Encyclopedia of the Holy Grail

In the twelfth century, a French poet wrote a verse romance about a young knight who witnesses a mysterious procession centered on a radiant vessel, a "grail." Left unfinished, the poem inspired other writers of prose and verse, until the story was completely rewritten into the Arthurian romances, in which the vessel becomes a relic of the Last Supper, the Holy Grail.
For hundreds of years, the Grail story has haunted the western imagination. But the original medieval texts are full of inconsistencies, as different writers attempted to complete the story in varied ways. This encyclopedia illuminates a path through the Perilous Forest of literature and legend. Entries summarize the stories of the principal characters, sacred objects and places associated with the Grail. An Afterword shows how mysteries of the grail continue to enchant the scholars and creative writers who have transformed the medieval legend into modern mythology.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction: THE ABSENT PATH

The Encyclopedia

Afterword: Higher Mysteries: Grail Initiation as Twentieth Century Mythology

Appendix I: The Grail Chronology

Appendix II: The Medieval Grail Literature

Appendix III: The Company of the Grail: Some Twentieth Century Writers

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Jeffrey John Dixon, after studying English literature at Sussex University, travelled widely and now lives and writes in Powys, United Kingdom.

Product details

• Authors: Jeffrey John Dixon, Dixon Jeffrey John
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2023
• EAN: 9781476687940
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-8794-0
• No. of pages: 336
• Dimensions: 178 mm x 254 mm x 17 mm
• Weight: 594 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Series: McFarland Myth and Legend Encyclopedias
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Christianity; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > General, dictionaries; Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, Poet, RELIGION / Christian Church / History, Folklore, myths & legends, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, Folklore studies / Study of myth