Today, if one uses the word “grail”, besides the meaning that the usage carries (depending on the context, something that is difficult/impossible to attain), there is a strong religious connotation associated with it, i.e. of the “Holy Grail”. Religion is a very important and indispensable theme associated with the grail texts of old and even today. The form that the grail assumes in the various grail texts from the medieval times is closely tied with the themes of religion and culture associated with a particular text. This makes analyzing and studying these themes and their evolution with time a very interesting prospect; particularly lending insight about the times the texts were written in and how the grail story changed with the changing times. From its very first appearance in Chretien de Troyes’s Perceval up until today, countless grail stories have been told with a large share of those grails being “holy”.
La Queste del Saint Graal of The Vulgate Cycle was the first iteration of the grail quest to feature the character of Galahad and was the most overtly Christian. In academic circles it is believed that this particular section of the Vulgate Cycle was greatly influenced by the Cistercian Order. The Cistercians were a catholic religious order of monks and nuns who followed the teachings of the Saint Bernardine.
“Nevertheless, the Bernardine concept of Catholic warrior asceticism predominated in Christendom and exerted multiple influences culturally and otherwise, notably forming the metaphysical background of the otherworldly, pure-hearted Arthurian knight Sir Galahad, Cistercian spirituality permeating and underlying the medieval ‘anti-romance’ and climactic sublimation of the Grail Quest, the La Queste del Saint Graal—indeed, direct Cistercian authorship of the work is academically considered highly probable. Cistercian-Bernardine chivalrous mysticism is especially exhibited in how the celibate, sacred warrior Galahad, due to interior purity of the heart (cardiognosis in Desert Father terminology), is alone in being granted the beatific vision of the Eucharistic Holy Grail (Pauline Matarasso, The Redemption of Chivalry, Geneva, 1979)."
La Queste del Saint Graal of The Vulgate Cycle was the first iteration of the grail quest to feature the character of Galahad and was the most overtly Christian. In academic circles it is believed that this particular section of the Vulgate Cycle was greatly influenced by the Cistercian Order. The Cistercians were a catholic religious order of monks and nuns who followed the teachings of the Saint Bernardine.
“Nevertheless, the Bernardine concept of Catholic warrior asceticism predominated in Christendom and exerted multiple influences culturally and otherwise, notably forming the metaphysical background of the otherworldly, pure-hearted Arthurian knight Sir Galahad, Cistercian spirituality permeating and underlying the medieval ‘anti-romance’ and climactic sublimation of the Grail Quest, the La Queste del Saint Graal—indeed, direct Cistercian authorship of the work is academically considered highly probable. Cistercian-Bernardine chivalrous mysticism is especially exhibited in how the celibate, sacred warrior Galahad, due to interior purity of the heart (cardiognosis in Desert Father terminology), is alone in being granted the beatific vision of the Eucharistic Holy Grail (Pauline Matarasso, The Redemption of Chivalry, Geneva, 1979)."
The Three Good Knights in Sarras William Morris Tapestry, 1870 Museum and Art Gallery of Birmingham
An interesting point to note is that in Chretien’s original Perceval, he never uses the term “holy” to describe the grail. The grail is just seen as an ornate serving dish with special powers. References to Christianity are relatively limited even though all the Knights of the Round Table are Christian and uphold Christian values. Perceval is instructed by his mother to be a good Christian remember god. After failing to do so, he repents for his sins after confessing to the hermit he met on Black Friday. In Queste though, the grail is very much the “Holy Grail” (dish Christ ate the Passover lamb from) that is believed to have been brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea and his son Josephe is the Grail keeper. This idea was largely taken from Robert de Boron’s works (Barber 6).
In Rosalind Miles’ novel, the The Child of the Holy Grail, we see a very different picture with various new aspects to the religions shown. Christianity is a relatively new religion that is establishing itself in a pagan England. Pagan characters such as Guinevere and some Knights of the Round Table including Lancelot follow the Goddess religion while Arthur himself is Christian. In a departure from what has been written otherwise, the collection of sacred hallows of the Goddess religion in the keeping of the Lady of the Lake (before it was lost) is believed to be the Holy Grail by the Church.
In modern rendition of the grail story, the influence of religion isn’t as strong or rather, there are stories where the grail is symbolic, i.e. the grail isn’t the conventional grail. Two films in recent times that embody this spirit of the grail story are Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and The Da Vinci Code. The plot of Indiana Jones, isn’t free of religious influences, the quest is for the Holy Grail but more analysis tells us that the quest for the Holy Grail is just the setting for the real quest: Indiana’s desire to mend his relationship with his father. The Da Vinci Code though, is very much influenced by Christianity and the myriad history associated with Christ’s time. Here, the grail takes the form of Christ’s living bloodline (a very controversial claim that did not sit well with the Church).
Over the years, the Grail story has become almost exclusively associated with Christianity. The Grail story is very “Christian” but today however, the use of the word “grail” has expanded to embody something a lot wider than a holy dish/cup: the word grail refers to any unachievable/difficult goal.