Quest for the Grail

The Holy Grail has occupied a place in the imagination since awareness of it first dawned in the Middle Ages. As a sacred vessel, the grail has strong links with Celtic myth, the hermetic vessel and the Philosophers’ Stone. Whether depicted as cup, stone or jewel, the grail is a symbol of spiritual wholeness leading to union with the divine that has been the aim of seekers of truth in every land and every century. Text: John Matthews: The Grail: Quest for the Eternal

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Pompeii And Herculaneum

EMBASSY OF THE FREE MIND

Dionysiac frieze, Villa of mysteries at Pompeii, 1st c. BCE. Behind the mythology of the Grail we see echoes of mystery religions, in which a scared vessel played an important part, perhaps like the mystery ritual depicted on the walls of the villas of mysteries at Pompeii, where the initiate was offered a cup prior to undergoing the tests, which, if successfully completed, would impart to him tenets of the inner life. www.ritmanlibrary.com

EMBASSY OF THE FREE MIND

Dionysus and his thiasos, Attic krater-psykter, 6th c. BCE. In Greece, the idea of the vessel was present as the Krater, which was the matrix of creation, the divine mixing-bowl into which a deity poured elements of life, and offered to newly created souls to imbibe intelligence and wisdom. G.R.S. Mead relates these vessels to the cup of Dionysos and says that Orpheus 'ranges many other such cups around the Solar table' which was the centre and beginning of the universe. www.ritmanlibrary.com

a large metal bowl sitting on top of a black table next to a glass case

EMBASSY OF THE FREE MIND

Gundestrup Cauldron. Silver–gilt, Denmark, 2nd or 1st c. BCE. The Gundestrup Cauldron illustrates the theme of rebirth in the procession of warriors killed in battle, waiting for the god Cernunnos to bring them back to life by dipping them head first into his cauldron. Other owners of magical or wonder-working vessels in Celtic sources include the Irish Dagda, or Father of the Gods. Another even more famous cauldron belonged to the Welsh goddess Ceridwen. www.ritmanlibrary.com

Vernacular Architecture

Ancient Mysteries

EMBASSY OF THE FREE MIND

The Mnajdra complex, Malta, 3600- 2500 B.C.E. Behind the symbol of a sacred vessel as an object of power lies the concept of the circle, which contains all being: life itself, in its circular journey from birth to death. 'Cup and the ring' markings are found on ancient standing stones and burial mounds. Graves and religious structures like these neolithic structures at Malta were often constructed in the shape of a reclining woman whose womb could be entered at death. www.ritmanlibrary.com

Indra on his mount Airaveata, 1816. The Vedic god Indra stole the fire of the sun and the divine drink, Soma, from the moon, and carried a spear with which he brought fertility to the dry land. In the Grail stories the lance or spear was of particular significance, and Indra's action, a 'freeing of the waters' , is like that of Perceval, who when he heals the Wounded King causes streams and rivers to flow again. www.ritmanlibrary.com Indian Painting, Om Namah Shivaya, Tanjore Painting, Hindu Mythology, Ancient India, Durga Puja, Hindu Deities, Hare Krishna, Hindu Art

EMBASSY OF THE FREE MIND

Indra on his mount Airaveata, 1816. The Vedic god Indra stole the fire of the sun and the divine drink, Soma, from the moon, and carried a spear with which he brought fertility to the dry land. In the Grail stories the lance or spear was of particular significance, and Indra's action, a 'freeing of the waters' , is like that of Perceval, who when he heals the Wounded King causes streams and rivers to flow again. www.ritmanlibrary.com

an ornate painting with many people and a golden cup in the foreground, surrounded by other figures

EMBASSY OF THE FREE MIND

The Arming and Departure of the Knights. Number 2 of the Holy Grail tapestries woven by Morris & Co. 1891-94 for Stanmore Hall. Of the many who set out from the Arthurian court at Camelot, few catch more than a glimpse of the elusive Grail. A series of tests are set for each knight, and their nature explained by a succession of hermit figures who are always at hand in the deep wood where the questers often find themselves. www.ritmanlibrary.com

EMBASSY OF THE FREE MIND

Joseph of Arimathaea, icon by a monk of the brotherhood of St Seraphim of Sarov, England, 1978. Joseph of Arimathaea is said to have brought the Grail to Britain. He was a wealthy Jew to whose care Christ's body was given to prepare it for the tomb. After the disappearance of the body, Christ appears and entrusts him with the Grail. He travels to Glastonbury and founds the first Christian church to house the Grail. Here we see him standing in the shadow of Glastonbury Tor. www.ritmanlibrary.com

an ornate silver bowl with gold trimmings and decorations on the sides, in front of a black background

King Arthur in the Netherlands

The Ardagh Chalice, Ireland, 8th c. AD. Here we see the grail as it is often imagined, as the chalice of the Mass. The original cup brought from the Holy Land to the West by Joseph of Arimathea was said to have been the vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper, and to have contained some of His sacred blood. The grail was thus linked symbolically with the central mystery of the Christian faith, and became an object of reverence and a sign of the truth. www.ritmanlibrary.com

an image of a man riding on the back of a horse next to a woman

Arthur Hughes

Sir Galahad

Oil Painting Gallery

Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood

EMBASSY OF THE FREE MIND

Arthur Hughes (1832-1915), Sir Galahad: The Quest of the Holy Grail, 1870. The quest has dominated the stories of the Grail. Its objective was a spiritual journey towards inner wholeness, union with the divine and self-fulfillment. The basic elements of the story are found in varying forms. Though the Grail is firmly entrenched in the Western imagination as a symbol of Christ’s teaching, a considerable amount of the imagery originated in eastern cultures. www.ritmanlibrary.com