(2.5) “Galahad and the Grail” – The Adventures of Sir Bors de Gannis (this post is in process and incomplete at this time)
(2.5) “Galahad and the Grail” – The Adventures of Sir Bors de Gannis (this post is in process and incomplete at this time).
Book Two: “Adventures of the Quest“ (by “book” is meant a large section in this installment of Guite’s Arthuriad).
Stave Five: “The Adventures of Sir Bors de Gannis” (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 of Dr. Guite’s Retelling of the King Arthur Saga:
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;” The Knight Errant was the medieval term for a knight who was a warrior for truth, who has taken the vow of courage and integrity as a lifestyle while traveling to wherever life takes him, promising to bravely seek justice where there is injustice, to defend the helpless, to rescue those in distress, to advocate for the needy, to honor and cherish women because they are the bearers of life. The knight errant willingly risks whatever might be involved in declaring “women and children first!” The knight’s quest can be summed up in the words of the prophet Micah, “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” The knight errant is called to confront evil wisely, to do battle by speaking the truth in love, and to follow God daily with obedience, humility and gratitude. This knightly lifestyle of being shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves is strengthened within a like-minded brotherhood and enabled by our High King God.
** The Sin of Anger and the Virtue of Self-Control. Jesus is saying that the original intent behind the murder command is not the literal taking of a life, but the hateful attitude of anger that can lead to murder. By addressing a root of murder, Jesus is saying that internal attitudes matter. Attitudes so often determine actions, and the emotion of anger is a particularly dangerous emotion. Jesus is telling us that He will hold us accountable for our attitudes if they lead to sin. The Hebrew root word for anger is ‘burn,” which makes sense We are very familiar with all the burning words that are associated with anger… hot-tempered; fiery personality; flaring up; being steamed; heated comments; an enflamed conversation; being hot under the collar; boiling with anger. The fact is that when we brood over our anger, nursing it for all it’s worth, we are actually adding fuel to the fires of anger. When we do that it’s easy for the fire to rage out control and lead to the ultimate sin one person can do to another. There is usually a progression in the journey from anger to murder, and the Lord wants to stop that progression in its tracks. Unforgiveness; resentment; stubbornness; pride; harsh judgment; loss of self-control; hostility; contempt; hatred; actual violence. By the time we have reached hatred, murder in the heart easily leads to actual murder in a weak moment. Scripture is clear about the warning about hatred, that it’s a death sentence: “Anyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that the murderer has no eternal life abiding within him.” (1 John 3:15). We do have an interesting question to address here: Who is in charge of self-control? God, or the individual person? Who is doing the actual work of self-control? God or me? Does self-control invite a “let go and let God” approach, or does the individual have a hand in this as well? On the one hand, we treat self-control like all the other fruit of the Spirit and ask God to go to work, to be the source of this virtue. We put God in charge of self-control, because divine help and power is obviously needed to produce this fruit. But, on the other hand, we can’t forget the self in self-control. We each need to exercise self-discipline. Self-restraint requires a strength of will. Each person has work to do, effort that God can’t do for us as if we were remote-control robots. Somehow each person needs to generate a certain amount of energy and control to “nail the passions and desires of our sinful nature to the cross of Jesus.” (Galatians 5:24). We need to decide with our free will to crucify our self-destructive and self-indulgent appetites, to resist our sinful impulses and rebellious desires. And with the power of the Holy Spirit, we are no longer slaves to our sinful nature, we can actually die to that and live in freedom. Through Christ, we no longer have to submit to our “passions and desires.” But that takes work on our part. But it also takes work on God’s part. So how do we characterize our working relationship with God regarding our self-control? Are we simply cooperating with God? Are we participating with Jesus in His self-control? Are we somehow sharing duties with God despite our spiritual frailty and human weaknesses? On the one hand, God is producing self-control in us. On the other hand, God is strengthening each of us to exert our own efforts towards self-control. On the one hand, God’s power. On the other hand, our will power. Teamwork.
** “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. The true light which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:5,9); “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me shouldn’t abide in darkness.” (John 12:46); “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12); “Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2);
Reminders of Earlier Characters and Elements:
Nacien – One day, when Galahad was 15 years old, a mysterious hermit came to the castle and spoke to Elaine and Galahad with what appeared to be spiritual authority. Later in the story, Nacien was identified more clearly as a prophet in the Holy Spirit and the Priest of the Grail. But for now, Nacien was someone who commanded attention and was accepted as a messenger from God. He instructed Elaine and Galahad to first kneel and pray as he fervently prayed over them… that they both would be protected and granted inner peace; that they would be empowered and shaped by the Holy Spirit; that God’s love would be released upon them. Nacien then prophesied that a special knight would one day return and “bring healing light and life.” He then instructed them to leave the castle and travel for three days to a holy place where they will witness a group of worshipping maidens who “will carry the light of heaven” and point directly to “Heaven’s Child.” This will be the beginning, Nacien explained, of the end of Balin’s Dolorous Stroke. Little did Elaine and Galahad realize that Nacien was directing them towards King Arthur and the Quest for the Holy Grail, the Cup of Christ from the Last Supper representing the very presence of Christ Himself. Elaine and Galahad obeyed every instruction of Nacien to the letter. And that’s how this first chapter in King Arthur’s legend concludes.
The Enchanted Ship. This is the mystical ship envisioned in a prophetic dream of Solomon in which he was to build an eternal boat for the travels of a distant ancestor who would be the purest and greatest warrior in the world. He constructed it with wood that would never rot and silken sails that would never be corrupted. He was instructed to place within it a sacred bed made with wood from the Garden of Eden’s Tree of Life, the sword of King David, and Solomon’s own royal crown. Solomon was warned not to enter this ship because it wasn’t meant for him, so he pushed it out to sea unmanned to await the fulfillment of its mission. The legend seems to be that this ship was self-propelled, despite the need for it to have sails.