Sir Galahad | King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table Sir Galahad Galahad was the natural son of Launcelot. His name may be of Welsh origin or come from the place name Gilead in Palestine. His mother was Elaine, and he was placed in a nunnery as a child, being that the abbess there was his great aunt. One day a sword in a stone was seen in a river by Arthur's knights, and it was said that only the world's best knight could pull out the sword. Galahad was led into Arthur's court where he sat in the Siege Perilous and then drew the sword out. It was later on when the Grail appeared in a vision at Arthur's court that Galahad was one of the three knights chosen to undertake the Quest for the Holy Grail. He was given a white shield, made by Evelake, with a red cross which Joseph of Arimathea had drawn in blood. In the course of the Quest he joined up with Percivale, Bors, and Percivale's sister.

On board Solomon's ship, Galahad obtained the Sword of David, and after the death of Percivale's sister the trio split up for a while and Galahad traveled with his father, Launcelot. When the three rejoined forces they came to Carbonek and achieved the Grail. Galahad mended the broken sword, and therefore, He was allowed to see the Grail. After beholding the Holy Grail, Galahad requested of Joseph of Arimathea that he die, which request was granted unto him. Galahad was always known as the "Perfect Knight". He was "perfect" in courage, gentleness, courtesy, and chivalry. arthurianlegend - Sir Galahad Sir Galahad Export (PDF) One day, long long ago, sir Lancelot sat around the magnificent round table. He met a young women their by the name of Elaine. He and Elaine had many great times together and eventually had a child. The child's name was Galahad. When Galahad was only a young man he showed many signs of becoming a great knight.

He was determined to work as hard as he could till he was good enough to join the knights of the round table. Surely enough when he grew older he was taken to King Arthur. Once King Arthur knighted him he was given his own seat at the round table. On his way back home he saw a sword daggered deep into the middle of a stone. As soon as he saw it, he took it appon himself pull out the sword from stone. Later, Queen Guinevere discovers Galahad pulled the sword out of the stone and sends him on a mission to find the Invincible Shield. During his long quest he discover many obstacles but eventually retrieves the shield from a monk in an abbey. With his quest finished he made his way back home. On his way home he was stopped at the Castle of Maidens by a man who wanted company.He knew that the Castle of Maidens had a curse to make you stay for ever so he neglected the offer. He continued on his journey for many days and faced many knights in battle but never lost a fight. Once he returned home from his quest he praised by all the men and women of the town. To show gratitude to Galahad they rewarded him with a precious golden horn.

It was said that It could be heard up to 2 miles away and whenever they heard the horn they promised Galahad that they would answer his call and help him in battle. Then finally he returned home with his long journey completed. Once upon a time, there was a feast at the Round Table that was very tasty, but a damsel called Sir Lancelot away. She wanted him to make a man named Galahad a knight. Sir Lancelot bestowed knighthood upon him. On his way home, Sir Lancelot saw a stone with a sword in it. It tells him that Galahad is a rightful knight of the Round Table. Galahad, upon seeing the sword, immediately pulled it from the stone. Then, Queen Guinevere discovered that Galahad is Lancelot's son. However, Sir Galahad does not have a shield. Sir Galahad decided to go on a quest to find a shield. He travels to a small chamber and finds King Bagdemagus and Sir Uwaine. They find an invincible shield hung behind a monk. King Bagdemagus is told he should take it, but on his way home he is attacked by a knight.

The knight takes the shield and gives it to Sir Galahad, and Galahad, with his quest completed, headed home. On his way home, Galahad was stopped at the Castle of Maidens by a very old man, who wanted him to stay. Sir Galahad, knowing there was a curse on the Castle of Maidens to keep him there forever, so he politely declined the offer. However, seven knights attacked him on his way out. They struck and struck him, but everything that hit the shield would bounce back with extremely hard speed. When he got out, the villagers rewarded him with a golden horn that they could hear from two miles away. If they heard this horn, they promised they would come with help as soon as possible. Sir Galahad went home in disguise, and on his way home he encountered Sir Lancelot and Sir Percival and they, who did not it was Sir Galahad, attacked. They fought and fought, but everything that hit the shield was hit back, and Galahad, with a mighty sweep of his spear, knocked them off their horses. Then, Galahad went home with his quest completed.

By Colin Senegeto EBK: Arthurian Literature: Sir Galahad Sir Galahad Arthurian Literary Character Sir Galahad was the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot by Lady Elaine of Corbenic. He was placed under the care his paternal great aunt and grew up at the nunnery where she was abbess. Upon reaching adulthood, his father knighted him and took him to Camelot . At the Royal Court, Galahad sat in the ï¿½Siege Perilousï¿½ - the seat reserved by God for the purest of knights - yet no calamity befell him. Like Arthur had done so many years before, he then drew a sword from a stone which bore a message declaring him to be the Worldï¿½s best knight! He was immediately welcomed to the Order of the Round Table and was present at the vision of the Grail , when he was chosen as one of those to seek this holiest of relics. Galahad left on his quest with a shield made by King Evelake and painted with a red cross of blood by St. Joseph of Arimathea .

This was joined by King Davidï¿½s sword when he met up with Sirs Bors , Percivale and the latterï¿½s sister. Upon the ladyï¿½s death, the trio split up and, for a while, Galahad traveled with his father, visiting King Evelake together. Back with Bors and Percivale, the three arrived at Castle Corbenic and together they found the Holy Grail. Galahad cured the Maimed King there of his ailment by anointing him with blood from the Dolorous Spear and the spirit of St. Joseph of Arimathea appeared and celebrated mass with the three. A vision of Christ then told Galahad how he would have more time with the Grail in the country of Sarras. So the knights left Corbenic and sailed for Sarras; and the Grail appeared to them once more onboard ship. Upon arrival, the pagan King Estorause threw them in prison; but the Grail sustained them and, when the King died, Galahad was able to take control of the country. A year later St. Joseph of Arimathea appeared to him with the Grail once more.

