http://godinakilt.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
godinakilt.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2005-11-01 11:33 pm
godinakilt.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2005-11-01 11:33 pm
Entry tags:
Arthurian Traditions class for Tuesday
Camulus looks very relieved to be back in a kilt. He likes a healthy breeze 'round his nether regions. All the decorations from the weekend have disappeared, with the exception of the tam still drooping low over the moose's eye.
"Feasgar math, class. The subject of today's lesson will be the Holy Grail. So far I've had you read excerpts from three seperate examples of Arthurian legends, 'Culhwch and Olwen', 'A History of the Kings of Britain', and 'La Morte d'Arthur'. While none of these have dealt specifically with the Grail quest, nevertheless we can pick up some information from them. For example, in 'Culhwch and Olwen', one of the objects which Culhwch and Arthur must procure is a cauldron of plenty. In 'La Morte d'Arthur', it is referenced as the object which has become passed down into tradition, that of the Cup of Christ; either the cup that he drank from at the Last Supper or the cup that caught his blood when he was crucified." Camulus frowns down at his notes. "Should I assign a reading on that? Or does everyone know the story? I had to do some research of my own." He shakes his head. "While the Holy Grail became a concrete object, what is most important to understand about the Grail is that the importance is on the quest. All of Arthur's knights undergo a Grail quest; most of them achieve it. The Grail in this case symbolises a quest for personal enlightenment or fulfillment. It's interesting to note that the only knight who conspicuously doesn't achieve the Grail is Launcelot, whose seduction of Guinevere leads to the downfall of Arthur.
"Another aspect of the Grail legend is one which looks at the old spelling of the word, "Sangreal", which can be broken down into both, "san greal" and "sang real", which means royal blood. In this case, the Holy Grail is actually a holy or royal bloodline. Again, possibly of this Jesus person, or of the lineages of kings. Both ideas are tied together by some of the continental sources of Arthurian legend, notably the German Wolfram's 'Parzival', written around 1212, which follows the knight Percival on his own Grail quest. In this case the Grail was a cup that had an inscription around the rim which could change to predict the future; names would appear which would relate the future bloodlines of great kings.
"Malory drew heavily on this, as well as other continental sources, when he was writing his cycle of romances which culminated in 'La Morte d'Arthur'. Another notable source was the French romances 'Yvain' (1169) and 'Perceval' (1189). In these cases the Grail takes on another aspect, similar to the ancient Pagan view. It is a magic fountain or a food producing vessel - an image of comfort.
"Your homework tonight is to point out other Grail references in your own culture or another than may not at first seem to be connected at all. And Miss Halliwell, I believe you wanted to see me?"
[[Who just took an unintentional five-hour nap? Cammie-mun did! *wired like nothing*]]
"Feasgar math, class. The subject of today's lesson will be the Holy Grail. So far I've had you read excerpts from three seperate examples of Arthurian legends, 'Culhwch and Olwen', 'A History of the Kings of Britain', and 'La Morte d'Arthur'. While none of these have dealt specifically with the Grail quest, nevertheless we can pick up some information from them. For example, in 'Culhwch and Olwen', one of the objects which Culhwch and Arthur must procure is a cauldron of plenty. In 'La Morte d'Arthur', it is referenced as the object which has become passed down into tradition, that of the Cup of Christ; either the cup that he drank from at the Last Supper or the cup that caught his blood when he was crucified." Camulus frowns down at his notes. "Should I assign a reading on that? Or does everyone know the story? I had to do some research of my own." He shakes his head. "While the Holy Grail became a concrete object, what is most important to understand about the Grail is that the importance is on the quest. All of Arthur's knights undergo a Grail quest; most of them achieve it. The Grail in this case symbolises a quest for personal enlightenment or fulfillment. It's interesting to note that the only knight who conspicuously doesn't achieve the Grail is Launcelot, whose seduction of Guinevere leads to the downfall of Arthur.
"Another aspect of the Grail legend is one which looks at the old spelling of the word, "Sangreal", which can be broken down into both, "san greal" and "sang real", which means royal blood. In this case, the Holy Grail is actually a holy or royal bloodline. Again, possibly of this Jesus person, or of the lineages of kings. Both ideas are tied together by some of the continental sources of Arthurian legend, notably the German Wolfram's 'Parzival', written around 1212, which follows the knight Percival on his own Grail quest. In this case the Grail was a cup that had an inscription around the rim which could change to predict the future; names would appear which would relate the future bloodlines of great kings.
"Malory drew heavily on this, as well as other continental sources, when he was writing his cycle of romances which culminated in 'La Morte d'Arthur'. Another notable source was the French romances 'Yvain' (1169) and 'Perceval' (1189). In these cases the Grail takes on another aspect, similar to the ancient Pagan view. It is a magic fountain or a food producing vessel - an image of comfort.
"Your homework tonight is to point out other Grail references in your own culture or another than may not at first seem to be connected at all. And Miss Halliwell, I believe you wanted to see me?"
[[Who just took an unintentional five-hour nap? Cammie-mun did! *wired like nothing*]]
no subject