Chapter 11. Arthurian

Holy Grail

If such a cup were to have been used it might have been a wooden bowl or it might have been made of clay. At the time the cup was less important than the man who offered it and the wine he shared. It contained wine, not eternal youth, or divine grace, or blood, but Jesus said it should prompt a memory, a memory there was no reason for while he lived, for his covenant had already been offered to all in the room.

Fisher King

The Fisher King is wounded in the genitals and his whole kingdom, likewise, suffers. Instead of protecting his kingdom, he goes fishing alone in a small boat. He is the last keeper of the Holy Grail and subsists solely on a single wafer, waiting for a prince on a noble quest to ask the only question that could heal him.

King Arthur

Britain needed a brave and wise king to symbolize and inspire its ideals. History had its messy shortcomings. Ignorant and coarse slaughterers may have defended the kingdom, but we wouldn’t praise them in our books.

Knights of the Round Table

The round table signifies equality among the knights, whether king or minor nobleman. The farmer, hunter, cook, or baker who provide and serve the table would not be treated as equals. In this chivalric romance, the nobility of knights and horses adds appeal to the narrative.