The Grail
Author | : Roger Sherman Loomis |
Publisher | : Princeton University Press |
Total Pages | : 316 |
Release | : 1991-10-27 |
ISBN-10 | : 0691020752 |
ISBN-13 | : 9780691020754 |
Rating | : 4/5 (754 Downloads) |
Download or read book The Grail written by Roger Sherman Loomis and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1991-10-27 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The medieval legend of the Grail, a tale about the search for supreme mystical experience, has never ceased to intrigue writers and scholars by its wildly variegated forms: the settings have ranged from Britain to the Punjab to the Temple of Zeus at Dodona; the Grail itself has been described as the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper, a stone with miraculous youth-preserving virtues, or a vessel containing a man's head swimming in blood. In his classic exploration of the major versions, Roger Sherman Loomis shows how the Grail, once a Celtic vessel of plenty, evolved into the Christian Grail with miraculous powers. Loomis bases his argument on historical examples involving the major motifs and characters in the legends, beginning with the Arthurian legend recounted in the 1180 French poem by Chrétien de Troyes. Loomis's book builds suspense as he proceeds from one puzzle to the next in revealing the meaning behind the legends.--From publisher description.