Galahad celebrated mass and, having reached his lifelong goal, asked that he should be allowed to die. This he did in peace. The origins of Galahadï¿½s character are uncertain. The name may be taken from the Palestinian location, Gilead, or he may be connected with Welsh characters, such as Gwalhafed or St. Illtud . The Sangreal (Holy Grail) Summary - Arthurian Legend Arthurian Legend The legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table A comprehensive guide into Arthurian Legends. The life of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Queen Guinevere, Merlin & The Knights Of The Round Table. The Sangreal (Holy Grail) The Sangreal in Arthurian Legend The Sangreal is another name for the Holy Grail, a legendary sacred vessel associated with divine revelation, whose origins go back to the Last Supper. In Arthurian legend, the Grail quest represented a heroic and mystic adventure attempted by the Knights of the Round Table and was achieved by Sir Bors, Sir Percival, and Sir Galahad.

The Sangreal makes its appearance in Arthurian legend between about 1180 to 1240, from various sources: • ‘Le Conte del Graal’ (or ‘Perceval’), initiated by the French poet Chrétien de Troyes in a large collection of verses, c.1180 to 1240. • The French poet Robert de Boron’s ‘Joseph d’Arimathea’ and ‘Perceval’, c.1200. • The German poem ‘Parzival’ by Wolfram von Eschenbach, c.1205 to 1215. • Walter de Mapp’s ‘La Queste del Saint Greal’, c.1220, one of a group of tales known as the Vulgate Cycle, believed to have been compiled by Cistercian monks. ‘La Queste del Saint Greal’ was later embodied almost entire as Sir Thomas Malory’s characterisation of the Sangreal in ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’. • ‘ Le Morte d’Arthur ‘ by Sir Thomas Malory , published by William Caxton in 1485.

‘Le Conte del Graal’ – the Sangreal according to Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes wrote a series of five Arthurian romances: ‘Erec et Enide’, ‘Cliges’, ‘Le Chevalier de la Charrette’ (Lancelot), ‘Le Chevalier au Lion’, and ‘Le Conte del Graal’ – “The History of the Grail”. Earlier stories about King Arthur contain few knightly adventures, whereas here, the knights have become the heroes, reflecting the late twelfth century world with its gradually eroding monarchical power and increasing importance of knights, barons, and other noblemen. ‘Le Conte del Graal’ is the oldest of the Sangreal romances, and Chrétien refers to the story as the greatest ever told in any court. He tells of Perceval’s growth from being a simpleton in boyhood to assuming knightly grace, but the crucial part appears to be as follows: after his knighting, Perceval sets out in search of further adventures and arrives at the castle of the Fisher King, who presides over an empty hall, large enough for four hundred men.

The Fisher King presents Perceval with a sword that “could not break save only in one peril which no one knew save him who forged and tempered it.” A procession comes through the hall. A squire carries a lance dripping blood onto the floor (the one with which Longius pierced Christ’s side on the Cross?), followed by two more squires carrying ten-branched candlesticks. Then a beautiful damsel enters carrying a jewelled ‘Graal’ – the Sangreal – which blazes so brightly that it outshines and extinguishes the light from the candles and the stars. Behind is another damosel carrying a talleors: a casket or tabernacle. Perceval sees all this but does not to ask its meaning. The following day he finds the castle empty and it disappears altogether as he departs over the drawbridge. Perceval visits a hermit for confession after five years of godless adventure. The hermit rebukes Perceval for not having asked about the Sangreal, despite the fact that he was merely following the teachings of a mentor (his mother?) not to enquire too much, and didn’t know that he should ask or that he would incur guilt and reproach for not doing so.

Then the hermit asserts that the Sangreal carried by the beautiful damsel did not contain a fish (as Chrétien implied it should) but simply a consecrated wafer intended for the King’s father. Church orthodoxy prevented women from serving in such a priestly capacity, but the Grail Maiden passes without an explanation. Undoubtedly Chrétien meant to relate the hero’s second visit to the castle, when he would have put the question and received the desired information. But the poet did not live to finish his story. Whether the explanation of the Sangreal, taken up by others in four Continuations, is really what he intended it to signify remains open to question; in Chrétien’s version the Sangreal has no pronounced religious character, but in the Fourth Continuation (Gerbert de Montreuil, c.1226 – 1230) – influenced by the works of Robert de Boron and the Vulgate version – there are references to Joseph of Arimathea.

The Sangreal and the link with Christ – Robert de Boron In ‘Joseph d’ Arimathea’ and ‘Perceval’ Robert de Boron presents the Sangreal as a chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper, at which he instituted the Eucharist, linking it with the sacrement of the altar. It passed to Joseph of Arimathea, the rich man who used it to collect Christ’s blood when he took the body from the Cross and laid in the tomb. The Sangreal was then brought by Joseph’s brother-in-law, Bron, from the Holy Land to the West, to Britain. To be precise, it was taken to the ‘Vales of Avalon’ – possibly Glastonbury in central Somerset… Robert didn’t say – where it became endowed with supernatural properties of a Christian kind. It was in 1191 at Glastonbury Abbey where the monks announced that they had discovered the grave of King Arthur and Guinevere in their burial ground. The bodies were supposedly marked with a cross inscribed (in Latin): “Here lies buried the renowned King Arthur in the Isle of Avalon”.

This created an international sensation, and along with it, an appetite for stories about King Arthur and his knights, and their adventures in the quest of the Sangreal. In Robert’s ‘Perceval’, the hero returned to the (sick) Fisher King’s Castle (unlike in Chrétien’s unfinished ‘Le Conte del Graal’). The original Grail Maiden procession repeated itself, but this time Perceval’s virtue shone through and he enquired “Sire, by the faith that you owe to me and that you owe to all men, tell me what one serves with these things that I see borne there?” The Fisher King (another Bron) was miraculously restored to health, and said to Perceval “Dear grandson, know that this is the lance with which Longinus struck Jesus Christ on the cross, and this vessel that is called the Grail, know that this is the blood that Joseph caught from His wounds which flowed to the earth, and the reason that we call it the Grail is that it is agreeable to all worthy men and to all those who can stay in its fellowship; nor will it in its fellowship permit sin.

