“In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love and the ability to ask questions.”
— Mary Oliver
The Arthurian legend of the knight Perceval and his quest for the grail was written by the French Romantic poet Chrétien de Troyes, who reworked Celtic legends and British history.
The story includes King Arthur, his knights, and a number of unlucky damsels, but the mysterious loathly lady is the key.
Transcript of Questions, Connection, and Perceval’s Quest for the Grail
Hello, and welcome to Myth Matters, storytelling and conversation about mythology and what myth can offer us today. I’m your host and Perceval mythologist Dr. Catherine Svehla. Wherever you may be in this wide, beautiful, crazy world of ours, you are part of this story circle.
I have spent a good amount of time with the Arthurian legend of Perceval and his quest for the Grail recently, as part of another project that I was working on. There’s a character and a moment in this story that is staying with me, so I’d like to unpack that with you today.
Perceval and the Grail quest is a story that has been told many times. It was first written in the 12th century by the French Romantic poet, Chrétien de Troyes, who reworked Celtic legends and British history to create the young knight Perceval and the image of the grail. de Troyes stopped writing— he literally abandoned his story mid-sentence and never finished it. Other poets subsequently picked up the threads and told their versions. It’s one of these other versions that this notion of the “holy” grail came in.
I’m going to tell you a somewhat condensed version of the story as told by de Troyes, as it’s a little bit long for one episode. If you would like to hear the expanded version of the story, you can find it in the archives. I’m pretty sure I told it in 2019, and I’ll dig up the links to those episodes and post them on the Mythic Mojo website. I’ll tell you the story and afterward, I will talk about the moment that’s latched on to me.
Now, I invite you to relax and listen. Let the energy of the story take you away from this time, and space. Note the moment in the story or detail that feels particularly significant to you, as this can be an opening to the discovery of your place in this story right now.
Perceval and the Quest for the Grail
There was once a young man, not really not much more than a boy, who lived with his mother deep in a forest in a distant part of Wales. One day, he went out alone into the forest to hunt and he heard this loud, clanking sound. It was unlike anything he’d ever heard before. It was five knights dressed in full armor, riding towards him in the forest. But he didn’t see them and he didn’t know that, so at first he thought they must be devils. He decided that he was going to take one of his big sticks and scare them away.
He got ready with his stick. But when he saw the knights with their banners flying in the breeze and the sunlight glittering on their armor, he thought that they were so beautiful, that they must be angels. When they rode up to him, he knelt down in front of them. The leader of the knights motioned for him to stand up and told him that they were looking for five knights and three young girls and asked the young man if he’d seen anybody go by.
Well, he was so mesmerized by the knights that he asked questions. He asked about the shield. He asked about the spear. He asked about the armor. He wanted to understand what these things were. The knights thought that he was a fool and they wanted to just get on their way. But the leader thought that this young man had to be able to help them. So, he patiently answered all of the questions, and when he was asked, “Hey, were you born with all of this? ” he explained, “No King Arthur made me a knight and he gave me my armor and my weapons.”
Finally, the young man answered their question and said, “Well, there’s only one way through the mountains. So, if you stay on this trail, you’ll run into some of my mother’s servants and they’ll know if anybody else has gone by here.” The knights got ready to leave and the leader asked the young man, “What’s your name?” “I’m called darling young son.” “Is there any other name you go by?” “Oh, I’m also called dear brother. Now please tell me before you go, where can I find King Arthur?” “Well, “the knight told him, “the last time I saw him, he was at his court at Carlisle.” And then the knights left.
Well, this young man who was Perceval, he was so excited about the knights that he went straight home and told his mom that he was going to leave home, find King Arthur, and also become a knight. She was not happy about this. Her husband, Perceval’s father, had been a knight and he had been killed, and so had her brother. She tried to explain to Perceval that this was a very dangerous business, and begged him to stay with her. But he was very confident and could not be discouraged.
