The Holy Grail is the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper. According to tradition, the cup came into the hands of Joseph of Arimathea, who caught in it some of the blood which flowed from the wounds of Christ when taken down from the cross. The wonderful virtues of the cup are due to these drops of blood which represent the body of the Lord. In a time of persecution Joseph was miraculously conveyed with the Holy Grail to England, where he passed the rest of his life. The cup furnished him with food and drink in time of need, and with spiritual support. At his death he gave the cup to his successor, charging him to guard it well. It passed from generation to generation. Finally, it disappeared from view because of the sins of its custodians. The search íor the Holy Grail was the object of many a knightly adventure. Only the pure in heart might ever hope to find it. It is interwoven with the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The origin of the tradition is a subject of dispute. When the Celts migrated to the French coast of Brittany they carried the traditions of the Holy Grail with them. Medieval writers had two sources of information. Wales and Brittany. French, German, and English writers have used the legend as literary material. In Lowell's
Vision of Sir Launfal, "a maiden knight" goes forth in search of the Holy Grail. Wagner uses the same theme in his musical drama of
Parsifal. The Holy Grail is the subject of one of Tennyson's
Idylls of the King.