And I will pray to Our Lord that He may guide me in whatever I can do for you.” After an apparition by the Holy Ghost, Bron placed the vessel in Perceval’s keeping and announced “Perceval is lord of the Grail by the choice of Our Lord.” Thus Perceval became the Grail-Knight. Incidentally, on this same day, King Arthur was at the Round Table that Merlin had founded, and they heard a “crash of such greatness that they were frightened most severely by it”, and the stone which had split beneath Perceval when he had first sat in the empty Siège Perilous – the thirteeth seat symbolising the place of Judas at the Last Supper – was reunited. Merlin said to the King: “Arthur, know that in your time was fulfilled the greatest prophecy ever made; for the Fisher King is cured, and the enchantments have fallen from the land of Britain.” Percival visit to the Grail Castle Percival visits the Grail Castle twice. The first time, in his youth, he remembers that he has been taught not to ask unnecessary questions, and when he witnesses the Sangreal he asks nothing.

As a result, he fails and the world remains a wasteland. But he later finds the Grail Castle again, having achieved enlightenment, and is able to ask ‘The Question’, bringing healing and becoming the Grail-Knight. The Sangreal in ‘Parzival’ – Wolfram von Eschenbach According to Wolfram von Eschenbach, a German poet, the Sangreal was a wonder-working stone with celestial origins, not a vessel. He took up the Perceval theme in ‘Parzival’ (c.1205 to 1215), a long poem contained in 16 books which introduced the concept of the Sangreal into German literature. A simpleton, Parzival, sets out on his adventures without even knowing his own name – the classic fairy-tale motif of ‘the guileless fool’ – but who nonetheless, through innocence and artlessness, attains a goal denied to wiser men. Parzival’s development from dunce to wise and responsible keeper of the Sangreal is a subtle allegory of man’s spiritual development. Wolfram’s tale is especially interesting because it’s almost devoid of any mention of the clergy.

His Parzival finds grace through knightly prowess in pursuit of an agnostic, experiential faith rather than through any direct inspiration from Christ, the Last Supper, and so on. His Sangreal – the stone that fell from heaven – would eventually become, over the centuries, the philosopher’s stone. Also of interest is that Wolfram claims one of his sources as a Provençal poet, Guiot (Kyot), whose own source for the existence of the Sangreal was supposedly an Arabic manuscript in Toledo. Rather outside the mainstream of Arthurian legend, ‘Parzival’ still contains elements common to many of the medieval Grail romances: the ignorant youth arrives at the Grail Castle where he fails to ask the healing question; he grows from folly to wisdom through experience, then returns to the domain of the Sangreal where this time he asks the question and heals the wounded king, demonstrating the spiritual leadership that will enable the knights to go out, redeem, and bring healing to the world.

The Sangreal in the Vulgate Cycles ‘Lancelot en Prose’ is a trilogy: ‘Lancelot Propre’, ‘La Queste del Saint Graal’, and ‘La Mort de Roi Artu’, written by Cistercian monks between 1215 and 1230. In the Vulgate Cycle proper, the Lancelot trilogy was preceded by two other stories: ‘L’Estoire del Saint Graal’ and ‘Merlin’. ‘L’Estoire del Saint Graal’ is about the descendants of Joseph of Arimathea, who take the Sangreal with them to Britain where they build the Grail-castle in which the long line of Fisher Kings will live, as the keepers of the Grail. ‘La Queste del Saint Graal’ written by the one time Archdeacon of Oxford, Walter de Mapp (c.1220), is – as its title suggests – the story which deals most specifically with the quest of the Sangreal. The other three stories deal with general Arthur-related themes and are thought to be important sources for Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur a few hundred years later.

The Sangreal in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur The popularity of Arthurian legend stories waned in the fourteenth century, but during the second half of the fifteenth century, the English ‘knight’ Sir Thomas Malory wrote his masterpiece, Le Morte d’Arthur . Malory wasn’t an innovator like Chrétien and some of the earlier medieval writers – who were essentially his (French) sources – Le Morte d’Arthur is rather (amongst other things) an extensive recapitulation of previous medieval stories concerning King Arthur. Le Morte d’Arthur was printed and prefaced by the ‘father of British printing’, William Caxton in 1485, as 21 books instead of Malory’s original eight. The Sangreal is referred to in various places but it’s in Book 17 that Sirs Galahad, Bors, and Percivale finally achieve it and heal the Maimed King at Castle Corbin. Malory’s story is unlike its French ancestors in that the narrative is less complex, less interwoven, contains less magic, and is thus more realistically detailed.

Its sequential character gives the reader a sense of the cumulative significance of events, increasingly apparent in a rising tide of unavoidable disaster: the death of King Arthur and the end of the fellowship of the Round Table. As regards the Sangreal, this is important, because its status is never exalted beyond its place amongst other more Earthly events. Here, the quest of the Sangreal – spelt “Sangrail” by Malory – has an air of a real expedition. In Book 13 , all one hundred and fifty of the Round Table knights left on the quest. In short: Sir Percevale survived the quest with his viginity intact, in Book 14 , but did not achieve it. Sir Launcelot failed the quest in Book 15 , and Sir Bors achieved a victory over temptation in Book 16 . In Book 17 it becomes highly uncertain as to exactly who is the Maimed King, what sword goes where, exactly what the Sangreal is, and how anyone can tell when it is eventually achieved. Several cursory and puzzling references are made to events that that may or may not have been introduced earlier in the narrative.

It’s as if Malory was getting bored trying to make sense of his huge pile of assorted myth fragments and just threw everything in that was still left. Be that as it may, Galahad, Percivale, Bors, the Maimed King, and others finally found themselves gathered together at Castle Corbin, and at dinner, Joseph of Aramathie appeared, dressed as a bishop. There followed a major scene, heavily based on the Christian mass, involving glowing babies turning into bread. Then Joseph left and Jesus came out of the holy vessel in person, and Galahad ‘received his saviour’. After a mission briefing for his twelve new disciples, Jesus declared that the Sangreal would now leave Logris, never to return. He blessed them all and vanished, leaving behind some of his blood on the Spear of Longinus. Galahad did as he was told, and used the spear to heal the Maimed King, who then became a white monk. Galahad, Percivale, and Bors then travelled by ship to the city of Sarras, where Joseph of Aramathie appeared again.