She took a few days and made him a set of clothes, and then he got on his pony, all packed up, and ready to leave. Mom said, “You are a very naive young man, you’re poorly prepared for the world. So let me give you some advice. Honor the ladies and always come to their aid. If you court a woman, don’t harass her. Take only a kiss or ring as a token. Always learn the names of your companions. And above all, when you see a church, go inside and pray for honor and joy. “
Perceval told his mom that he would take her advice and then he took off down the road. He did turn around one last time, and he saw his mother collapsed in the doorway. But he was very impatient to find King Arthur and he didn’t plan to be gone very long, so he continued on his journey.
After a very long ride, Perceval came to a clearing with a beautiful scarlet and gold tent set up in the center. He had never seen anything so beautiful, so he decided it must be a church. “I must go in and pray as my mother advised me,” he thought, “and maybe I can get something to eat, too.” He rode up. The tent was open and he just rode his horse in and he found a beautiful girl, asleep, all alone. She woke up and she was very frightened to see him. He bent down and gave her a kiss. And then he saw that she had a ring and he took it off of her finger.
She was frightened and started to cry and just begged him to leave. But he didn’t understand anything about the situation. He saw a table set with a beautiful feast. Since he was hungry, he sat down and ate. When he was done, he said, “Please don’t be angry. I’ll pay you back.” “Well,” she told him “You’ve ruined my life,” because she knew that when her knight returned to the tent, he would not believe her account of what had just happened. In other words, her virtue and honor were toast.
Perceval, oblivious, rode away. Finally, he saw a gray stone castle off in the distance. He also saw a big man in a suit of red armor, riding towards him. Perceval thought the armor was mighty fine, and he decided to ask King Arthur for some red armor too. He was very anxious to get to the castle, but the Red Knight stopped him.
“Where are you hurrying off to?” “I’m going to King Arthur to be made a knight.” The Red Knight laughed when he heard this. “Give the king a message. Tell him that he better surrender his lands to the Red Knight, the one who just stole this gold cup right from his hand, or send his bravest knight out to challenge me.” Perceval didn’t pay too much attention to this. It didn’t seem like his business. He was looking for the castle.
So, he nodded and rode on and when he got to the castle, the gates were open and the drawbridge was down. He rode his pony right into the big hall. There were many knights and people in the hall. He wasn’t sure which one was King Arthur until a servant pointed him out. Perceval rode up to the king and greeted him. But Arthur didn’t hear him. He was pretty preoccupied with the problem of the Red Knight. Perceval repeated his greeting. There was still no reply. Disgusted, he turned around to go and knocked Arthur’s crown off of his head.
The king looked up. “I’m sorry” he said, “I didn’t mean to ignore you.” Perceval asked, “Are you the King?” “Yes, I’m the king.” “Well” said Perceval, “I want to be a knight and I’m in a little bit of a hurry, so if you could do whatever is required, that would be great. And by the way, I also want some red armor, like the armor that the knight with the gold cup has.” “You want the red armor?” exclaimed the king. Another knight overheard this, and he thought that Perceval was very rude. He said, “Well, why don’t you go and claim that armor for yourself!” And he was about to make some fun of Perceval but Arthur quieted him down because he could see that the boy was rather foolish.
Perceval turned to go and he saw a girl sitting nearby. He stopped to say hello to her and when she saw him on his pony, there in the hall, she started to laugh. Now, this young woman had not smiled, or laughed for more than six years. It was said that she would not laugh again until she was in the presence of the greatest knight in the world. King Arthur was very puzzled by this, but he made Perceval a knight.
Perceval left immediately to head home and encountered the Red Knight who was waiting for him at the edge of the forest. Now, unbeknownst to Perceval, a page from King Arthur’s Court had followed him because he was very curious to see what might transpire. When the Red Knight saw Perceval riding up, he laughed again. He said, “Oh, this is a fine joke, I suppose you are the knight that King Arthur has sent.” Perceval said, “Actually, Arthur told me that I could have your armor.”
Well, the two exchanged more words, and both of them got very angry. The Red Knight raised his lance, and he hit Percival really hard and almost knocked him off on this horse. Perceval took one of his sharp sticks and he threw it at the Red Knight. It just so happened to hit the knight right in the eye and he killed the man.
