h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Holy Grail - A12118637
Author: Cal Fortuneswell "I want to leave but I just get stuck, a broken record running low on luck" - U193866

Can anyone help me with this one?

I will give it some thought which ruote are you takeing

Arthur, Templars or grail stories or all 3

Have you read this, Cal? Knights Templar A272558

Your entry does not say much about the Grail itself yet. Do we know when the legend began? Is it only a cup/dish? Where did the word Grail come from? (I think it means receptacle, which coul dmean Christ's descendants as the receptacle of his divine blood, for example, and that brings you to the story of the Merovingian Dynasty) Who protected it before the Templars? Why is it supposed to be in the UK? Many questions will need answering here.

Your challenge will be in writing this without going too far into the Templars' history and duplicating the EGE abive. It's a fascinating topic, amd necessary as a accompaniment to the Templar entry.

W

preview is my friend

Try this the most talked about Templar legends site. THe full title of the order was 'The Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon'
ROSYLIN CHAPEL
www.mystae.com/restricted/streams/masons/mysteries.html
Check out and link to this one TEMPLARS
www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A272558
OTHERS
www.rosslyntemplars.org.uk/holy_grail.htm
University of Rochester Camalot project
www.lib.rochester.edu/Camelot/mainmenu.htm
www.britainexpress.com/Where_to_go_in_Britain/Destination_Library/mendip-hills.htm

That is more than enough the information within to finish the entry and point you in whichever direction you wish to take it. Need any help let me know...

Good start...

You haven't mentioned the original legend about the grail, that it was a stone. The story of a cup came later. You haven't mentioned the normal equation of Sang Real (Royal Blood) with San Greal (holy Grail). There's lots here you haven't said. I think this entry could be filled out a bit.

It's why I posted here Gnomon for the help , any ideas on where I might get the info?

Thanks everyone I shall try and work my little fingers to the bone

You could try reading "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail", as long as you promise to disregard all the Priory of Sion stuff, which has been discredited as a hoax since that book was written.

You could watch "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" for the conventional feed-it-to-the-kids view.

White's "The Once and Future King" is an excellent summary of the whole Arthur side of the story.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? I thought that was just hollywood

Everything is based on something.

Usually.

numerous people have been searching even hammond had a go.

Interesting topic and a good start. However, there's a huge amount to be said on the subject, so you've probably got quite a bit to do. Whether you analyse the history of the legend or look at a smattering of versions of the story (no reason not to include Indy; you could mention Monty Python as well) is up to you.

One point to clarify:

"Joseph is said to have used the Grail to catch Christ's blood in at the cruxcifiction." - This is Joseph of Arimathea. If you just say "Joseph", people are likely to think of Jesus's stepfather.

Thanks bagpuss, and I'm working on it with the help of a friend as we speak

The holy blood thing is nonsense invented by conspiracy theorists. The oldest refferences to the Grail (see Christien De Troyes Parcival for example) make no mention of ANY relation to Christ. It was only later that the grail of Troyes was mixed into the cup of the last supper. The original word is not San Greal or Sang Real its San Gradals. Properly the grail was originally a dish not a stone or a cup.

Kevin, the "holy blood" thing is certainly not a recent invention of conspiracy theorists. The Grail has been considered to be the cup that held Christ's blood for hundreds of years, even if that was not the original idea of it.

It entered mythology in the 12th century over a thousand years after Christ's death. I should though have been more clear. The idea of a holy blood theory is what I meant. The idea christ had kids.

Hmm. Yes, I think the theory that Christ had kids is recent (in the last 30 years).

I must write an entry about the Holy Grail. I can now see a lot wrong with this one. For example, the Templars were never associated with the Holy Grail until very recently. That seems to be a mistake made by confusing Templar with the word used to signify the guardians of the Grail.