Galahad was eventually made king, then died, finding ‘the life of the soul’, whereupon Percivale became a hermit, then soon died too. At the end of Book 17, at King Arthur’s court, there was great joy at Bors’ return from the quest, and he and Launcelot swore eternal friendship – “thus endeth the history of the Sangrail”. Read the first page about << the Sangreal . In 1948 the Belgian artist and book illustrator Francoise Taylor produced a series of 18 wonderfully original and evocative engravings created specifically as illustrations for Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, including two pictures titled ‘ The Sangreal ‘ and ‘ The Quest of the Sangreal ‘. See also Arthurian Legend homepage. Arthurian Legend Galahad | Robbins Library Digital Projects Characters Name Variants: GalaadBackground Essay Author: Kara L. McShane Sir Galahad, the son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic, is best known as the knight who achieves the Holy Grail . When Galahad appears, he is the chief Grail knight; in the French and English traditions, he replaces Perceval in this role.

Galahad first appears in the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle. The opening part of the Cycle, the Estoire del saint Graal, first mentions Galahad; it predicts his birth and his eventual achievement of the Grail. According to this section of the text, Galahad is ninth in the line of Nascien, who was baptized by Josephus, son of Joseph of Arimathea. This lineage connects Galahad to those who are said to have brought Christianity (and the Grail itself) to Britain. A later section, La Queste del saint Graal, recounts his adventures on the quest, which leads from Arthur's court to the city of Sarras, the earthly home of the Grail, and the place where Galahad dies while contemplating the Grail. Stories of Galahad's adventures are exceptionally consistent; the account of Galahad's quest from Malory’s Morte d'Arthur, "The Noble Tale of the Sankgreal," draws on the major events from the Vulgate Cycle. Malory preserves the prophesy and foretelling that surround Galahad; within the Grail Quest, hermits and other religious figures continually appear to interpret dreams and anticipate upcoming events.

Galahad’s birth and achievements are foretold in both the Vulgate Cycle and in Malory; this gives the entire Grail Quest a sense of inevitability. In both Malory and La Queste del saint Graal, Galahad is knighted by Lancelot at a convent in the woods. At the feast of Pentecost, he arrives in Camelot, where... Read Less Sir Galahad, the son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic, is best known as the knight who achieves the Holy Grail . When Galahad appears, he is the chief Grail knight; in the French and English traditions, he replaces Perceval in this role. Galahad first appears in the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle. The opening part of the Cycle, the Estoire del saint Graal, first mentions Galahad; it predicts his birth and his eventual achievement of the Grail. According to this section of the text, Galahad is ninth in the line of Nascien, who was baptized by Josephus, son of Joseph of Arimathea. This lineage connects Galahad to those who are said to have brought Christianity (and the Grail itself) to Britain.

A later section, La Queste del saint Graal, recounts his adventures on the quest, which leads from Arthur's court to the city of Sarras, the earthly home of the Grail, and the place where Galahad dies while contemplating the Grail. Stories of Galahad's adventures are exceptionally consistent; the account of Galahad's quest from Malory’s Morte d'Arthur, "The Noble Tale of the Sankgreal," draws on the major events from the Vulgate Cycle. Malory preserves the prophesy and foretelling that surround Galahad; within the Grail Quest, hermits and other religious figures continually appear to interpret dreams and anticipate upcoming events. Galahad’s birth and achievements are foretold in both the Vulgate Cycle and in Malory; this gives the entire Grail Quest a sense of inevitability. In both Malory and La Queste del saint Graal, Galahad is knighted by Lancelot at a convent in the woods. At the feast of Pentecost, he arrives in Camelot, where he is able to sit in the Siege Perilous , an act which demonstrates that he is the knight who will achieve the Grail.

After the Grail appears at the Pentecost feast, the knights vow to spend a year and a day seeking the Grail. Galahad sets out on the quest without a shield. Accompanied by King Bademagu, he stops at an abbey, and they learn that the abbey houses a white shield marked with the blood of Galahad’s ancestor, Josephus. When Bademagu takes the shield from the abbey, a mysterious white knight appears and knocks him from his horse; the white knight’s squire then brings the shield to Galahad. The shield is meant exclusively for Galahad and will protect only him. On his travels, he reaches the Castle of Maidens, where seven cruel knights hold a duke’s daughter and all who pass through the region captive; he restores order by defeating the evil knights in combat and making the knights native to the country swear fealty to the duke’s daughter. However, Galahad does not kill the seven cruel knights. (The seven knights are killed the next day when several other Round Table knights encounter them.) After leaving the Castle, Galahad travels through the Waste Forest until he reaches the sea.

There, he is reunited with fellow Grail knights Perceval and Bors. The three knights travel together to Logres, where they and nine foreign knights experience a mass and have a vision of the Grail. At this mass, Christ himself appears to Galahad and tells him that the Grail is not sufficiently respected in the land and that Galahad will see the Grail more openly when he reaches Sarras. Galahad, Percival, and Bors then journey to Sarras with the Grail on a mysterious ship. After some time in Sarras, Galahad prays for death and dies while contemplating the Grail. Both texts explain Galahad’s birth out of wedlock; Lancelot is magically tricked into sleeping with Elaine (who is called Amite or “the rich Fisher King’s daughter” in the Vulgate Cycle), and Galahad is the result of that union. In spite of the circumstances of his birth, the texts emphasize Galahad’s inherent virtue. The narrator in the Estoire del saint Graal acknowledges Galahad's problematic conception (without explicitly identifying him as a bastard child), but praises him on the grounds of his worthy lineage, good life, and good purpose.

