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In Arthurian legend, Sir Galahad, was the purest and most virtuous knight of the Round Table. Because of these qualities he was the only one of King Arthur's knights to succeed in the quest for the Holy Grail, the sacred cup used by Christ at the Last Supper.
Sir Galahad was the son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine, who was the daughter of King Pelles. Galahad was born in a convent and was reared by nuns. When he arrived in Camelot, the legendary seat of Arthur's court, he was knighted by the king himself. Sir Galahad's purity of spirit gave him enormous strength and courage. He was able to win possession of the Siege Perilous, a vacant seat at the Round Table in which only the knight destined to find the Grail could ever sit.
According to one account, Sir Galahad was accompanied on his quest for the Grail by Sir Perceval and Sir Bors. After many adventures they arrived at the Castle of Carbonek, where they had a vision of the Savior, who gave them the Grail. The three knights carried the Holy Grail to Sarras, a mythical city on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. The inhabitants of Sarras elected Galahad their king, and he ruled them for one year, at the end of which time he prayed for death. When Galahad died, the Grail was carried to Heaven, never to be seen again by any man.
There are other versions of the story of Sir Galahad's quest for the Holy Grail. One of the earliest sources in which Galahad is found is a 13th-century French romance. He also figures prominently in Sir Thomas Malory's 15th-century classic Le Morte Darthur. In Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem Idylls of the King (1859-1885) an entire section is devoted to Galahad's quest. The term "galahad" has become synonymous with a person of high ideals and unselfish devotion to a worthy cause.
