French ''graal''), but a
salver
A salver is a flat heavy tray of silver, other metal or glass used for carrying or serving glasses, cups, and dishes at a table, or for the presenting of a letter or card by a servant. In a royal or noble household the fear of poisoning led to ...
containing a man's severed head. The text agrees with the French poem in listing a bleeding lance among the items which are carried in procession. The young knight does not ask about significance of these items and proceeds to further adventure, including a stay with the
Nine Witches and the encounter with the woman who was to be his true love,
Angharad
Angharad (; ) is a feminine given name in the Welsh language, having a long association with Welsh royalty, history and myth. It translates to English as ''much loved one''. In Welsh mythology, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of Peredur in th ...
. Peredur returns to Arthur's court, but soon embarks on another series of adventures that do not correspond to material in ''Perceval''. Eventually, the hero learns the severed head at his uncle's court belonged to his cousin, who had been killed by the Witches. Peredur avenges his family and is celebrated as a hero.
Several elements in the story, such as the severed head on a salver, a hunt for a unicorn, the witches, and a magical board of ''gwyddbwyll'', have all been described as Celtic ingredients that are not otherwise present in Chrétien's story. Goetinck sees in ''Peredur'' a variant on the Celtic theme of the
sovereignty goddess
Sovereignty goddess is a scholarly term, almost exclusively used in Celtic studies (although parallels for the idea have been claimed in other traditions, usually under the label '' hieros gamos''). The term denotes a goddess who, personifying a t ...
, who personifies the country and has to be won sexually by the rightful king or heir to secure peace and prosperity for the kingdom. N. Petrovskaia has recently suggested an alternative interpretation, linking the figure of the Empress with
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...
.
Perceval
![Hacker Arthur Percival with the Grail Cup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Hacker_Arthur_Percival_with_the_Grail_Cup.jpg)
Chrétien de Troyes wrote the first story of Percival, ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', in the late 12th century. Wolfram's ''Parzival'',
Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author of '' Le Morte d'Arthur'', the classic English-language chronicle of the Arthurian legend, compiled and in most cases translated from French sources. The most popular version of '' Le Morte d' ...
's ''
Le Morte d'Arthur
' (originally written as '; inaccurate Middle French for "The Death of Arthur") is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Rou ...
'', and the now-lost ''Perceval'' by
Robert de Boron
Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts "Roberz", "Borron", "Bouron", "Beron") was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries, notable as the reputed author of the poems and ''Merlin''. Although little is known of him apart f ...
are other famous accounts of his adventures.
There are many versions of Perceval's birth. In Robert de Boron's account, he is of noble birth, and his father is stated to be either Alain le Gros, King
Pellinore
King Pellinore (alternatively ''Pellinor'', ''Pellynore'' and other variants) is the king of Listenoise (possibly the Lake District) or of "the Isles" (possibly Anglesey, or perhaps the medieval kingdom of the same name) in Arthurian legend. In ...
or another worthy knight. His mother is usually unnamed, but plays a significant role in the stories. His sister is sometimes the bearer of the
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) 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 miracul ...
, but not originally; she is sometimes named
Dindrane
Percival's sister is a role of two similar but distinct characters in the Holy Grail stories within the Arthurian legend featuring the Grail hero Percival (Perceval). The first of them is named Dindrane, the second is usually unnamed and is known t ...
. In the tales in which he is Pellinore's son, his brothers are
Aglovale
The Knights of the Round Table ( cy, Marchogion y Ford Gron, kw, Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, br, Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the knights of the fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain. First appearing in lit ...
,
Lamorak
Sir Lamorak (or Lamerak, Lamorac(k), Lamorat, Lamerocke, and other spellings) is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. Introduced in the Prose ''Tristan'', Lamorak reappears in later works including the ''Post-Vulgate Cycle'' and T ...
and Dornar, and he also has a half-brother named
Tor
Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to:
Places
* Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain
* Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city
* Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano
* Tor Bay, Devon, England
* Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia
Sc ...
by his father's affair with a peasant woman.