Perceval got off of his pony and he started tugging at the knight’s weapons and the helmet and the armor. But he had never seen such a complicated set of clothes and he couldn’t figure out how to get it off of the body. Then the page stepped forward, and offered his assistance. He showed Perceval how to take the armor off and helped him to put it back on. Finally, he was all dressed up and he gave the gold cup to the page and said, “Why don’t you take this back to the king,” and he gave his pony to the page and got on the Red Knights war horse.
The page went back to King Arthur and told the king and the court what had happened and they couldn’t believe it. They were a little bit concerned about Perceval’s safety because he didn’t know what he was doing. But in the meantime, Perceval was riding through the forest. Now eventually, he came to the bank of river and there was a bridge over to a very fine stone castle. There was a very distinguished nobleman walking outside. He saw Perceval and motioned him over.
This man asked Perceval, where he had come from. And Perceval said, “Well, I just came from King Arthur’s court. He just made me a knight.” The man was a little bit surprised by all of this and he asked the young man about his weapons and his armor and his horse, and he determined that Percival actually didn’t know very much about fighting, or using any of these things. “Can I show you how to use your lance and your sword?” he asked.
Perceval got down from his horse, the nobleman got on, and he demonstrated the ways that knights actually fight. Perceval was very impressed by all of this. The man stopped, he got off the horse, Perceval got on, and he did what the man had shown him and it was clear that he was a natural.
The two of them trained all day and then finally, it was time for a meal. They went in and sat down and the man said, “you know, you’re welcome to stay here longer, I can teach you a few more things.” But Perceval told him, “I’m in a bit of a hurry. I need to leave tomorrow at dawn because I need to get back home to my mother. But I would like to know your name. My mom told me that I should always get the name of my companions.” The noblemen told him that his name was Lord Gornemant.
The next morning, Lord Gornemant came to see the boy off. He said, “As a knight you are now sworn to honor so, I’m going give you a little bit of advice. Never kill an unarmed knight who asks for mercy. Always come to the aid of women. Go to church, and pray for blessings and protection. And I have one other piece of advice for you. Don’t talk too much, or ask too many questions. You don’t want to look foolish.” With that they said their goodbyes and Perceval rode on.
Well, he rode for quite a while and he came to another clearing. He saw a great walled city with a castle surrounded by empty fields. It was clear that the place had once been magnificent, but it was so quiet, quiet and neglected. He was hungry, he was tired. So, he wrote up to the castle and knocked hoping to rouse someone and get a bed and a meal. Eventually, a few tired looking knights came to the door and they let him in. They seemed very worn down with trouble.
Yhey led him into the hall, which was again, quite neglected and empty. Perceval saw a beautiful young woman sitting at the table. He sat next to her quietly. He didn’t say a word, remembering Gornemant’s advice. Finally, the young woman asked him “Well, where did you lodge last night?” And he told her about Gornemant and she said, “Oh, he’s a very fine man. I know him.”
The food was served. It was a very simple meal. Then Perceval was given a comfortable bed and he immediately fell asleep. But his beautiful young hostess, tossed and turned. Finally, she decided to get up and go tell this young knight some of her troubles. She was afraid. She was shaking as she walked down the hallway and by the time she reached his bed, her crying woke him up. “Please don’t think badly of me for coming to you like this,” she said, “I’m here because I have some very serious troubles and I need to tell someone. My name is Blanchefleur. My kingdom has been under siege for years because the king Clamadeu wants me for his wife. Many people have died on my behalf and I don’t want there to be any more suffering. So tomorrow, I’m going to kill myself.”
Perceval put his arms around her and said “It’s okay. Stop crying. Lay down here next to me and let’s go to sleep.” They fell asleep. Very early in the morning she got up and slipped away.
When he came in to the hall then later, she said, “Thank you for your kindness. I wish you well,” and prepared to send him off. But Perceval said, “I’m not going to leave until I bring peace to your country.” Well, she tried to discourage him. I mean, he was one young man and the enemy was a huge camp full of knights. The people wondered, could there be some kind of a miracle?
