The Holy Grail: Myths, Legends, and Truths

An Introductory Research Guide

The Holy Grail: What is it? Where is it? What is its significance? Is it real? Legends of the Holy Grail have abounded for the last 2 centuries, with varying ideas about what it is, where it can be found, and of what importance it is today to the Christian church. Many have spent their lives and indeed given their lives in pursuit of the grail.

When most people think of the Holy Grail, they tend to think of King Arthur and his knights on their legendary grail quest. It is still up for debate whether King Arthur and his knights were real or the stuff of legend. Irregardless, many grail quest stories and romances have been written from the early middle ages to the present day. There are many theories about the San Grael (Holy Grail): some says it is the cup Christ used at the Last Supper, others claim it is a vessel into which Jesus’ blood ran while he was upon the cross. Still others take a more recent and controversial view that the Holy Grail may be the bloodline and possible descendants of Jesus (Sang Real or “Royal Blood”). Skeptics of the more traditional grail theories, argue that the secret that Jesus was married and had children was procured and protected through the ages by the mysterious Knights Templar and the Prieure of Sion, and the bloodline supposedly still exists today. This research guide will explore these many ideas and theories by guiding you to relevant online and print resources so that you can gain a better understanding of this mystical cup.

Key Search Terms

“Grail”

“Holy Grail”

“San Grael” (“Holy Grail”)

“Sang Real” (“Royal Blood”)

“Grail Quest”

“King Arthur” AND “Grail”

Call Numbers and Subject Headings:

Library of Congress Classification Numbers:

General Range: PN 683-687 – Literary History--Medieval--Legends

More Specific: PN 686.G7 – Much of the history of the Grail and analysis and criticism of Grail texts can be found here.

Although much information on the Grail can be found in the above ranges, more information can be found in other sections by searching under the following subject headings.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Grail

Subheadings under Grail:

--Art

--Bibliography

--Congresses

--Drama

--Folklore
--History

--History and Criticism

--Legends

--Legends—History and Criticism

--Poetry

--Romances

--Romances—Adaptation

--Romances—History and Criticism

Related Subject Headings:

Arthurian Romances

Arthurian Romances--History and Criticism

Arthurian Romances--Stories, plots, etc.

Chalices

Christian Antiquities

English Legends

Folklore--British Isles

Knights and Knighthood

Literature, Medieval

Merovingians

Middle Ages--History

Perceval (Legendary Character)

Relics (expand under names of individuals or families, such as Jesus Christ--Relics)

Templars

Dewey Decimal System

Much of the information about the Holy Grail and related topics can be found in these sections:

235.2 Relics – Christianity

271.791 Knights Templar

398.22 Tales and lore of legendary or mythological persons - Arthurian legends

809.3 History, descriptions, critical appraisal of literature of more than one language – criticism of fiction from several languages

909.07 World History 500-1450 (including the Middle Ages/Crusades)

940.1 History of Europe during the Middle Ages

942.014 English History 499-ca.600 including reign of King Arthur

944.01 History of France and Monaco – Early History to 987

944.02 History of France and Monaco – Medieval period 987-1589

Best Overview Sources Online

The Holy Grail: History and Legends of the Most Important Relic in Christendom

This Italian website owned by Mariano Tomatis presents an exhaustive amount of information on the legend of the Grail including a chronology of the Grail, Grail art and photos, information on Grail texts, information on King Arthur’s knights and the Knights Templar, theories of what the grail is and where it may be located, and even videogames based on the Grail legend.

The Camelot Project: Holy Grail

This website is part of the Camelot Project at the University of Rochester, a project detailing Arthurian legends. The site has many links to full-text Grail texts and poems and Grail images.

The Holy Grail

A small, but relevant website with a short synopsis of the Grail myth, a timeline and links to related sites.

Catholic Encyclopedia: The Holy Grail

This article, written by Arthur Remy in the Catholic Encyclopedia online, is a lengthy and excellent synopsis of the grail legend, with many links to other relevant entries in the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Grail

This individual’s site traces the history of the Grail legend from Celtic traditions, to Eastern traditions, to Christian traditions of the Grail, with multiple links to many other relevant web sites. Is also explores the relationship of Wagner to the grail legend in his operatic interpretation of the Parsifal legend.

Brittania: King Arthur

This excellent and comprehensive website from Brittania.com has links and articles to almost every topic imaginable on the legends of King Arthur. Brittania.com is a comprehensive web site devoted to the times, places, events and people of British history. Readers should note that some access to some articles requires registration with Brittania, which is free.

