MYSTICAL REVERBERATIONS IN THE QUEST OF THE HOLY GRAIL
MYSTICAL REVERBERATIONS IN THE QUEST OF THE HOLY GRAIL

Summary/Abstract: The importance of the mystical aspect in the Quest of the Holy Grail (of The Lancelot-Grail Cycle) has not been sufficiently analysed and I want to draw the attention on several elements which show clearly the way mysticism influenced this romance. Firstly I have presented the world which the Knights of the Round Table populate, insisting on the fact that the supernatural and ordinary events blend in the fabric of this story. The world around the travelling participants is blessed by God, and it is open to God’s will. Moreover it is studded with various monasteries as well as hermitages, and religious men have the duty to interpret the mystical visions received by the young knights and to advise them during their spiritual progress.Secondly, I want to describe a few mystical characteristics, which are mentioned by Evelyn Underhill, in her work on Mysticism. I will also give some examples from the text in order to point out that the characters’ reactions are often determined by mystical reasons. The signs of mystical encounters with God, like excessive crying and falling in a death-like trance, are often mentioned by various knights, so their significance in the inner structure of the text is analysed.Thirdly, I have insisted on the ultimate mystical experience, which occurs at the ending of this romantz namely the fact that Galahad, Perceval and Bors live enjoying daily the presence of the Holy Grail for a year, while Galahad even looks inside the chalice before he dies. The mystical overtones of the work are in keeping with the Church teachings and the diverse evolution of each of the protagonists, advocates a different way of approaching God.

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