HOLY GRAIL

There are thousands of religious relics throughout the world, yet the most famous is not even known to exist. This is the Holy Grail, thought to be the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper. The act, using a chalice, is repeated every Sunday in every church in the Eucharist, where the worshipper imbibes the symbolic blood and body of Christ in the bread and wine.

THE ROMANCES

The mythology behind the Grail says that it was brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea. The earliest believed site for it is Glastonbury, confirming the location’s spiritual heart. The word, grail, comes from the French ‘graal’, and as Medieval Christendom got under way, Grail Romances appeared.
The most famous writer of the romance was Chretien de Troyes, who wrote adventures involving quests for the Grail. As well as being adventurous, the quests were spiritual and moral, and through them, the chivalric code emerged, giving rules of chastity, courage and loyalty to Medieval society.

THE CONSPIRACIES

In the 1970s a new Grail chapter was opened by the publication of Grail mysteries concerning the events in Rennes le Chateau in the late 19th century. A local priest is said to have uncovered a treasure or secret knowledge, and from this point on he was immensely rich.
Many think he came across a secret concerning Christ’s survival of the Cross and marriage to Mary Magdalene, through whom he had children. A mythology has grown, recently capitalized upon by Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, that a child of Christ formed the Merovingian Dynasty of French kings, eventually usurped by the Carolingians. One Carolingian was Charlemange, who formed the Holy Roman Empire.

GETTING TO THE TRUTH?

Based on Catholicism, the central tenet of faith is that Christ died, and was Resurrected in Heaven for us. If this is untrue and he survived the Cross, then Christianity is a lie. Hence, this knowledge was buried, kept alive only by the mysterious Priory of Sion, who guard the secret, waiting for the time when it can used again in a reborn true Christianity.
We have a common strand here. The Grail Quests were about finding knowledge and rebirth in the Grail itself, whilst the above conspiracy theory is again about a rebirth of true knowledge. This idea was encapsulated in the Grail connection to the Arthurian legend.

THE ARTHURIAN CONNECTION

If we look closely at the legendary King Arthur, certain factors become clear. He was boy who rose to kingship through the magic of Merlin and his sword, Excalibur. The world was a Wasteland and he, and his Knights of the Round Table, made it pure once more. Those Knights attempted the quest for the Grail, but only the most pure could succeed. Eventually, Arthur died to save us, and he lies in Avalon waiting for when he may again be needed.
In this myth, there are many similarities to Christ. Although Arthur is a warrior, he is Christ-like in the insinuations of his life. The Grail seems to be a repeating iconic situation, through which man gains knowledge and become spiritual, as if reborn. Indeed, if we go deeper into the concept, we can see why the Catholic Church has always been suspicious of the Grail – and not because of the knowledge of Christ’s survival.

REBIRTHING A THEORY

The Grail is a cup associated with wine and rebirth of spirituality. Earlier, similar, myths are known, such as Bacchus, who’s cup of wine led to orgies and spiritual rebirth. Indeed, the story exists in most pagan myths. Its most common pagan representation is the cauldron, said to be used by the witch.
This outs the reality of the Grail. It can be a vessel in terms of ceremony, but the true reality of the Grail is a representation of knowledge causing rebirth. It is symbolic of the most important spiritual reality, and reaches across all religions. It is a fundamental truth of an iconic moment of life-change. And the success of the Da Vinci Code tells us that, even in a supposed secular society, this basic religious impulse still fascinates.

© Anthony North, January 2007

For more mysteries see my Mysteries page, above. You can also visit my paranormal/UFO/occult page on Eye on the World.