After the death of his father, Perceval's mother takes him to the forest, where she raises him ignorant of the ways of men until he is 15. Eventually, a group of knights passes through the forest and Perceval is struck by their
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
ic bearing. Wanting to be a knight himself, he travels to King Arthur's court. In some versions, his mother faints in shock upon seeing her son leave. After proving his worthiness as a warrior, he is knighted and invited to join the Knights of the
Round Table
The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...
.
In Chrétien de Troyes's ''Perceval'', the earliest story about him, he is already connected to the Grail. He meets the crippled Fisher King and sees a grail, not yet identified as "holy", but he fails to ask the question that would heal the injured king. Upon learning of his mistake, Perceval vows to find the Grail castle again and fulfill his quest. The story breaks off soon after, to be continued in a number of different ways by various authors, such as in ''Perlesvaus'' and ''
Sir Perceval of Galles
''Sir Perceval of Galles'' is a Middle English Arthurian verse romance whose protagonist, Sir Perceval (Percival), first appeared in medieval literature in Chrétien de Troyes' final poem, the 12th-century Old French '' Conte del Graal'', well ov ...
''. In later accounts, the true Grail hero is
Galahad
Sir Galahad (), sometimes referred to as Galeas () or Galath (), among other versions of his name, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of S ...
, the son of
Lancelot
Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...
, but, though his role in the romances is diminished, Percival remains a major character and is one of only two knights (the other is
Bors
Bors (; french: link=no, Bohort) is the name of two knights in Arthurian legend, an elder and a younger. The two first appear in the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail romance prose cycle. Bors the Elder is the King of Gaunnes (Gannes/Gaunes/Ganis) du ...
) who accompany Galahad to the Grail castle and complete the quest with him.
In early versions, Perceval's sweetheart is
Blanchefleur
Blanchefleur ("white flower", also ''Blanziflor, Flanziflor'', cy, Blodyngwyn) is a female given name popular in the High Middle Ages.
Fictional characters with the name include:
*The mother of Sir Tristan, sister of King Mark and wife of Lord ...
and he becomes the King of
Carbonek after healing the Fisher King. In later versions, he is a
virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
who dies after achieving the Grail. In Wolfram's version, Perceval's son is
Lohengrin
Lohengrin () is a character in Germany, German Arthurian literature. The son of Percival, Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which fi ...
, the
Knight of the Swan
The story of the Knight of the Swan, or Swan Knight, is a medieval tale about a mysterious rescuer who comes in a swan-drawn boat to defend a damsel, his only condition being that he must never be asked his name.
The earliest versions (preserved ...
.
In modern times
His story has been featured in many modern works, including Wagner's influential and controversial 1882 opera ''
Parsifal
''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival'' ...
''.
*
Daniel Mangrané's ''
The Evil Forest
''The Evil Forest'' ( es, Parsifal) is a 1951 Spanish drama film directed by Daniel Mangrané. It was entered into the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot
During World War III, two soldiers enter a ruined building.
They find an old book containin ...
'' ( es, Parsifal) is a free re-telling in Spain during the
barbarian invasions
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
, with
Gustavo Rojo
Gustavo Rojo Pinto (5 September 1923 – 22 April 2017) was a Uruguayan-Mexican actor.
Life and career
Gustavo Rojo was born on 5 September 1923 on a German ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. His mother was the prominent Spanish auth ...
as the titular character. It features some music by Wagner.
*Richard Monaco's 1977 book ''Parsival: Or, a Knight's Tale'' is a re-telling of the Percival legend.
*
Éric Rohmer
Jean Marie Maurice Schérer or Maurice Henri Joseph Schérer, known as Éric Rohmer (; 21 March 192011 January 2010), was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and teacher.
Rohmer was the last of the post-World ...
's 1978 film ''
Perceval le Gallois
''Perceval le Gallois'' () is a 1978 historical drama film written and directed by Éric Rohmer, based on the 12th-century Arthurian romance ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'' by Chrétien de Troyes.
Synopsis
The film chronicles Percival's kni ...
'' is an eccentrically staged interpretation of Chrétien's original poem.
Lacy, Norris J. Norris J. Lacy (born March 8, 1940 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky) is an American scholar focusing on France, French medieval literature. He was the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor Emeritus of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University ...
