Sangreal =“sang real”=“kingly blood”

 The cup that Christ drank out of at The Last Supper and the cup that caught the blood of Christ as he hung on the cross.  Somehow Joseph of Arimathea obtained the Grail and it stayed in his family and made its way to Britain.

 What is its actual name?  What does/did it look like?  Who saw it/possessed it?

 French, Countess Marie (courtly love)-  Camelot, Lancelot, Holy Grail  Author of Le Conte du Graal (The Story of the Grail  Perceval  “Graal”= flat serving dish. Keeping with Celtic tales of vessels of plenty

 Perceval has a hard time judging advice and knowing when to take it or not  Perceval meets a fisherman (Fisher King) who invites him to take shelter in a castle  Sees a strange procession (including the grail)  Fails to ask what the procession means  Learns that the Fisher King is his cousin and that the grail provides sustenance for the king.

 Wrote a trilogy of poems (Joseph d’Arimathie, Merlin, Perceval)  Power of Merlin  Uther Pendragon (Arthur’s dad) sets up Round Table  Perceval seeks and finds the grail  Gives us the Holy Grail as the holiest of relics. Defines it and puts it in historical context

 Day of Pentecost  Sir Galahad shows up  Brave, pure  Better than Lancelot?  Grail appears in King Arthur’s court  All knights go on quest  Only Galahad is successful

 Other worldly power (Celtic)  Similar to cauldrons and Horn of Plenty  Healing, providing food  Christian symbol/promoting Roman Catholic sacrament-Holy Communion  Spiritual Pursuit (Malory)  Had to be worthy to approach it