In the Vulgate Cycle, he is often referred to simply as the "Good Knight" (Lancelot-Grail 4:6, 4:20) or the "worthy man" (L-G 4:5). Malory seems even more comfortable with Galahad’s bastard status; in the Queste, Galahad demonstrates embarrassment at his paternity in a conversation with Guinevere, but Malory leaves this conversation out of his version (Watson 58-59). Instead, when Guinevere is asked by one of her ladies if Galahad should rightly be such a good knight, she claims that "he ys of all partyes comyn of the beste knyghtes of the world, and of the highest lynage" (Malory 502). In Malory’s text, Galahad’s status as a bastard child does not detract from his prestigious lineage in the slightest; rather, the quality of his parents and his own inherent virtue outweigh the circumstances of his birth. Descriptions of Galahad inevitably remark on his youth and beauty as defining characteristics, and he is often immediately recognizable as Lancelot's son.

In the Queste when Lancelot first encounters Galahad, Lancelot observes that Galahad "was endowed with exceptional beauty" (L-G 4:3). Similarly, upon Galahad’s arrival at Arthur’s court, a young man describes Galahad to Guinevere as "one of the world’s most handsome knights" (L-G 4:6). Galahad's virginity is the key to his perfection and therefore the key to his success in the Grail Quest. Galahad’s quest has certain parallels with hagiographic literature, notably stories of St. John the Evangelist; these similarities appear in the healings and “miracles” Galahad performs, as well as in his virginity (O’Malley 40). Galahad’s saintliness makes him the knight who most fully achieves the Grail, and this status distinguishes Galahad from his Round Table peers in potentially problematic ways. Galahad’s successes simultaneously confer honor on the Round Table and demonstrate the weakness of his fellow knights, who often fail where Galahad succeeds (Armstrong 32).

Galahad's perfection, especially his virginity, makes him both admirable and irksome to modern adaptors of the Grail story. Malory’s version inspired many retellings of Galahad’s adventures, the best known of which is by Tennyson. The Idylls of the King preserves Galahad as the chief Grail Knight. As a result, he is a figure of mythic status even to Perceval, a fellow Grail Knight. Galahad’s visions of the Grail separate him from the rest of his Round Table companions, such as Lancelot, who declares upon his return to Camelot that "’this Quest was not for me’" (849). Similarly, Tennyson's "Sir Galahad" depicts a heavenly, peerless knight who famously claims that "My strength is as the strength of ten, / Because my heart is pure" (ll. 3-4). Tennyson presents purity as a source of strength, an image of Galahad that was exceptionally popular with Victorian audiences (Mancoff, Return, 123). Boldly persistent in his quest, Galahad consistently moves forward toward his goal.

Perhaps due to this image of the tireless, virtuous knight, Tennyson’s poems are sometimes used in texts which associate Galahad with war, and Galahad was invoked as a symbol of patriotic Englishness during World War I (Mancoff, Return, 126). James Burns’s Sir Galahad: A Call to the Heroic promotes Galahad as the righteous Christian soldier whose behavior the young men of Britain should emulate. This use of Galahad appears not only in literature, but also in art. Stained glass windows depicting Galahad were often created (from roughly 1900 through 1930) to memorialize the deaths of young men, especially young men killed during the war. Stained glass depictions of Galahad were also common in public schools, reinforcing Galahad as an idealized role model for young men. Such depictions often incorporate lines from Tennyson or Malory and thus connect the image to a specific text (Poulson 112-114). One such window, in St.

Paul’s Church, Fairlie, was commissioned by Sir James and Lady Dobbie in 1919 to commemorate the death of their son Alexander. Along the bottom, the window quotes Tennyson’s “The Holy Grail”: Galahad | Quondam et Futurus | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The circumstances surrounding the conception of the boy Galahad are explained by Malory and derive from the Lancelot-Grail cycle: Elaine , the daughter of King Pelles, the Grail King , uses magic to trick Sir Lancelot into thinking that she is Queen Guinevere , whom Lancelot loves. Sir Lancelot and Elaine sleep together, but on discovering the deception, Lancelot at first tries to kill Elaine for her complicity, but when he finds out that they have conceived a son together, he is immediately forgiving; however he does not marry Elaine or even wish to be with her anymore and returns to King Arthur's court. The young Galahad is born and placed in the care of a great aunt, who is an abbess at a nunnery, to be raised there.

According to the Vulgate Cycle, "Galahad" was Lancelot's original name, but it was changed when he was a child. At his birth, therefore, Galahad is given his father's own original name. Merlin prophesies that Galahad will surpass his father in valour and be successful in his search for the Holy Grail. Quest for the Holy Grail George Reeves in The Adventures of Sir Galahad Upon reaching adulthood, Galahad is reunited with his father Sir Lancelot, who knights him at King Arthur 's court at Camelot during Pentecost, where he is accompanied by a very old knight who immediately leads him over to the Round Table and unveils his seat at the Siege Perilous , an unused chair that has been kept vacant for the sole person who will accomplish the quest of the Holy Grail. Sir Galahad is promptly invited to become a Knight of the Round Table, and soon afterwards, King Arthur's court witnesses an ethereal vision of the Holy Grail . The quest to seek out this holy object is begun at once.

Galahad for the most part travels alone, smiting his enemies, rescuing Sir Perceval from twenty knights and saving maidens in distress, until he is finally reunited with Sir Bors and Sir Perceval . These three knights then come across Sir Perceval’s sister who leads them to the grail ship. After many adventures, Sir Galahad and Sir Perceval find themselves at the court of King Pelles and Eliazar, his son. These men are very holy and they bring Galahad into a room where he is finally allowed to see the Holy Grail. Galahad is asked to take the vessel to the holy city of Sarras. After seeing the grail, Galahad makes request that he may die at the time of his choosing. So it is, while making his way back to Arthur’s court, Sir Galahad is visited by Joseph of Arimathea , and thus experiences such glorious rapture that he makes his request to die. After bidding Perceval and Bors farewell, Galahad is taken up to heaven by angels.