He found the enemy camped in tents on the far side of a clearing and they were in a very good mood. They were very sure of their victory after the long siege to the castle. They knew that anyone who hadn’t been killed was very tired and hungry. And then they see this young knight riding up. They called out to their leader, who rode out to challenge Perceval. They exchanged some words. They fought. Both of the men broke their lances and then the enemy knight fell off his horse.
Perceval was going to kill him with his sword when the man began to beg for his life. Perceval remembered Gornemant’s advice. He told the man that he could live but he was going to have to put himself in service to someone, but the man had no good options. I mean, everyone in the nearby countryside wanted revenge. So, Perceval ordered him to go to King Arthur, and put himself in the King’s hands.
Harmony had been restored. Perceval and Blanchefleur were deeply devoted to each other, and they spent a few happy days together. But Perceval could not stop thinking about his mother. Blanchefleur begged him to stay. He decided to go home and bring his mother back to live with the two of them. This was agreed and Perceval once again set off on his horse, riding alone through the forest.
He arrived at another river, very deep and fast, and there was no question of crossing this one. He walked his horse up and down along the banks, trying to figure out what to do, but there didn’t seem to be a bridge, nor did he find a boat. Then he looked out into the river and he saw two men fishing. He called out to them, “Friends, if you please, is there a bridge across this river?” One of the men who was fishing yelled back, “No, there’s no bridge and there’s no ferry. And there’s no large boat either. There’s no way across for miles and miles.”
“Well, then,” Perceval asked, “Can you tell me where I might find lodging for the night?” And the man called back “Yes, well, if that’s what you need, you can stay with me. Go back the way you came, to the crack in the rocks, pass through that into a valley and then you’ll find my house.”
Perceval turned his horse around and he followed the man’s instructions. But at first he didn’t see any sign of a house or a castle and then he started to get rather angry, he felt that he had been deceived. Then the clouds shifted just a little bit and he saw that there was a valley far below and he could make out the turret of a castle. Perceval hurried down to the place and when he arrived, the drawbridge was down. He was greeted very warmly, and taken into the great hall.
There was a roaring fire and a grizzled old knight, dressed all in black, was kind of laying back on his arms on a bed in front of it. A servant led Perceval to the man and when he got closer, he realized that it was the fisherman from the boat. “Forgive me,” said his host “for not rising to greet you, but I can’t stand. So maybe you’ll come and sit next to me.” Perceval sat down and the man asked him, “Where did you come from today?” “From the castle of Blanchefleur” said Percival. “Well, that’s quite a long journey. You must have been riding for days.” “Oh, no, it was just this afternoon.”
They began to eat and then a very strange thing happened. A servant entered the hall carrying a white lance with a white spear head. As he approached, Perceval saw that a drop of blood slowly rolled down from the iron point until it reached the servants hand. Oh, he was very curious about this. But he remembered Gornemant’s advice about asking questions and kept quiet. The servant continued walking across the room in front of them and he went into a door on the other end. And then two other servants came in carrying huge golden candle holders, and following them was a girl carrying a grail chalice encrusted with gemstones. As soon as she walked into the room, it seemed that the light was so bright from this grail dish that all of the candles in the room were dim.
They all proceeded through the hall and into that mysterious door at the other end. Perceval watched everything very closely and he wondered about the nature of this procession. He wondered who was in the other room, but he kept quiet. And three times throughout the course of the meal, the grail was carried back and forth. And every time it was taken into the door in the back, and every time Perceval watched, and he wondered, and almost asked his questions. But he remembered Gornemant’s advice. He decided that he could make a quiet inquiry about it later. He would ask a servant in the morning.
At last, the meal was done. The men talked for a little while and then it got late. It was clear that his host was tired. Servants came in with the litter and they picked up the man and they carried him away. A bed was made for Perceval in the great hall.
Well, the sun was well up in the sky when he woke up the next morning. He called for servants but nobody came. The castle appeared to be empty. He went outside and looked down the steps and there was his horse all saddled up and waiting for him. But there was no one around. He yelled some more. Nobody answered him. He decided that maybe everybody was out hunting or in the fields, and decided he might as well set out. He rode slowly through the courtyard. There were no soldiers, no knights.
