The Legends of the Holy Grail Continuation

Copyright (c) 2010 James Holan

Still, there is another iconic figure in the Legendary Holy Grail stories that is perhaps a greater mystery than King Arthur, The Fisher King. The Fisher King was originally a Celtic/Pagan symbol. He marks many mysteries and suggests many different possibilities for his origins. Some scholars believe that the Fisher King is actually Bran the Blessed from the Mabinogion. This is interesting because the Fisher King is supposedly the keeper of the Grail and Bran was said to have a caldron much like Cerridwyn's Caldron that could be an earlier version of the Grail (Cline). In the legend of Bran, the Caldron he possesses is given to the King of Ireland as a gift of goodwill along with Bran's sister. The Irish King breaks the goodwill pack and Bran invades Ireland. Eventually, Bran is fatally injured in the fighting and has to be taken back to England (Mabinogion). This is interesting because the Fisher King in all of the Arthurian legends also has a wound. This suggests that Bran is actually the Fisher King and that his caldron, that has many of the Grail qualities, is actually the Grail. It is also well accepted, however, that the Fisher King is a metaphor for Christ who was wounded on the cross by a soldier's spear, which would explain the Fisher Kings injury (Bible). According to Christian tradition, the Fisher King could have also been Joseph of Arimathaea. After the crucifixion, according to one tradition, it is said that Joseph traveled with the Holy Grail to Britain where he could have become the Fisher King and the keeper of the Grail. In another telling of the story, he does not go to Britain but instead stops on the European continent and allows his brother-in-law, Bron, to continue with the Grail. Bron eventually becomes known as the Rich Fisher or, as some believe, the Fisher King (Cline). However, as was previously suggested, if the Grail never actually existed then it is unlikely that the Fisher King, who was written of first in the Welsh tradition, would have been a reference to Christ or Joseph of Arimathaea. Thus, it can be concluded that the Fisher King is a Welsh phenomenon and not a Christian one. Along these same lines, some scholars believe that the Fisher King goes even further back than Joseph of Arimathaea, Bron, Bran, or even Christ. Instead, they suggest, the Fisher King is actually a representation of the Pagan Fertility God who looks remarkably like the Fisher King and upholds many of the same attributes associated with the Grail. If this is the case, the Fisher King is really just a great example of how god's and goddess's are used to fit into the literature of the times (Cline).

Assuming that the Grail never truly existed, it is easy to conclude that the Grail was not originally a Christian element. There is little evidence, other than oral legends and traditions, to suggest that a cup that captured Christ's blood ever existed or that Mary Magdalene ever had Christ's daughter. On the other hand, there is an extraordinary amount of evidence that suggest the Grail legends were a well-evolved fairy tale that escalated into a Christian belief. If, however, Joseph of Arimathaea did somehow capture Christ's blood in the cup used at the last supper, there is still a very powerful connection between Pagan/Welsh concepts and the Arthurian legends we know today. In the end, it is impossible to tell if there ever was a cup of Christ's blood, a King Arthur, or a Joseph of Arimathaea. There is no way of knowing if Geoffrey really wrote an accurate history, and there is no way of telling if the Pagan ideals and the Welsh ideals truly came before Christian ideals in the Grail legends. If there was a Grail, however, it can be concluded that it is long gone. If it had been made of wood, it would have rotted by now and if it would have been made of clay, it probably would have been destroyed by now. So, the Grail is a legend, a well-fabricated legend, that has been changed and stolen and rewritten over the course of centuries. Even with that in mind, however, the Grail is a wonderful fairy tale that will continue to promote question and engage in intellectual conversation.

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