(3.6) “Galahad and the Grail” – Lancelot’s Further Adventures
(3.6) “Galahad and the Grail” – Lancelot’s Further Adventures. (this post is in process and incomplete at this time)
Book Three: “The Achievement of the Grail“ (by “book” is meant a large section in this installment of Guite’s Arthuriad).
Stave Six: “Lancelot’s Further Adventures” (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 two sections: “The Chantry on the Green” and “The Castle of the Grail”).
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.”
Section 1: The Chantry on the Green. As Lancelot hurried to rescue the wounded knight that was being chased by a dark knight, he came upon the sad sight of the stricken knight on the ground, disarmed and helpless, bleeding terribly from a ghastly open wound. Lancelot cried out loudly to the evil knight standing nearby, “Do you not see that chivalry bid us show mercy, full and free” to the wounded? The false knight scoffed at Lancelot’s warning and told him that taking advantage of the wounded is granted to him and he cares not for those “petty codes.” Lancelot bravely picked up the wounded knight and placed him on his horse. And then, as he was brandishing his sword, Lancelot challenged the merciless knight once again, telling him that “There must be fairness in the fight, for we must live in Heaven’s light and not the murk of hell!” At that forceful challenge from Lancelot, the bully showed the heart of a coward and fled without a fight.
The Chantry was a privately built chapel that was dedicated solely to the singing and chanting of Mass on a daily basis, especially for those who were near death or who have already died. Priests were paid to staff this chapel and remain available for anyone in need. Oftentimes, nuns were in residence as well to care for the needy. The mortally wounded knight thanked Lancelot for his rescue, and he asked Lancelot to take him to a nearby chapel “where holy sisters dwell.” The wounded knight had confidence that the nuns would heal his bleeding side. So Lancelot made a stretcher out of branches and took him to a chapel that Lancelot soon realized was that holy house where he had knighted his son Galahad long ago. The sisters immediately approached the wounded knight and brought him to the chapel’s hospital, where they directed Lancelot to a room where he could rest, recover and pray in peace. Soon afterward one of the sisters came to Lancelot and told him that they will take good care of his wounded friend, and that he would feel secure in departing from them whenever he chooses to do so. That holy nun then shared the story of Elaine, the mother of Galahad, who once stayed at this chapel… Elaine left the chapel and became lost in the Wasteland, but was told that a mysterious ship will accept her before she died. Elaine was able to give a special message she wrote for Lancelot on a parchment. The nun then gave this message to Lancelot, who wept as he read about Elaine’s love for him and the wonderful of gift of their son Galahad as he will surely find the Holy Grail. In this message, Elaine asked that he commend her to her father in the Grail Castle, King Pelles, and to her beloved son Galahad as well. Elaine also prophesied that Lancelot would not be able to reach the Castle without the aid of another enchanted hip that would sail him around the Wasteland. The sisters then took Lancelot by the hand to the bay where he would climb aboard the mysterious ship. He clutched the special amethyst as he rested on the ship, listening to heavenly music as he lay in peace.
Section 2: “The Castle of the Grail.” Lancelot woke up from his deep rest as the enchanted ship landed on the sandy shore, bringing him to the great Castle. As he approached the gate where a fierce lion crouched on each side of the entrance, Lancelot drew his sword to protect himself. And then a hidden voice shouted out that he is to put away his weapon, that his faith must now be his shield. Lancelot put his sword away and uttered these words of faith, “Now, my Lord Christ, deliver me. I trust in Your deep charity. Strengthen what faith You find in me, and help my unbelief.” After walking safely through the path of the two lions, he entered a little door and walked up some steep, dark stairs. He continued walking through a passageway with numerous doors. Finally he arrived at a spacious hall with tapestries that told the Bible story, and a lovely silver door beckoned at the end of the hall. He tried to open this door time and again but failed. Then he heard heavenly voices singing on the other side of the door, “Praise to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, Three in One, for Heaven comes to earth again. Let all kneel down in awe.” Lancelot knew he was at the door of the Sacred Chapel of the Grail, so he knelt and prayed that “fair Jesus Christ” would allow him even a glimpse of the Holy Grail.
The Holy Grail Appears. Suddenly the Chapel door opened, and a thunderous voice called out to Lancelot, that he was not permitted to enter the Sacred Chapel, but he could stand at the threshold and witness the Holy Mystery through the fire of the Angel Guard. Lancelot submitted to the voice, and he looked into the Chapel. He saw a beautiful altar with seven candles burning brightly enough to fill the Chapel with light. Then he saw the Holy Vessel “in fire and flare” and the “Seraphim angels in glory there…” And a man stood at the altar dressed in priestly garments, raising the Grail for the Sacrament. Lancelot was then astonished to witness above the priest “three figures interchanging place, their every movement full of grace, and glory shone around that place.” Then the youngest of the three figures was placed into the Priest’s hand, who lifted that figure high so everyone could see. The figure looked too heavy for the priest to lift, so Lancelot’s instinct was to step into the Chapel to help the priest, but Lancelot “felt a breath like fire seethe through and lift him as a pyre might lift the flame and send it higher – not the old flame of dead desire, but Love itself flamed there!”
Lancelot’s Trance. Lancelot seemed to faint, and was taken to a safe room to recover, no one knowing if he was alive or dead. For three days, Lancelot lay in his strange trance, until he finally awoke to find the fisher-king himself sitting with him in prayer. They spoke together of waiting for the Grail Knight to come and break the evil spell over the king and his land. Lancelot had to share the tragic news of his daughter Elaine’s death, and that she surely dwells in light, free and fair.” King Pelles, the fisher-king, then mournfully spoke of how he had to love her and to let her go, “to trust what only God can know… We must know, above the shadow grim, somewhere the true light shines.” Lancelot bade farewell, sailed on the enchanted ship, and returned to the holy chapel for rest. Soon he jumped onto his waiting horse, and that is the last we see of Lancelot for now.