(1.2) “Galahad and the Grail” – The Knighting of Galahad

(1.2) “Galahad and the Grail” – The Knighting of Galahad. (this post is in process and currently incomplete)

Book One: ‘The Coming of Galahad’ (by “book” is meant a large section on this installment of the Arthuriad).

Stave Two: ‘His Knighting’ (a “stave” is an old-fashioned term for the stanza of a poem, a verse in a song, or a chapter in a long story).

Why is Malcolm Guite retelling the King Arthur saga, no less in the form of English ballads? He has gone on record as saying… The KA mythical tales echo something real about sin, redemption, and the hope that was broken in us and in the world that can be made whole again… Every generation that asks good questions of King Arthur legends gets good answers… The modern world could use a resurrection of the ideal of chivalry and honor… Ancient myths and stories aren’t just relics of a pre-modern imagination, they are carriers of truth we’ve forgotten how to see with modern eyes… Legends like these don’t distract us from the real world, they reveal it… These stories restore the spiritual elements that have been shorn away, and they renew their deepest meaning. The English ballads were composed in a poetic form that were made to be sung or chanted out loud. They are rhythmic and musical, and one gets the sense that with ballads, “the poem on the page is lying asleep. And the job of the reader is to wake it up and breathe into its being by reciting it out loud, because that physicality of sound and breath and speech is what it’s made for… Above all, enjoy it. Poetry is meant to give pleasure.” It’s clear that composing this first installment of the King Arthur saga was a labor of love for Malcolm Guite, and that, as he put it, “This is the tale that makes my heart rejoice.”

New Characters and Elements Introduced in this Chapter: 

(1.) The Feast of Pentecost – King Arthur was intent on keeping a major biblical feast in the church year, the Feast of Pentecost in which the coming of the Holy Spirit is celebrated. This Christian celebration actually builds upon a major Jewish feast, the Feast of Harvest, celebrated 50 days after Passover. “On the day Pentecost was being fulfilled, all the disciples were gathered in one place. Suddenly they heard the sound of a violent blast of wind rushing into the house, a wind that surely was coming from out of the heavenly realm. The roar of the wind was so overpowering it was all anyone could bear! Then they all saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and inspired to speak in different languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak, talking in languages they had never learned!” This was the momentous time when the physical harvest of the Torah intersected with the spiritual harvest of the new covenant. It’s interesting that it is Pentecost which is associated so often with Galahad, suggesting that he is the firstfruit, the chosen one filled by the Spirit, destined one day to bring healing to both the grievous wound of Pelles and the curse of the Wasteland.

(2.) King Arthur – At this point in the legend, we have no backstory on King Arthur, other than that he is uniformly regarded as “magnificent” and is such a famous king that he is able to gather 100 of the finest knights in the land to serve him around the legendary Round Table in his court at Camelot.

(3.) Camelot – The capital of Arthur’s realm is named Camelot, the centerpiece of his authority as king. It is the castle where Arthur reigns, makes his judgments, and meets with his knights around his Round Table before they leave the castle for their quests and adventures. Camelot represents Arthur at the peak of his powers and so is a symbol of his golden age of justice and peace before its tragic fall from grace much later. Camelot is most likely a legendary piece of folklore with no geographical location. Many have tried in vain to convince readers of the King Arthur legends that Camelot is here and there in the British isles, from various locations in Wales to all over the British countryside. These claims can never be proven, of course.

(4.) Guinevere – We have now been introduced to the lovely Queen Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur with whom they remain childless. Her royal beauty is much celebrated, being the “fairest lady ever seen.” In her shimmering royal gowns she appeared to everyone as a woman who was “mantled in heaven.” We also know now that the greatest knight of all at this point, Lancelot, has fallen in love with her, and there is the hint that his forbidden love for Guinevere just might have tragic consequences later in the story.

(5.) Lancelot – Here we find the greatest knight of all the knights serving Arthur around his Round Table. He is known far and wide as the most courageous warrior and most feared fighter, a knight who has never lost a battle. He willingly leaves Camelot this fateful night when an unknown visitor asks for his help. This woman brings Lancelot to what appears to be a nunnery, and he is asked to begin the knighting process for a worthy young squire. Lancelot agrees to do so after he witnessed this young man’s strength and nobility. Lancelot dubs this 15-year-old right then and there. Lancelot does not yet know that he is the father of this wonderful squire, and Galahad does not yet know that he is Lancelot’s son. The kind mother Elaine for mysterious reasons of her own has not yet informed Lancelot that he has a son through her, and she has not spoken to Galahad of his early beginnings.