Facts & Figures: Enchanted Objects Enchanted Objects Arthurian Legend The following magical objects found in the Arthurian legend are actually too enormous to list here. Since Arthur and some of his companions are found in Welsh (Celtic) literature, it is only right to list their possessions here. Caliburn King Arthur Caliburn was the original Latin name of King Arthur's sword, Excalibur. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the sword was forged at the Isle of Avalon. Calwdvwlch Sword of Arthur, forerunner of Excalibur. Excalibur Lady of the Lake, King Arthur, Gawain Excalibur (cut steel) was the sword of King Arthur. In some tales, Gawain's sword was also called Excalibur. Wheter this sword is the same one as that wielded by his uncle, is unclear. According to the Geoffrey of Monmouth, the sword was called Caliburn, and it was forged at the Isle of Avalon. However, the later legend say that Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. At Arthur's death, the king had the sword thrown into the lake, by either Girflet or Bedivere.

Excalibur came with an scabbard that had even more powerful magic; it prevent of blood from wounds. However, the scabbard was lost because Morgan le Fay stole the sheath and threw it into a lake. In the Welsh tradition, the sword was called Caledvwlch. Carnwennan Knife or dagger of Arthur. Rhongowennan Spear of Arthur in the Welsh legend. It was later called Ron. Ron The lance of King Arthur. It was originally called Rhongomynad in the Welsh tale. Pridwen King Arthur The shield of King Arthur. According to Welsh tradition, the shield was called Wynebgwrthucher. In the Welsh poem, the Spoils of Annwfn, the Pridwen was actually the original name of Arthur's ship. Pridwen, Prydwen Arthur Ship of King Arthur, according to the Welsh poem, the Spoils of Annwfn. This ship also appeared in Culhwch and Olwen, when Arthur travelled to Ireland, to fetch the cauldron of Diwrnach and the boar Twrch Trwyth. In later Arthurian legend, Pridwen was the name of Arthur's shield.

Wynebgwrthucher The sword of King Ban, the father of Lancelot of the Lake. Coreiseuse means "Wrathful". Galatine Gawain Sword of Gawain that Malory mentioned in Arthur's war against Rome (Le Morte d'Arthur V: 6, 10). Secace Lancelot According to pre-cycle Lancelot, the sword that Lancelot used against the Saxons at Saxon Rock. Also called Seure (Sequence) in Vulgate Lancelot. Holy Grail Joseph of Arimathea, Bron, Josephus, Fisher King, Maimed King, Perceval, Galahad Holy Grail or Sangreal had restorative power, such as healing, or endless supply of divine food. Different authors described the grail to various objects, such as dish or platter, cup or chalice, cauldron, crown or circlet, rock from falling star, even a severed head in a platter.

Bleeding Lance Joseph of Arimathea, Bron, Josephus, Fisher King, Maimed King, Perceval, Galahad It was sometimes known as the Spear of Longinus, the Roman officer, who pierced Jesus' side during the Crucifixion. The spear would continuously bleed. Sword of the Strange Sheath Perceval, Galahad, King David of Israel The sword first appeared in Perceval's legend of the Grail, before it appeared in the Galahad's tradition. Sword with the Red Hilt Balin, Galahad This was the sword that Galahad drew from the float stone. Merlin had sheathed the sword into the rock after the death of Balin, the Knight of Two Swords, who had inflicted the Dolorous Blow. Broken Sword Saracen seneschal Elyezer, Bors This is the sword that broke when a Saracen seneschal wounded Joseph of Arimathea in the thighs. Elyezer, the son of Pelles (Fisher King) carried the sword with him, in search of the true Grail Knight. Having met Gawain and other knights, these knights failed to restore the sword.

Galahad mended the sword in the final stage of the Grail quest. Pelles awarded the sword to Sir Bors, uncle and Grail companion of Galahad. Shield of Judas Maccabee Judas Maccabee, Gawain In the Perlesvaus, Gawain won the red shield that was once carried by the Jewish hero of the 2nd century BC, named Judas Maccabee. Gawain gained the shield when he defeated a knight. The shield bears the sign of a golden eagle. Fail-not Shield of Joseph of Arimathea Joseph of Arimathea, Maiden of the Cart, Perlesvaus (Perceval) The Shield of Joseph of Arimathea appeared in the Grail romance, titled Perlesvaus. Three maidens took the shield to Arthur's castle in Cardueil. It was left behind so that Perceval would later take the shield. Perceval used this shield to defeat the Knight of the Burning Dragon. Shield of Evalach Evalach (Mordrain), Galahad The shield belong to King Evalach (Mordrain) during the time of Joseph of Arimathea and his son Josephus.

Josephus painted the red cross on the white shield with his own blood. Galahad would later win the shield from the shield's guardian (angel?). ring of dispell Lady of the Lake, Lancelot The Lady of the Lake gave a ring to Lancelot, which can dispell enchantment, was mentioned in the Post-Vulgate Merlin Continuation 23.57. In Chretien's Chevalier de la Charrete , it mentioned a fairy, not the Lady of the Lake. He used this ring at the Sword Bridge at Gorre. Stone of Giramphiel Giramphiel (goddess), Fimbeus, Gawain In the Diu Krône (or "The Crown"), Gawain won a magical stone from another knight Fimbeus, whom he defeated. The stone protected Gawain from the flame of the dragon and from the magic of the wizard Laamorz of Janfrüege.

skein of thread Ilamert of Lanoier, Laamorz of Janfrüege, Gawain In the Diu Krône (or "The Crown"), when Gawain defeated the wizard Laamorz of Janfrüege, he gain the skein of thread, in exchange for sparing Laamorz. Lancelot | legendary knight | Britannica.com legendary knight Alternative Titles: Lancelot du Lac, Lancelot of the Lake, Launcelot Related Topics Camelot Lancelot, also spelled Launcelot, also called Lancelot of the Lake, French Lancelot du Lac , one of the greatest knights in Arthurian romance ; he was the lover of Arthur’s queen, Guinevere , and was the father of the pure knight Sir Galahad . Lancelot and Guinevere, illustration by N.C. Wyeth, for The Boy’s King Arthur: … The Boy’s King Arthur: Sir Thomas Malory’s History of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1922. Illustration by N.C.

