(3.8) “Galahad and the Grail” – The Achievement of the Grail, Section 3

(3.8) “Galahad and the Grail” – The Achievement of the Grail, Section 3

Book Three: “The Achievement of the Grail“ (by “book” is meant a large section in this installment of Guite’s Arthuriad).

Stave Eight: “The Achievement of the Grail” (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; this chapter has three sections: The Great Castle, The Sacred Mysteries,  and   Ends and Beginnings).

“We need to re-enchant a disenchanted world. We need to rebaptize our imagination. I’m trying to lift the veil; not so much to re-enchant, but to un-disenchant the world, to help us see what is already there.” (Dr. Malcolm Guite).

Why is Malcolm Guite retelling the King Arthur saga, no less in the form of English ballads? He has gone on record as saying…

1. 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;
2. Every generation that asks good questions of King Arthur legends gets good answers;
3. The modern world could use a resurrection of the ideal of chivalry and honor;
4. 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;
5. Legends like these don’t distract us from the real world, they reveal it;
6. These stories restore the spiritual elements that have been shorn away, and they renew their deepest meaning;
7. 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.”
8. “This is the tale that makes my heart rejoice.”

Reference Points for this Conclusion to Dr. Guite’s Book:

Joseph of Arimathea. The legendary story of Joseph is vital to the Arthurian legend because it was traditionally accepted that Joseph brought Christ’s Grail and Lance to Britain for safekeeping in King Pelles’ castle, often called the Castle of the Grail. In this particular scene, Nacien told Arthur, “Nine generations can be told since Joseph came in days of old from Arimath to keep and hold the Holy Things in trust. Joseph, the fair friend of our Lord, who sailed, with blessed things on board, who came, all guided by the Word, to Britain’s shores full fast.” In biblical history, Joseph was a respected member of the powerful Sanhedrin council in Jerusalem but secretly converted to Jesus. He assumed responsibility for Jesus’ body after His death and buried Him in his family’s tomb. Soon after, Joseph sailed to the British Isles as a Christian missionary and became the founder of the Faith in Britain. Joseph was highly revered in Arthurian history as the vital bridge connecting the Passion of Christ and the presence of Christianity during King Arthur’s realm through his guarding of “the Holy Things:”

The Holy Grail – This sacred relic is the chalice from which Jesus drank at His Last Supper with His disciples, and it was used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch Christ’s blood after His side was lanced by the Roman soldier after Christ had died on the Cross. The Grail was seen as a miraculous source for healing and redemption offered in Christ, and also symbolized spiritual purity and mystical union with God. The Holy Grail has been accepted down through the centuries as a cup or a deep dish that retained the spiritual powers of Christ Himself. The Grail represented the presence of divine grace, and so the Quest for the Grail was the most important quest ever conceived by the Knights of the Round Table.

Solomon’s Ship – This is a 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.

Dindrane. She is the maiden of purity who called early in the story from the Enchanted Ship, and was in fact the long-lost sister of Percivale. Dindrane was the daughter of the good King Pellinor and was raised by the Prophet of the Grail named Nacien, the wise monk who initiated the Quest long ago in King Arthur’s Camelot. When she called Percivale from the Ship at the start of the Quest, she presented herself as a gentle and tender follower of God, wearing a nun’s veil of innocence and faithfulness. She congratulated Percivale in overcoming his many temptations and difficult trials, and she told him that now was the time he was to reach his destiny at last. Now is the time to continue the Quest, and that this moment was the beginning of the end of his search for the Holy Grail. She told him that they would soon be joined by Galahad and Sir Bors, the other two Knights of the Grail, and will be guided by God’s Spirit. She promised that “the Holy Spirit will fill our sails and see us speed with gentle breath of air.” And they indeed “set out on their hidden way to search for God’s mysteries.” After she had broken an evil spell on another maiden by spilling her own blood, her dying words were that she trusts in Christ alone. “Remember me in all your prayers. Commend me to my Savior fair and to His sacrifice. I go in confidence that my soul was bought at a great price, and though I leave this life on earth, I do not fear the touch of death.” She then gave herself to Christ as she breathed her final breaths.

The Conclusion to the Story:

After the climactic Eucharist in the Chapel of the Grail, Percivale and Blanchefluer were married at the encouragement of King Pelles and the blessing of Galahad. King Pelles then declared that Percivale would be his heir as king and would remain at the Castle. Galahad knew in his heart that he was compelled to pick up the Grail, follow Jesus, and “sail beyond the sundering sea.” He then offered some parting instructions to Sir Bors, to tell King Arthur waiting in Camelot about this wondrous tale of the Quest’s success. Bor was also directed to offer love and prayers to Galahad’s father, Sir Lancelot. As Galahad was speaking, the Grail floated into the air, casting its light throughout and beyond the Castle. Only Galahad was able to observe Christ Himself holding the Grail as it moved down the great stairs, past the crouching lions at the castle’s gate, and straight to the waterside wharf nearby. Solomon’s ship was floating peacefully there in the moonlight, her mast appearing like the Cross. After Galahad climbed aboard this enchanted ship, Christ gave him the Grail. Jesus then approached the death bed of the saintly Dindrane who had sacrificed her life for the life of another. Jesus lovingly commanded her,

“Maiden, awake! the Savior said.

My daughter, now arise!’

And Dindrane woke and took Christ’s hand

and by her Savior she did stand

and light was in her eyes.”

Jesus then took her by the hand, leading her to Galahad on the deck so she could now receive “communion true.”

“Then once again, our Lord became

Communion for her sake,

that His heart’s blood might be her wine, 

His body, bread to break.” 

Dindrane’s first words after receiving Eucharist from Galahad on the enchanted ship were her declaration that they were now to sail to Heaven. The Grail was placed on the prow of the ship and became the guiding light,

“And like a star the Grail shone,

set in the firmament alone.

And then a voice spoke from within:

“Lo! They have passed the walls of glass

and are in Heaven now!”

Can we actually learn now from old legends? Why should we even bother to seriously consider tales of knighthood? Why is it important in our modern world to resurrect the ancient tradition of epic storytelling? Various authors offer these profound reasons to dive into the old legends:

1. Myths often point to deep truths that go beyond mere facts and end up informing those facts.
2. Stories can have emotional truth and psychological truth that stretch beyond literal accuracy.
3. Legends contain essential truths that cannot be expressed otherwise.
4. We can learn from stories because we ourselves are a part of a universal narrative and so can easily join into a story, learn from it, and participate in it within our own lives.
5. Legends are able to stand the test of time because it communicates universal truths about the human experience that historical facts or literal reality cannot fully capture.
6. When a story rings true to real life, the reader makes the personal connections, and the fictional can then represent reality.
7. The fictional often specializes in providing the reader with living symbols which contain the essence of the eternal in and through the temporal.
8. Abraham Lincoln once said that a fool learns from his own mistakes, and a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. In stories, we can learn from the mistakes of fictional characters, we can witness the consequences of moral failure, we can be inspired by the triumphs of sound moral decisions.
9. When a reader’s imagination is captured by a story, the rest of that reader soon follows along, including one’s conscience, one’s ability to reason, and one’s strength of will.
10. Legends remind us that reason is the natural organ for truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning.