(1.4) “Galahad and the Grail” – His Coming to Camelot (this post is in process and incomplete at this time)
(1.4) “Galahad and the Grail” – His Coming to Camelot (this post is in process and incomplete at this time)
Book One: ‘The Coming of Galahad’ (by “book” is meant a large section in this installment of Guite’s Arthuriad).
Stave Four: “His Coming to Camelot” (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.”
Characters and Elements in this Chapter of Malcom Guite’s Retelling of the King Arthur Saga:
(1.) Camelot and the Pentecostal Feast – 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. This chapter begins with Camelot in full festive array as the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) was celebrated in one of the central events in the church year. All the King’s attendants were actively serving everyone present in the banquet hall with choice meats, vintage wine and frothy ales while trumpets and choirs and prayers were filling the air.
(2.) Pendragon – “And overhead, in silken thread enlaced and intercrossed, Pendragon’s royal banners glowed rich red for Pentecost.” Pendragon is technically King Arthur’s last name, since his father was King Uther Pendragon. That famous name literally means supreme leader, high king, military commander, lead warrior. Per is Welsh for leader or head, and Dragon is the Latin word for warrior, so it follows that Pendragon historically means head warrior or leader of the warriors. Certainly, King Arthur lived up to his family name, since he fulfilled the prophecy that the Pendragon bloodline would produce the royal leader who would unite the British Isles to protect the kingdom from barbarian Saxons.
(3.) Nacien and Galahad – During the feast, the knights were perched around the Table while ensconced in their assigned seats. They were discussing knightly topics such as chivalry, battles won and lost, and worthy quests. Suddenly the candle flames leapt upward, the doors and window were shut fast, and a violent gust of wind rushed through the banquet hall and courtyard. Everyone present was stunned into silence as King Arthur rose from his seat of honor to investigate this very Pentecost-like event. He saw a mysterious light fill the hall, and there appeared an old silver-haired man with a very handsome young knight. As we’ll see soon enough, making their grand entrance here is Nacien and Galahad. All who witnessed this miraculous spectacle were filled with awe, of course. This impressive young knight wore an empty scabbard at his side that seemed to beg for a worthy sword to rest there. No one knew who this knight was at this point, although both Lancelot and Guinevere recognized him at once. In the meantime, King Arthur continued to marvel at these mysterious visitors who proceeded to approach him at his royal throne.
(4.) Nacien.This important figure in the King Arthur sag was long ago seen as a wandering hermit appearing to Elaine and Galahad in Pelles’ castle, and then quickly appeared to have a special spiritual authority. at this point in the story, Nacien was identified more clearly as a prophet in the Holy Spirit and then later finally accepted as the Priest of the Grail. But for now, Nacien was someone who commanded attention and was accepted as a messenger from God. There before King Arthur at the Pentecost feast he prophesied that this young knight with him is from nobility, from a royal lineage that even includes Joseph of Arimathea of biblical fame. This young man, claimed Nacien, is the destined “keeper of the light.” and is the chosen one who will not only sit in the Siege Perilous reserved for him alone, but will also bring healing to where blood has been spilled. As Arthur led the young knight to the Seat of Danger, Lancelot moves quickly to remove the golden cloth covering that famous Seat. Suddenly gold lettering appeared on the Chair, “This is the Siege of Galahad, the noble prince promised long, whose high deeds and accomplishment will long be told in song.”
(5.) Galahad – Now sitting in the famous Chair reserved for him, Galahad proclaimed to everyone present that he would soon go to his grandfather King Pelles the Fisher-King, and heal his grievous wound that continues to disable him without mercy. The good knight Sir Bors then prophesied that Galahad will indeed go with God, embracing Christ as his Lord, and he “will achieve the Grail.” Lancelot then declared that the Quest of the Grail has begun, and that Galahad will be the “keeper of the cup of God, like the first drop of the flood that sweeps the valley clean!”
(6.) 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:”
(7.) 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.
(8.) The Spear of Destiny – Also called the Holy Lance, the Spear of Christ, or the Spear of Longinus, this sacred relic was the lance used by the Roman soldier named Longinus as he sought to confirm the death of Christ on the Cross. When the soldier lanced the side of Christ, both blood and water poured out, and Jesus was officially declared dead. At that time, Joseph of Arimathea had already procured the Cup from the Last Supper, and he used it to catch the blood flowing out of the Son of God who had just died (John 19:34). Early church tradition held that a drop of Christ’s blood fell onto Longinus and he was immediately healed of a serious disability. Soon afterward, Longinus converted to Christ and lived as a missionary until his martyrdom much later. This spear was indeed holy because it dripped with Christ’s own blood that continued to serve as a healing agent when used properly. So the Holy Lance was a tangible reminder of Christ’s suffering, spiritual redemption, and a vehicle of merciful healing. The Spear of Christ was sacred and could only be used for righteous and pure purposes.