(1991). "Eric Rohmer". In Norris J. Lacy (Ed.), ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', p. 389. New York: Garland. .
*
John Boorman
Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...
's 1981 film ''
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
'' is a retelling of ''Le Morte d'Arthur'' in which Percival (Perceval) is given a leading role.
*The 1991 film ''
The Fisher King
''The Fisher King'' is a 1991 American fantasy comedy-drama film written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Terry Gilliam. Starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, with Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer, and Michael Jeter in supporting roles, ...
'' written by
Richard LaGravenese
Richard LaGravenese (; born October 30, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director, known for '' The Fisher King'', ''The Bridges of Madison County'', and ''Behind the Candelabra''.
Personal life
LaGravenese was born in Brooklyn, New Yo ...
is, in ways, a modern retelling in which the parallels shift between characters, who themselves discuss the legend.
*In the
comic series
This page provides lists of best-selling comic book series to date. It includes Japanese manga, American comic books, and European comics.
This list includes comic books that have sold at least 100million copies.
There are three separate lists, ...
based on the cartoon ''
Gargoyles'', Peredur fab Ragnal (Percival's Welsh name) achieves the Holy Grail and becomes the Fisher King. To honour his mentor Arthur, he establishes a secret order who will guide the world to greater prosperity and progress, which eventually becomes the
Illuminati
The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...
. Part of achieving the Grail is the bestowal of immense longevity upon Peredur and his wife,
Fleur
Fleur or plural Fleurs is French for flower. It may refer to:
* Fleur (given name)
* "Fleur" (short story), a short story by Louise Erdrich
*"Fleur" peut être une plante
Music
* Flëur, a Ukrainian music band
* ''Fleurs'' (Franco Battiato alb ...
, along with certain other members of the order being granted longer lifespans. He is still alive and even appears young by 1996, when his organisation comes into conflict with the re-awakened Arthur and the other characters of the ''Gargoyles'' story.
[''Gargoyles: Clan-Building'' – Vol 2, #7 – "The Rock" – ]
*He is the protagonist of the 2000 book ''Parzival: The Quest of the Grail Knight'' by
Katherine Paterson
Katherine Womelsdorf Paterson (born October 31, 1932) is an American writer best known for children's novels, including '' Bridge to Terabithia''. For four different books published 1975-1980, she won two Newbery Medals and two National Book Aw ...
, based on Wolfram's ''Parzival''.
*The 2003 novel ''
Clothar the Frank
''Clothar the Frank'' is a Canadian historical fiction novel by Jack Whyte that continues his Arthurian Cycle as told in '' A Dream of Eagles'' series of novels (called ''The Camulod Chronicles'' outside of Canada). Outside of Canada, the novel ...
'' by
Jack Whyte
Jack Whyte (March 15, 1940February 22, 2021) was a Scottish-Canadian novelist of historical fiction. Born and raised in Scotland, he moved to Canada in 1967. He resided in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Early life
Whyte was born in Scotland on Mar ...
portrays Perceval as an ally of
Lancelot
Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...
in his travels to
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...
.
*He appears in the French comedy TV series
Kaamelott
''Kaamelott'' is a French comedy medieval fantasy television series created, directed, written, scored, and edited by Alexandre Astier, who also starred as the main character. Based on the Arthurian legends, it followed the daily lives of King Arth ...
as a main character, portrayed as a clueless yet loyal knight of the Round Table.
*In the BBC television series ''
Merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
'',
Percival is a large, strong commoner. After helping to free Camelot from the occupation of Morgana, Morgause, and their immortal army (which is supplied by a grail-like goblet called the Cup of Life), he is knighted along with Lancelot, Elyan and Gwaine, against the common practice that knights are only of noble birth. He is also one of the few Round Table knights to survive Arthur's death.
*In
Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve (born 28 February 1966) is a British author and illustrator of children's books, primarily known for the 2001 book '' Mortal Engines'' and its sequels (the 2001 to 2006 '' Mortal Engines Quartet''). His 2007 novel, '' Here Lies Art ...
's ''
Here Lies Arthur'', he appears as Peredur, son of Peredur Long-knife, who is raised as a woman by his mother, who had already lost many sons and her husband to war. He befriends the main character, Gwyna/Gwyn. He is one of the few major characters to survive to the end and travels with Gwen (in a male disguise) as 'Peri', his childhood shortened name as a woman, playing a harp to Gwen's stories.
*The main character of
Ernest Cline
Ernest Christy Cline (born March 29, 1972) is an American science fiction novelist, slam poet, and screenwriter. He wrote the novels ''Ready Player One'', '' Armada'', and ''Ready Player Two'' and co-wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation o ...
's 2011 novel ''
Ready Player One
''Ready Player One'' is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality ga ...
'' (and
its film adaptation) names his virtual reality
avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
"Parzival" as a reference to Percival and to his role in Arthurian legend.
*Percival appears in Season 5 of the American TV series ''
Once Upon A Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...
''. He is one of King Arthur's knights, who dances with
Regina at the ball when she visits Camelot. Percival, however, recognises her as the
Evil Queen
The Evil Queen, also called the Wicked Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm; similar stories exist worldwide. Other versions of the Queen appear in subsequent ...
and tries to kill her, but he is killed by
Prince Charming
Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, incl ...
first.
*
Patricia A. McKillip
Patricia Anne McKillip (February 29, 1948 – May 6, 2022) was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. She has been called "one of the most accomplished prose stylists in the fantasy genre", and wrote predominantly standalone fantasy n ...
's 2016 novel ''Kingfisher'' includes many elements of the story of Percival and the Fisher King. Young Pierce (Percival meaning "pierce the valley"), after a chance meeting with knights, leaves his mother, who has sheltered him from the world and travels to become a knight.
*In the 2017 television series ''
Knightfall
"Knightfall" is a 1993–1994 Batman story arc published by DC Comics. It consists of a trilogy of storylines that ran from 1993 to 1994, consisting of "Knightfall", "Knightquest", and "KnightsEnd".On the comic book covers, only the third part ...
'', Percival (rendered as "Parsifal") appears as a young peasant farmer who joins the
Knights Templar
, colors = White mantle with a red cross
, colors_label = Attire
, march =
, mascot = Two knights riding a single horse
, equipment ...
as a novice knight.
*In the 2020 television series ''
Cursed'', Billy Jenkins plays a boy, nicknamed squirrel, who is Percival.
*In the 2018 film ''
High Life'',
Rob Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. Known for starring in both big-budget and independent films, Pattinson has ranked among the world's highest-paid actors. In 2010, ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine named ...
's character is described as being similar to Percival in the Arthurian legend.
* In Trevor Ravencroft's book, "The Cup of Destiny", which is, allegedly, from material taken from the archives of the late German, Rudolf Steiner, the name, Parzival, literally means "pierce the vale" and has spiritual implications. Rudolf Steiner predicted that a re-incarnated Parzival would be reborn at sometime in the later half of the 20th century after a 1200 year astrological cycle of Sun-Venus conjunctions had been completed, inferring that Parzival was alive in the 8th century. Considering that Galahad was a contemporary of Parzival, and that Galahad was also Lancelot's son, the Arthurian's were in existence in the 7th and, or, early 8th century if the contention that a 1200 year astrological cycle, in regard to Sun-Venus conjunctions, is legitimate. It does take 1200 years for all 72 possible pentagrams, also known as grand quintiles in the lore of astrologers, found in the 360 degrees of the Zodiac to be completed by Sun-Venus conjunctions.
References
Sources
*
*
*Chrétien de Troyes, Nigel Bryant (translator) (1996) ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', D. S. Brewer. .
*Chrétien de Troyes, D. D. R. Owen (translator) (1988) ''Arthurian Romances'', Tuttle Publishing, reprinted by Everyman. .
*
*
*
*
*
Lacy, Norris J. Norris J. Lacy (born March 8, 1940 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky) is an American scholar focusing on France, French medieval literature. He was the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor Emeritus of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University ...
(Ed.) (1991). ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia''. New York: Garland. .
*
*
*
External links
Percevalat The Camelot Project
{{Authority control
Holy Grail
Knights of the Round Table
Parzival