A grail is simply a cup
or a bowl. The Holy Grail supposedly is the cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, and then, on the following
day was used by Joseph of Arimathea, who may or may not have been Jesus’ grand-uncle, (Gigot) to capture the blood and
sweat of Jesus as he died on the cross. Following Jesus’ crucifixion, as the legend goes, Joseph was sealed for
many years in a tomb much like the one Jesus was reportedly buried in. There he was kept alive by food and drink miraculously
provided by the cup. After finally escaping from the tomb, Joseph of Arimathea, along with his family, made their way
to England. Eventually, as the story goes, the Grail came to rest at the Castle Corbenic, where it was guarded over
by Joseph’s descendents –the Grail Kings. (King Arthur in Legend)
And there the Holy Grail remained, both it and the castle lost and forgotten until the legendary
King Arthur and his equally legendary Knights of the Round Table, in either the 5th or 6th Century,
were presented with the task of once again finding the Grail. (King Arthur)
And so began the Quest for the Holy Grail. Both
Perceval and Lancelot found the Castle Corbenic, but since Perceval didn’t ask for the Grail, it wasn’t offered,
and Lancelot, who did ask, wasn’t allowed to see it because he wasn’t pure at heart, which is what happens if
you have an affair with King Arthur’s wife, Guinevere. Galahad, the son of Lancelot, however, was finally allowed
into the Grail Chapel because he alone was pure of heart. Thus completing the Quest for the Holy Grail. (King
Arthur in Legend)
Finding the Grail made
Lancelot’s life complete, and he and the Grail reportedly both ascended into heaven. (King Arthur in Legend)
Or not. There are still those who continue the Quest for the Holy Grail.
The Quest for the Grail represents pursuing one’s dreams, even if those dreams are
seemingly impossible, such as a cat wanting to fly. It means never giving up and never accepting second best, or close enough. It is knowing that the Quest itself
is more important than what you may find at the end of that Quest. It is knowing that the Quest truly never ends.
But then, as the Buddha very well once may have said,
"Perfection is a fool's errand."