Wyeth Lancelot’s name first appeared as one of Arthur’s knights in Chrétien de Troyes’s 12th-century romance of Erec, and the same author later made him the hero of Lancelot; ou, le chevalier de la charrette , which retold an existing legend about Guinevere’s abduction, making Lancelot her rescuer and lover. It also mentioned Lancelot’s upbringing by a fairy in a lake, a story that received fuller treatment in the German poem Lanzelet. These two themes were developed further in the great 13th-century Vulgate cycle , or “Prose Lancelot.” According to this, after the death of his father, King Ban of Benoic, Lancelot was carried off by the enchantress Vivien, the Lady of the Lake, who in time sent him to Arthur’s court. Her careful education of Lancelot, combined with the inspiring force of his love for Guinevere, produced a knight who was the very model of chivalry .

In later branches of the cycle, in which worldly chivalry was set against chivalry inspired by spiritual love, Lancelot’s son, Sir Galahad, whom he fathered by Elaine, daughter of the Grail keeper King Pelleas, displaced him as the perfect knight. Lancelot’s adulterous love for the queen, moreover, caused him to fail in the quest for the Holy Grail and set in motion the fatal chain of events that brought about the destruction of the knightly fellowship of the Round Table . In medieval English romance, Lancelot played a leading role in the late 14th-century Le Morte Arthur, which told of a fatal passion for Lancelot conceived by Elaine the Fair of Astolat and which described the tragic end of Lancelot’s love for Guinevere.

He also played a central role in Malory’s 15th-century prose work Le Morte Darthur , in which it was essentially the conflict between Lancelot’s love for Guinevere and his loyalty to his lord that led to Arthur’s “dolorous death and departing out of this world.” Learn More in these related articles: The Quest Fulfilled - Arthurian Legend Arthurian Legend The legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table A comprehensive guide into Arthurian Legends. The life of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Queen Guinevere, Merlin & The Knights Of The Round Table. The Quest Fulfilled Lugodoc’s summary of Book 17 – The Quest Fulfilled After rescuing Percivale from the twenty knights at the beginning of Book 14, Galahad rode into the waste forest, where he had more adventures than are worth trying to summarise (presumably including finding the scabbard of the Sword of Avelion, that Merlin had left on the island of the six inch wide iron bridge at the end of Book 2).

Eventually he found himself helping a castle to lift a siege, and that it happened that the seige was was being laid by his uncle Ector, and Gawaine. With the magic Sword of Avelion, he dealt Gawaine a head wound that would leave him bed-ridden for a month, and then Galahad disappeared without even announcing himself. Near Castle Corbin, in the hermitage of Sir Ulfin, he was summoned by a mysterious gentlewoman (who later turned out to be Percivale’s sister) and led to the seaside, where they both joined Percivale and Bors aboard the priest’s boat, and set sail away from Logris. After introductions, they eventually found themselves between two huge rocks in a swell, alongside Solomon’s fifteen-hundred year-old magic boat. Once aboard, Percivale’s curiously knowlegeble sister told them its entire, twisted history (recounted in the Prologues).

Only Galahad succeeded in drawing the Sword of David from its hemp scabbard, and Percivale’s sister gave him new girdles, woven from her own hair and gold, and renamed it the “Sword with the Strange Girdles”, and named the scabbard “Mover of Blood”. Destiny fulfilled, they returned to the priest’s boat and sailed away, leaving Solomon’s magic ship to look after itself. The trio came to land by Castle Carteloise in Scotland, and quickly slaughtered every inhabitant. A priest then told them this was appropriate because the rightful ruler, Lord Earl Hernox, had been imprisoned by his three sons when he learned they had been raping their own sister. They followed a white hart and four lions that turned into two men, another lion, an eagle, and an ox that passed through a glass window without breaking it in some peculiar allegory of the anunciation. Then they stumbled across the same castle that Balin and the nameless damosel had visited in Book 2, and hacked to death dozens of knights for demanding virgin blood off Percivale’s sister to heal the lady within, who was still sick after over four decades.

Percivale’s sister nobly decided to bleed for them voluntarily, but the lady stayed sick and Percivale’s sister tragically died. They set her corpse adrift in a barge, clutching a letter of explanation, and during the following thunderstorm, Bors rode off to save a passing knight from another knight and his dwarf. When Galahad and Percivale returned to the Castle of Blood, they found that those they hadn’t killed earlier were now dead by the storm, and exploring, found the tombs of all the previously drained maidens. Then Galahad and Percival went their separate ways, sobbing. After much fruitless wandering, Launcelot was eventually led by a voice to the barge, where he found Percivale’s dead sister, read the note, and lived for a month on Holy Ghost grace. Then Galahad appeared, and father and son (and corpse) sailed off for six months, having many adventures amongst wild beasts on distant islands, until one Monday, a mysterious white knight summoned Galahad away into the forest to his destiny, and Launcelot sailed on alone, never to see his son again.

After another month at sea with the rotting remains of Percivale’s dead sister, Launcelot landed by a castle (which later turned out to be Corbin), and after being disarmed by a dwarf, walked in past two lions and all its sleeping inhabitants, until he was paralysed by the Sangreal for trying to help a feeble old priest. After twenty-four days in a coma (one for every year he had been adulterous with Guenevere) he woke up, and there was King Pelles, who told him that he had seen as much of the Sangreal as he was ever going to, and that his daughter Elaine (who had ravished Launcelot and given birth to Galahad) was now dead. Four days later, Launcelot’s brother Ector rode up and knocked on the door, but the castle would not let him in, and so he rode off in despair. The next morning, Launcelot left himself, for Camelot.