The drawbridge was down so he was free to leave. He rode across the drawbridge and just as he and his horse got to the very end, he suddenly felt the horses legs rise. Somebody–what?–the drawbridge was going up. The horse made a swift leap over to the other side and he turned around to see who had almost caused him and his horse so much harm. But he didn’t see anyone and no one responded to his calls. At last he gave up and he rode into the forest. There he found a fresh path of hoof prints.
He followed the hoof prints and came upon a young woman. She was weeping inconsolably and in her lap, she cradled a dead knight, whose head had been cut off. When she saw Perceval, she said, “Where did you come from? There is no castle or house for miles and miles and miles. But your horse looks well fed and you look well rested. ” “Well, there’s a castle just through the trees” said Percival, “and I had a very comfortable night there.”
The young woman shook her head. “My lord,” she said, “you must have been at the castle of the rich Fisher King.” “Well, I don’t know if he was a king” said Perceval, “but he was wise and he was very wealthy. And I did see him out in a boat fishing.” “Well, he’s a king” the young woman told him, “and he was wounded in battle. He was maimed and he’s in so much pain that he can’t walk or ride. So sometimes he goes fishing, to relax. It’s a great honor to meet him and to find his magical castle. So tell me, did you see the lance that bleeds? And did you see the Grail?”
She asked Perceval about all of the various mysteries and he said “yes, yes, I’ve seen all of them.” “Well” said the young woman, “did you ask where they came from?” “No” he said. “Did you ask where they were going?” ” No, I was quiet and didn’t say a word “said Perceval. “Well, that was a terrible mistake” the young woman told him. “Now tell me your name.” And somehow, although he had never spoken it before, he said, “I’m Perceval of Wales.”
The young woman got very upset at this and said “you have just missed an important opportunity Perceval, to do a great deal of good. “Perceval was ready to ride on and he asked the young woman to come with him, but she refused to leave the body of her dead knight. So, he rode on alone.
Perceval is out on his adventures, but in the meantime, the king is hearing about these battles won by this mysterious Red Knight, and he decides that he needs to find out the identity of this man. The court packed up and they started to travel the countryside. They were camped in a meadow at the edge of the woods when the first snow fell.
Perceval was nearby. He was up early as always on the hunt for adventure. He saw the snow. He watched a flock of geese flying. He noticed a falcon catch one of the birds. Watching this,and seeing the blood on the snow sent him into a deep reverie. He thought about Blanchefleur, his mother, and all the mysteries of his journey.
He was there unmoving, when one of the knights from Arthur’s Court saw him. Several knights went out and attempted to break into Perceval’s solitude, and at last the knight Gawain succeeded. He gently inquired about Perceval’s state of mind, and Perceval agreed to go with him to see King Arthur. They went back to the assembled tents, and the stories all came out and Percival was recognized as the great knight in the red armor.
A big celebration was held in his honor and for two days and nights the company enjoyed food and drink, and music and dancing, and games. They told all kinds of stories, they played games. But on the third morning, the festivities ground to a halt. Everybody was gathered in the great hall when suddenly the door was flung open, and in rode a hideous, old woman on a scrawny mule.
She was bandy legged, she was hunchbacked. She had eyes like a rat. She rode right up to Perceval. “Greetings to Arthur and his court, “she said, “and especially to you, Perceval of Wales, and may curses fall on whoever greets you. It was too much trouble I suppose, to ask a simple question or two in the presence of the grail and the Fisher King. Why didn’t you ask, whom does the Grail serve? You had your chance. You didn’t grasp it. And now there will be a great suffering for many people and the land for a long time.” And then she turned around and rode away.
The room was totally silent. Perceval looked around the party and he was full of shame. Slowly he stood up and said, “I pledge to find the grail and I will not spend two nights in one place until I find it.” And then he mounted his horse and left the court of King Arthur to make his own path through the forest and complete his quest for the Grail.
Now at this point in the story, de Troyes shifts the action to the night Gawain. Perceval has a few more adventures, and then boom, as I said, the story abruptly ends in mid-sentence. Who knows why de Troyes never finished it.