(6.) Galahad – He had spent some time in the nunnery after leaving Pelles’ castle, cared for by the faithful nuns that “he might grow in godly fear.” Galahad had earlier received a prophecy that he would be a knight one day, that he would “ride on for justice through this dark world and wide” to “set things right” after being knighted by Arthur’s bravest knight. During Lancelot’s dubbing of Galahad, Elaine stood in the shadows and “gazed on the scene with wonder, love and awe.” After the dubbing, Lancelot asks this knighted squire to accompany him back to Camelot to complete the process, but Galahad refused to do so, saying he would rather go to Camelot only after he had more time to pray and seek God’s gifts of grace in the nunnery’s Chapel.

The Process of Knighting a Worthy Young Man. The following process for medieval knighthood has been taken directly from written records for that time period in the Middle Ages when knighthood was a serious calling to a particular lifestyle. Is this adaptable to our times now in such a way that will capture the imagination of young men?

(1.) The Page. The first step in becoming a knight started early at seven years of age, when a young boy with obvious potential was selected and groomed for the responsibilities that would come a few years later;

(2.) The Squire. Once the Page hit his teenage years, he would receive training more suitable for the older years, such as riding a horse, self-defense and combat skills, keeping promises, developing a character of honesty, loyalty, obedience, integrity. The squire was the knight-in-training, and would serve at the behest of his superiors. Knighthood would only be awarded to those squires who were worthy of the title and responsibilities.

(3.) The Knight of Faith. When the time came for the squire to assume knighthood, a Feast Day would be chosen during which the official ceremony would be held. The Christian Feast Day would add to the atmosphere of celebration and sanctity and would draw that much more attention and attendance from all those around.

1. Before the official ceremony in the Prayer Chapel, the squire was to fast on his own for 24 hours, which must include a time of self-examination and confession in full repentance to the priest in charge;
2. After the fast and confessional, the squire would take the ritual bath of purification and put on the following uniform for the ceremony: a white robe to represent purity; brown stockings to represent the ground from which he was created by God;  a scarlet  cloak to represent his own blood that the squire would be willing to shed in keeping his solemn promises, his oath of knighthood;
3. After entering the Prayer Chapel, the knight-to-be would start his all-night vigil by lying fully prostrate before the altar and laying his sword and shield on it for God’s blessing;
4. During the vigil, various experienced knights would enter occasionally and offer words of wisdom and encouragement to the squire;
5. While the vigil continued, at some point the priest would preach a long sermon that would include the Articles of Faith, the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and instructions regarding the Sacraments. The sermon was very intentionally offered to the squire “so that the squire knows how to reconcile the office of knighthood with the things that pertain to the Holy Faith;“
6. During the vigil, the priest would lead a special Mass for the squire;
7. After the Mass, the squire vows his solemn promise “to remain loyal to his king and to the code of knighthood, to defend the honor of God, promote the order of the kingdom, pursue virtue and valor, provide a refuge for the weak and the orphan, and protect at all times the ladies of the realm because they are the bearers of life;” 
8. After making that solemn promise before God and the Church, the squire “prays to God, that He give his grace and blessing so that he can be His servant for his entire life.” The squire prays while kneeling in front of the altar, “lifting his bodily and spiritual eyes and hands unto God the High King;”
9. After the promises and prayers, the accolade ceremony takes place: the “dubbing” (“naming”) occurs when the lord or chieftain or queen instructs the new knight to kneel before him or her as s/he slaps the flat of the sword onto the squire’s shoulders or neck, saying, “In the Name of God, I dub thee knight.” The accolade (“neck”) originally referred to a ceremonial embrace around the squire’s neck;
10. The knighthood ceremony ended with the lord or queen slapping the cheek of the new knight, giving him a wake-up call as to the importance of the ceremony, and demonstrating the last blow a knight should receive without retaliation. The slap reminds the new knight that the oath of Knighthood was a sacred promise that had grave consequences if the promises were ever broken.