Sir Gawain and the Quest of the Sangreal

Author: Traditional

Time Period: 501 CE–1000 CE

Country or Culture: England

Genre: Legend

Overview

Questing knights, fair maidens, bleeding swords, and the mysterious fisher king—these are the features of the Holy Grail (or Sangreal) legend, which was born in medieval Europe and still enchants audiences today. Although there is no single authoritative text of the Grail story, numerous versions and fragments remain, often with conflicting details, including which knight fulfills the quest and the nature of the Grail itself. In most surviving accounts, King Arthur’s nephew Sir Gawain does not succeed in the quest, although he does achieve it in an early German version written by Heinrich von dem Türlin around 1220.

Türlin’s account of the legend, an epic poem called Diu Crône (The Crown), begins with Gawain traveling to the Grail castle. After entering a paradisiacal garden and passing by a strange glass-walled dwelling with a sword suspended over its entrance, Gawain reunites with his fellow knights Lancelot and Calogreant (Calogrenant). They reach the Grail castle, where the aged host welcomes them. A youth places a sword before the host, and a banquet follows. During the banquet, Lancelot and Calogreant accept wine and immediately fall asleep; Gawain refuses, allowing him to remain awake to witness the marvelous Grail procession. A series of maidens and youths enter, carrying a spear, a golden platter on a silk cloth, and a precious container resembling a reliquary. They walk before the host and place the objects on the table. The spear produces drops of blood, which the host consumes along with bread in the reliquary. Gawain recognizes one of the maidens, who had previously instructed him to ask about such actions if he ever encountered them. He inquires about the meaning of the mysterious procession, which immediately causes great rejoicing because his question releases all of the people in the paradisiacal land from a curse of living death sent by God. Soon after, the host and most of his company vanish. The maidens proclaim that Gawain has achieved the quest and bless him for his virtue. Gawain and his two companions depart.

The reputation of Gawain, the winner of the Grail in this version and an upstanding knight in many other medieval tales, declines markedly in later accounts of the Grail quest. A comparative analysis reveals these changes and shows that Gawain’s reputation for both virtue and vice often centers on his interactions with women. Stories such as his marriage to Dame Ragnelle (Ragnell) and his interactions with Lady Bercilak (Bertilak) in the Green Knight legend exemplify his close link with ladies, which scholars believe to be related both to his status as Grail winner early on and his less stellar reputation in later versions. In addition to the intriguing problem of Gawain’s shifting status, a comparative analysis further reveals what is at stake in defining the Grail winner, whose success signifies nothing less than the power to restore life. For this reason, readers have viewed the identity of the knight who fulfills the quest to be crucial to the meaning of the Grail’s mysterious healing ritual, which represents a hybrid of pagan and Christian traditions.

Summary

Heinrich von dem Türlin’s story of the Grail castle, as translated by Jessie L. Weston, begins with Gawain traveling on horseback. He comes upon a rich and fertile land that seems like the earthly paradise. Within this garden appears a glass-walled dwelling, but blocking the entry is a fiery sword. Believing this to be a dangerous omen, Gawain passes by the dwelling. He journeys for twelve more days in the land until he happily discovers his fellow knights Lancelot and Calogreant sleeping beneath a tree. They reunite and travel together, meeting a squire who directs them to the next town. The knights next discover a castle where many knights practice horsemanship in a meadow nearby. These knights greet the newcomers warmly and bring them inside the castle to meet their lord, who also welcomes the men and invites Gawain to sit beside him. They become acquainted until evening, when many knights, ladies, minstrels, and servants enter for a banquet.

“Sir Gawain might scarce trust his senses, for of a truth he knew the crowned maiden well, and that ’twas she who aforetime had spoken to him of the Grail, and bade him an he ever saw her again, with five maidens in her company, to fail not to ask what they did there—and thereof had he great desire.”

Next, a “wondrous fair youth, of noble bearing” enters the hall with a sword and places it before the aged host (Weston, Sir Gawain 39). Wine is then served, first to Gawain and his companions, but the host refrains from eating or drinking, so Gawain abstains as well. Lancelot and Calogreant, however, quench their thirst with the wine, which immediately causes them to fall asleep. The host frequently invites Gawain to drink, but he refrains, not wanting to fall asleep, too. A procession then begins: first come four seneschals, or stewards, followed by two maidens carrying two candlesticks. Behind the maidens are two youths who hold a sharp spear between them. Next, two more maidens arrive carrying a “salver [tray] of gold and precious stones, upon a silken cloth” (40). Walking behind these maidens is another woman surpassingly lovely and richly dressed. She holds a piece of samite cloth, on which lies a red-gold jewel that serves as a base for another golden container resembling a reliquary on an altar. The woman wears a gold crown and is followed by another maiden who weeps. The procession advances to the host to bow before him.

Gawain recognizes the maiden wearing the golden crown as one who had once told him about the Grail and “bade him an he ever saw her again, with five maidens in her company, to fail not to ask what they did there” (Weston, Sir Gawain 41). The youths then lay the spear on the table with the salver underneath. Amazingly, the spear sheds three drops of blood onto the tray, and the host immediately drinks them. The golden-crowned maiden then places the reliquary on the table, and the host removes from it a piece of bread, which he eats. At this point, Gawain can no longer contain his curiosity: “Mine host, I pray ye for the sake of God, and by His Majesty, that ye tell me what meaneth this great company, and these marvels I behold?” (42).

As soon as Gawain utters these words, the knights and ladies in the hall cry out and rejoice, but the host commands them to be seated. Hearing the noise, Lancelot and Calogreant awaken briefly but quickly fall back into a slumber. The host then tells Gawain that the wondrous thing he has seen may not be revealed to everyone, but because Gawain has asked, the host responds that he has indeed seen the Grail. The host congratulates Gawain for displaying both “manhood and courage” because his question has liberated many from “sorrow they long had borne” (Weston, Sir Gawain 42, 43). The host states that he and his people had hoped that Perceval would liberate them, but he failed to question the meaning of what he saw. The host then explains that their sorrow began with a man who killed his brother to gain his land, prompting God to punish the man and “all his kin” (43). The punishment, he explains, was to banish life from the people, who only appear to be living. The only resolution for this curse was for a man to ask about the marvelous procession as Gawain has done. The host states that he is also dead, but because he is not guilty of the original crime, the spear and bread were able to nourish only him once each year. Only the maidens, he claims, are not dead by God’s command. Both the penance and Gawain’s quest are now complete.

The host gives the sword to Gawain and tells him it will never break, commanding that he carry it with him always. The host then continues to explain the Grail procession, stating that God had given the responsibility of the Grail to the maidens because of their “unstained purity” (Weston, Sir Gawain 45). However, the maidens are now saddened because they know that the Grail will no longer be witnessed, given that Gawain has “learned its secrets” (45). Mortals can behold the Grail only by God’s grace, and no one is allowed to speak of its mysteries any longer. After these words, dawn approaches, and suddenly the old man, the Grail, and all the knights and ladies in the hall vanish, leaving only the maidens and Gawain with his two companions. Gawain is saddened at the host’s disappearance, but one of the maidens again tells him that he has achieved everything necessary in the quest for the Grail, which had been present only in that land. Previously wasted, the land and the people are now healed, bringing them great joy. When Lancelot and Calogreant awaken, they celebrate the good news but regret having missed the Grail procession. The knights find hospitality in the town, and the maidens bless Gawain, wishing him a long and prosperous life. Gawain then departs.

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