Knights Templar: Era 1118 to 1312

This web site explores the history of the Knights Templar and their supposed involvement in procuring and protecting the Holy Grail. Explores the myth of the Holy Grail as the bloodline from the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

Key Works in Print

The best sources for finding the most comprehensive information on the Holy Grail can be found in print works. All of these works can be found at Barnes and Noble books stores or online at www.bn.com. The links provided link to their sales pages at bn.com.

Early Works: Original Grail Texts

de Troyes, Chretien. Perceval: The Story of the Grail. Trans. Burton Raffel. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.

The classic of French literature, written in the 12^th century, introduces the story of the grail, and follows Perceval from boyhood to knighthood in King Arthur’s court.

Malory, Thomas. King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales. Trans. Eugene Vinaver. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press, 1983.

Thomas Malory wrote many tales of King Arthur and his knights in the 13^th century. This book is a rendering of Malory’s famous Arthurian tales, including the grail quest.

von Eschenbach, Wolfram. Parzival. Trans. A.T. Hatto. Penguin Classics: New York. 1980.

Written in the early thirteenth century, this story is one of the definitive works of the grail quest. It tells the story of Parzival, one of King Arthur’s knights, and his long quest for the grail

Overview Sources in Print

The following works are good sources for finding general overview information on the Holy Grail and the grail legends.

Griffin, Justin. The Holy Grail: The Legend, the History, the Evidence. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2001.

The overview works focuses on the events that gave rise to the legend of the Holy Grail. Special attention is paid to the texts that form the body of the legend. The book includes historical facts about the life of Christ, the Crusades, and the Knights templar and introduces a new theory of “multiple grails.”

Mahoney, Dhira. Grail: A Casebook. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis, 1999.

A comprehensive and intellectual look at the development of the Grail legend. Includes a 200 item bibliography of Grail texts and 20 critical essays on the Grail motif.

Nutt, Alfred. Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail. Kila, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2003.

An authoritative works on the legends of the Holy Grail written in the 19^th century, emphasizing Celtic influences in Arthurian legend.

Sinclair, Andrew. The Discovery of the Grail. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1998.

This work traces the evolution of the grail myth from ancient times to today. He also analyzes the cultural and political ramifications of the Grail legend to historical events. He writes about the Grail’s many manifestations as the cup of the Passover, the cup Joseph of Arimathea used to collect Jesus’ blood on the cross, the Holy Lace, the Pentecostal tongues of fire, the dish bearing the bloody head of John the Baptist, the philosopher’s stone, and the ark of the covenant.

Wallace-Murphy, Tim and Marilyn Hopkins. Rosslyn: Guardians of the Secrets of the Holy Grail. Scranton, PA: Thorsons 2004.

This book yet to be published will most likely explore the temple in Rosslyn, Scotland, which is said to hide the secrets of the Holy Grail.

Weston, Jessie Laidlay. The Quest of the Holy Grail. Mineola, NY: 2001.

Originally written in 1973, the author analyzes literature of the Grail and surveys leading theories about the origin and meaning of the legend.

Books on the Bloodline Theory

Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. Holy Blood, Holy Grail. New York: Dell Publishing, 1982.

The controversial and definitive work on the theory that the Holy Grail is actually the genetic bloodline resulting from Jesus’ marriage to Mary Magdalene. The theory is that the Holy Grail could be the womb of the Magdalen, carrying Jesus’ offspring or the offspring and Jesus descendants themselves. The authors conducted extensive research into areas in the south of France in which supposedly Mary Magdalene and her “children” fled after Christ’s crucifixion (which is called into question as well). The authors research the history of the Knight Templar and the Priory of Sion (protectors of the Grail secret) who claim the Merovingian dynasty, who ruled in France from the fifth to seventh centuries, are ancestors of Jesus and the Magdalen. The authors contend that the bloodline still exists today, although they do not know who is the rightful heir to the throne of the “King of the Jews.”

Gardner, Laurence. Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus revealed. Cincinnati: Rockport Publishers, 2002.

This book gives a genealogical account of the succession of the royal blood from Jesus and his brother John up to the present day. It casts light on the figures of Mary Magdalen, Joseph of Arimathea, and the Knights Templar, and presents the “real truth” behind the Arthurian legends of the Holy Grail.

Starbird, Margaret. The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 1993.

After being shocked from reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail, the Roman Catholic scholar Strabird set out to disprove the theory of Jesus’ marriage and subsequent descendants. Instead, she found even more proof that the Magdalen was the bride of Jesus and that the marriage did produce children.