What I’d like to talk about is the loathly lady, that is the woman who rode into the midst of the celebration and revealed to Perceval and all assembled , the significance of the mistake that he had made. The appearance of the loathly lady is a place in the story where the transpersonal enters with a larger vision of destiny. And consequence is revealed in what up until then, had merely been a personal quest, we might say an ego quest, for a rather superficial form of knighthood.
First of all, who is the loathly lady? She’s one of a number of female characters in Celtic mythology, whose appearance signaled the possibility of greatness in someone. Most frequently, this was a man, and they showed up to signal to everyone, the man who deserved to be king, by virtue of his character. And not only his character, but also his love. His love for the people and his love for the land.
The one who deserved to be king was the one who recognized the preciousness of life, and who would do everything in his power to sustain it. The right king, a good king, acted on behalf of all of his people and he acted on behalf of the earth, as the source of all life. As the origin of not only food and shelter, but also the necessities of our psychological and spiritual life, a manifestation of the sacred and the invisible world that supports this one.
The loathly lady is female. Female, because who knows better than a female, a mother, the effort that is involved in making and bringing forth life, the energy that it takes to sustain it, and therefore the preciousness of every life.
She’s loathly, that is she’s ugly. And her ugliness is meant to be a challenge. By virtue of her ugliness, she evades your expectations and your desire to ask what is beyond them.
Who has the willingness and the daring to approach her? She knows what you don’t. The wise are humbled in the face of her mystery. The loathly lady is a teller of truth.
You notice that she doesn’t tell Perceval what to do or provide an answer to questions. She reveals the shallowness of his concerns and the significance of his choice. She tells him that what we do has an impact on the lives of others. Her truth can open up a personal destiny, and yet, it’s beyond any one life. The loathly lady represents the values of an earth-based, life-serving philosophy” immanence, interconnection, and community. The sacred is here. Here, and maybe there. We rise and fall together. And we need each other.
Now, the loathly lady named Perceval’s failure. And it’s interesting that many of the kings who were also identified by characters like the loathey lady also failed. But her purpose here isn’t to instill shame. Shame is a good motivator, but it’s not the outcome. And I want to return to that in just a moment.
But I want to pause to welcome the new subscribers and thank a few people. I want to give a big welcome to the new subscribers: Susan, Sam, Coral, Guilermo, Chris, Pedro, Magdalena, Melody. If you are new to Myth Matters, welcome to you also, and I invite you to head over to the Mythic Mojo website, where you can get on the email list, find a transcript of this episode, and information on my other offerings.
You’ll also find the link to Myth Matters on Patreon. I am very grateful for the patrons and supporters of this podcast. Thank you. And welcome to S Shaun, who recently became a patron. Thank you so much, Shaun,. If you are finding value in Myth Matters, I hope you’ll consider joining me on Patreon or maybe posting a positive review of the podcast online or sharing the podcast with your friends.
Now, my one last thought here. The kings fail, Perceval failed. Failed because as human beings, we’re imperfect. We are marvelous, and complicated. Our lives are complicated. We spend a lifetime learning to love, and learning to let our love humble us. Perceval’s destiny in this story involved and unasked question. He left the great hall resolved to ask more and better questions at the right time.
I wonder if most of us aren’t a bit like Perceval. Might that be good advice for all of us? To be constantly checking for the limits of our understanding and asking more questions?
The poet Mary Oliver writes, “In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love and the ability to ask questions. “We’re approaching the end of the year, which is typically a time to take stock and evaluate, an opportunity to rectify wrongs, to forgive, and to release the past. We also often make plans. I wonder if we might be better served if we devoted some of that planning time to asking ourselves and life, better questions.
de Troyes left his story unfinished, and I personally prefer the open end. I prefer the open end and the grail that is undefined. In my mind, a real grail, a true grail, holy or not, is something that should inspire us and also elude us.
And that’s it for me, Catherine Svehla and Myth Matters. If we have a better understanding of our need for myth, and all that our old stories offer, we can live more satisfying lives. We can inhabit a better story and create a more beautiful, just and sustainable world.
Thank you so much for listening. Take good care of yourself and keep the mystery in your life alive.
Links to other episodes with the Perceval story:
Leave a Reply