| Eugene W. Weinraub, in Chretien’s Jewish Grail, comments on the similarities of the Jewish Passover to the Grail legend. According to Passover tradition, a young girl removes the ceremonial seder plate and a young boy asks a girl where she is going and why she is removing the plate. This leads into an explanation of the Passover story. A knife is dipped in wine and allowed to drip onto the tablecloth to commemorate the plague of blood god visited upon the Egyptians, and candelabras are featured as Menorahs. (73) In Cretien de Troye’s Perceval, Gawain finds a wounded knight by the roadside and proceeds to treat him: Of wounds and healing lore Did Sir Gawian know more Than any man alive. To make the sick knight thrive, A herb to cure all pain That in a hedge had lain He spied, and thence he plucked it. In Wolfram’s Parzival, a nearly identical verse is given: Of wounds and healing lore Had Sir Gawain learned more Than any other knew. Within a hedge there grew A herb he long had known By his master he’d been shown And taught its healing spell, And so he knew it well. In the poem titled Lancelot et le cerf au pied blanc, Gawain finds Lancelot wounded and carries him to a physician and instructs the physician to heal him: “To the healer did Sir Gawain teach his art of curing pain” And in another parallel story related in Morien, Gawain heals Lancelot without the aid of a physician: “Then Sir Gawain was greatly pleased That by his herbs pain could be eased And Lancelot’s bleeding wholly cured And healed the wounds he had endured.” (74) Merlin the Mushroom Magician The King of Britain, Vortigern, had taken alliance with a Saxon general, Hengist, whose daughter, Rowen, a pagan, he fell in love with over liquors one evening and married. In consideration of her vows, they were given the province of Kent. Because he married a pagan, the Christians in the kingdom deserted him and mutiny ensued. Rowan ended up poisoning Vortigern’s son, Vortimer, and Vortigan became prisoner to the Saxons until another deal was |
reached. The Britons were Christians and the Saxons were still “barbarians” and “pagans.” At this juncture, Vortigern is advised by the magicians of his court he must find a fatherless child, and this is where the story picks up with him seeking out Merlin. We learn from The History of the Kings of Britain Book VI by Geoffrey of Monmouth the following: “CHAP. XVII.--Vortigern, after consultation with magicians, orders a youth to be brought that never had a father. “At last he had recourse to magicians for their advice, and commanded them to tell him what course to take. They advised him to build a very strong tower for his own safety, since he had lost all his other fortified places. Accordingly, he made a progress about the country, to find out a convenient situation, and came at last to Mount Erir, where he assembled workmen from several countries, and ordered them to build the tower. The builders, therefore, began to lay the foundation; but whatever they did one day the earth swallowed up the next, so as to leave no appearance of their work. Vortigern being informed of this again consulted with his magicians concerning the cause of it, who told him that he must find out a youth that never had a father, and kill him, and then sprinkle the stones and cement with his blood; for by those means, they said, he would have a firm foundation. Hereupon messengers were dispatched away over all the provinces, to inquire about such a man. In their travels they came to a city, called afterwards Kaermerdin, where they saw some young men, playing before the gate, and went up to them; but being weary with their journey, they sat down in the ring, to see if they could meet with what they were in quest of. Towards evening, there happened on a sudden quarrel between two of the young men, whose names were Merlin and Dabutius. In the dispute, Dabutius said to Merlin: “You fool, do you presume to quarrel with me? Is there any equality in our birth? I am descended of royal race, both by my father and mother's side. As for you, nobody knows what you are, for you never had a father.” At that word the messengers looked earnestly upon Merlin and asked the by-standers who he was. They told him, it was not known who his father was; but that his mother was daughter to the king of Dimetia, and that she lived in St. Peter's church among the nuns of that city.” (73) Mystery of Manna, p. 114; Chrétien's Jewish Grail: A New Investigation Of The Imagery And Significance Of Chrétien De Troyes's Grail Episode Based Upon Medieval Hebraic Sources, 1976 (74) Sacred Mushroom Holy Grail, The Long Lost Origin of Our Most Intriguing Legend – Terry Atkinson, Jorvik Press, 2013, p. 47-48; From Ritual to Romance, Jessie L. Weston, 2005, Page 106-107 |