Books for Children and Youth

Green, Roger Lancelyn. King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.

This excellent book, written in 1953, includes a chapter on the grail quest. Green retells Arthurian legends from the classics of Malory, Heinrich von dem Turlin, and von Eschenbach.

Lister, Robin. The Story of King Arthur. New York: Kingfisher, 1997.
Retells Malory’s stories of King Arthur and his knights in a format appropriate for children. This illustrated book includes the story of the quest for the Holy Grail.

Sutcliff, Rosemary. The Light Beyond the Forest: The Quest for the Holy Grail. London: Puffin, 1994.

A retelling of the adventures of King Arthur and his knights as they search for the Holy Grail.

Grail Fiction

Brown, Dan. The Davinci Code. New York: Doubleday, 2003.

This year’s fiction bestseller has at its core the Grail myth described in Holy Blood, Holy Grail that the Grail is the bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. A thrilling non-stop adventure with tons of twists and turns, but based on historical fact.

Cornwell, Bernard. The Archer’s Tale. New York: Harper Collins, 2002.

The first in a series called The Grail Quest by Cornwell, this book tells the story of a young archer who begins a quest for the Holy Grail, which continues through the series.

Doherty, Robert. Area 51: The Grail. New York: Dell Publishing, 2001.

An action-filled tale in which Area 51 personnel go on a top secret search for the Holy Grail.

Miles, Rosalind. The Child of the Holy Grail. New York: Crown Publishing, 2002.

Tells the story of Camelot and the quest for the Holy Grail from Queen Guenevere’s point of view.

Grail Films

Comedy:

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Drama:

Excalibur

The Fisher King

Action:

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Documentary:

Holy Quest: Castle of the Holy Grail

Biography: King Arthur – His Life and Legends

Legends of the Isles – Holy Grail/Stonehenge

Grail Video Games

Gabriel Knight: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned

From the acclaimed Gabriel Knight PC adventure game series, you play Gabriel on the search for the treasure of Rennes-le-Chateau, a real town in the south of France where Grail legends abound. Much of the game’s information is factual and detailed; the graphic rendering of Rennes-le-Chateau looks exactly like the real city. The game plays almost like a history lesson of Grail legends, the Knights Templar and Jewish mysticism. Available at Amazon.com.

Related Fields

There are many related fields of history, people, organizations and events which may prove relevant to research about the Holy Grail. Related fields may include:

King Arthur legends

Christian Relics

Joseph of Arimathea

Mary of Magdala (or Mary Magdalene, the Magdalen, the Black Virgin)

Knights Templar

Freemasonry

Priory of Sion (or Prieure de Sion)

Merovingian Dynasty of France

Temple of Solomon (where the Grail was supposedly hidden for years)

The Crusades

Journals

Arthuriana: The Journal of Arthurian Studies

Speculum

Essays in Medieval Studies

Viator

Sample Journal Articles

Brown, Christine and Lynne C. Boughton. “The Grail Quest as Illumination.” Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 9.1 (1997): 39. Expanded Academic ASAP. FSU. 23 Nov 2003

< http://80-web3.infotrac.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu:9000>

The authors discuss the differences in the Grail quest legends as to what is being sought and the purpose and effects of the search. The also explore similarities in that in each case a heroic character is created with a sense of purpose.

Ferguson, Anna-Marie. “Percivale and the Grail.” Parabola 26.3 (2001): 44. FirstSearch Humanities Abstracts. FSU. 23 Nov 2003 < http://80-newfirstsearch.altip.oclc.org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu:9000>

The author examines some of the adventures of Parcivale as he moves from boyhood as a fool to the Grail Knight.

Wood, Juliette. “The Holy Grail: From Romance Motif to Modern Genre.” Folklore 111.2 (2000): 169. Expanded Academic ASAP. FSU. 23 Nov 2003 < http://80-web3.infotrac.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu:9000>

This article summarizes the Grail romances, looks at patterns and themes in the romances, discusses origins and meanings of the Grail motif, and looks at new popular theories of the Grail.

Indexes and Abstracts

The following databases may be useful in searching for information on the Holy Grail:

Expanded Academic ASAP

First Search Arts and Humanities

First Search Humanities Abstracts

FRANCIS (Humanities & Social Sciences) – Includes many foreign language articles

Infotrac (MLA International Bibliography)

Wilson Select Plus

WorldCat

Professional Associations/ Conferences of Interest

International Arthurian Society

Medieval Academy of America