On his way he stopped off at the White Abbey, and discovered that Bagdemagus had eventually recovered from his wounds at the hands of the white knight (in Book 13), only to be – reportedly – slain by Gawaine. When he finally returned to Camelot, a year after having left it on the quest, he found Arthur and Guenevere well, but fully half of the 150 round table knights dead or still missing, including Galahad, Percivale, and Bors. Amongst those already returned safely were his brother Ector, Gawaine, and Lionel. [Editor’s note: after this, the narrative implodes somewhat. It becomes highly uncertain as to exactly who is the Maimed King, what sword goes where, exactly what the Sangreal is, and how anyone can tell when it is eventually achieved. Several cursory and puzzling references are made to events that that may or may not have been introduced earlier in the narrative.

It is as if Malory was getting bored trying to make sense of his huge pile of assorted myth fragments and just threw everything in that was still left.] After leaving his father and riding into the forest, Galahad was lost for a long time, until he came across the abbey where the four-hundred year old blind King Mordrains had retired after fixing the Sword of David in the prologues. After one greeting, he died, and Galahad buried him, moving on to extinguish a burning well. Then he rode on to the White Abbey to witness Bagdemagus’ tomb and to extinguish the flames in the tomb of Simeon – where his father had failed at some point – and possibly another tomb too, before riding on. After five days, Galahad, Percivale, and Bors found themselves all together again at Castle Corbin, with King Pelles and his son Eliazar, where Galahad repaired the sword that had maimed Joseph, and they were joined at dinner by three similar trios from Gaul (including King Claudas’ son, Claudine), Ireland, and Denmark. Then the Maimed King was carried in.

Pelles and Eliazar left (which would make the Maimed King the old King Pellam wounded by Balin with his own spear in Book 2, and not a mis-print of King Pelles at all), and Joseph of Aramathie appeared, dressed as a bishop. There followed a major scene, heavily based on the Christian mass, involving glowing babies turning into bread. Then Joseph left and Jesus came out of the “holy vessel” in person, and Galahad “received his saviour”. After a mission briefing for his twelve new disciples, Jesus declared that the Sangreal would now leave Logris, never to return. He blessed them all and vanished, leaving behind some of his blood on the Spear of Longinus. Galahad did as he was told, and used the spear to heal the Maimed King, who then became a white monk.

The other nine Sangreal-questers went their ways, and following voices in their heads, Galahad, Percivale, and Bors left Castle Corbin for the seaside, where three days later they once again boarded Solomon’s magic boat and found the silver table they thought they had left with the Maimed King, with the Sangreal on it, covered in red samite. They sailed far away, to the city of Sarras (where, long ago, Joseph of Aramathie had converted King Evelake to Christianity), where they found the boat with Percivale’s dead sister aboard, healed a passing cripple, and buried her. But then, the evil pagan king, Estorause, threw them all in jail. A year later he felt ill, released them, asked for forgiveness, and died. The people made Galahad king (instead of killing him). He put the Sangreal in a silver chest, and after a year in charge of Sarras, he was visited by another holy virgin, old Joseph of Aramathie again, who accompanied his soul to heaven. Thus died Sir Galahad.

Then Percivale and Bors saw an enormous hand come down and grab the Sangreal and the spear, and carry them away, never to be seen again. After burying Galahad by his sister, Percivale became a white monk and entered a monastery for fourteen months. Then he died himself, and Bors buried him by them both. Then, realising how far he was from home, he found a ship and sailed back to Logris. On Bors’ return to Camelot (after nearly five years away without news) there was much rejoicing, and after the festivities, King Arthur ordered clerks to write down everything that Bors had to say about his own adventures, the Sangreal, Launcelot, Percivale, Galahad et al, and then had it all sent to Salisbury. Everyone was united in grief over the deaths of Galahad and Percivale, and Bors and Launcelot swore eternal friendship. And that was the end of the quest for the Sangreal. At A Glance Book 17 Chapter Summary 1. How Sir Galahad fought at a tournament, and how he was known of Sir Gawaine and Sir Ector de Maris. 2.

How Sir Galahad rode with a damosel, and came to the ship whereas Sir Bors and Sir Percivale were in. 3. How Sir Galahad entered into the ship, and of a fair bed therein, with other marvellous things, and of a sword. 4. Of the marvels of the sword and of the scabbard. 5. How King Pelles was smitten through both thighs because he drew the sword, and other marvellous histories. 6. How Solomon took David’s sword by the counsel of his wife, and of other matters marvellous. 7. A wonderful tale of King Solomon and his wife. 8. How Galahad and his fellows came to a castle, and how they were fought withal, and how they slew their adversaries, and other matters. 9. How the three knights, with Percivale’s sister, came unto the same forest, and of an hart and four lions, and other things. 10. How they were desired of a strange custom, the which they would not obey; wherefore they fought and slew many knights. 11.

How Sir Percivale’s sister bled a dish full of blood for to heal a lady, wherefore she died; and how that the body was put in a ship. 12. How Galahad and Percivale found in a castle many tombs of maidens that had bled to death. 13. How Sir Launcelot entered into the ship where Sir Percivale’s sister lay dead, and how he met with Sir Galahad, his son. 14. How a knight brought unto Sir Galahad a horse, and bade him come from his father, Sir Launcelot. 15. How Sir Launcelot was tofore the door of the chamber wherein the Holy Sangreal was. 16. How Sir launcelot had lain four-and-twenty days and as many nights as a dead man, and other divers matters. 17. How Sir Launcelot returned towards Logris, and of other adventures which he saw in the way. 18. How Galahad came to King Mordrains, and of other matters and adventures. 19.

How Sir Percivale and Sir Bors met with Sir Galahad, and how they came to the castle of Carbonek, and other matters. 20. How Galahad and his fellows were fed of the Holy Sangreal, and how Our Lord appeared to them, and other things. 21. How Galahad anointed with the blood of the spear the Maimed King, and of other adventures. 22. How they were fed with the Sangreal while they were in prison, and how Galahad was made king. 23. Of the sorrow that Percivale and Bors made when Galahad was dead: and of Percivale how he died, and other matters. Arthurian Legend

Question: In 'Arthurian' legend, who was the father of Sir Galahad?
Answer: SIR LANCELOT