The Holy Grail

[Bloodstone Mage]

Does anyone know of some good sources for information regarding the history of the Holy Grail, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries? I'm in consideration of running a game involving an assassin named Daun Bane compelled (by rather demonic influences) to obtain the Holy Grail at any cost. I've only done mild research so far, but I'm thinking of setting the game somewhere between 1890 and 1950 (most likely in the 1920's or 1930's). I'm not planning to run this game for a very long time, so I've plenty of time for reading and such. Also, if any of you have suggestions for adventures or anything else, I'd be appreciative to hear those as well.

Thanks in advance!
Cheers!

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

What sort of information from the Victorian period are you looking for? Actual occult lore on the grail? Literary and academic receptions? Literary and academic receptions of occult lore?

 

[Bloodstone Mage]

What sort of information from the Victorian period are you looking for? Actual occult lore on the grail? Literary and academic receptions? Literary and academic receptions of occult lore?

Everything and anything. Consider that I know nothing about the Holy Grail and I'm desperate to find out any information regarding the Holy Grail during the Victorian period.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Well the Victorians were the first modern culture to get big into reconstructing mythology. And they would certainly be the first culture to see the Authurian legends as Celtic. At least in the sense that Celtic means anything other than those guys who live in Wales and Brittany.

On the other hand, it is also the era of the Idylls of the King in which Authurian tales and other things such as Robin Hood and Fairy Tales get put together in more or less definitive collections.

Witchery, spiritualism, and fairy related things were all enjoying something of a 'resurgence.'

20th century sees a lot of that and the pagan and weirdly supernatural aspects of the grail get played up and developed.

One of Tolkiens fellows wrote a nice novel in the earlier part of the century that uses the Grail in a sort of fantastical horror/suspense plot.

A priest discovers that a cup in his parish closet is in fact the grail and watches as it warps reality around him.

 

[Zaruthustran]

One of Tolkiens fellows wrote a nice novel in the earlier part of the century that uses the Grail in a sort of fantastical horror/suspense plot.

A priest discovers that a cup in his parish closet is in fact the grail and watches as it warps reality around him.

And the name of this novel is... ?

-z

 

[trancejeremy]

While I would take it with a huge grain of salt, you must read

"Holy Blood, Holy Grail"

While it's a bit silly/controversal, it does have a pretty good history of the grail.

I would also recommend A.E. Waite's book on the Grail if you want a pretty good turn of the last century (1900s or so) take on it.


---------------------

Anyway, the gist of the Holy Grail legend, at least my take on it:


After Jesus was crucified, Mary Magdalene fled with Joseph of Arithamea (which I probably spelled wrong) to the south of France, taking with her the Holy Grail. It then ended up in the hands of the Cathars, a groups of heretics that happen to have sprung up in the region (possibly based on her teachings, and so the grail was handed down to them - they would also be the keepers of the grail in the arthurian legends, though the templars are often pegged for that role). But after a crusade wiped them out, the grail disappeared. Supposedly the Cathars smuggled it out just before their last fortress was wiped out.


True? Who knows, but it's what a good many people believe, including myself.

 

[Alzrius]

If you want to pull the rug out from under your players, you could go forward with the idea of the Grail as portrayed in the book The Woman with the Alabaster Jar.

The book explains that the Holy Grail is not a physical cup per se. Rather, sine the Grail is holy because it caught Jesus's blood, the Grail is actually metaphorical for Mary Maggedlin, who was carrying the bloodline of Jesus (e.g. his child).

Imagine how the PCs and NPCs would react when they found that out!

 

[TheLastMehina]

I'm a huuuuge Grail buff, so here's my recommended reading list.

"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. It's a fictional work, and has been gaining in popularity since it's release. The main character, a Harvard (or Yale, I forget which - definitely Ivy League) professor of symbology teams up with the cryptographer granddaughter of a slain musuem curator/secret society grandmaster. They run across Paris and England trying to unlock the secret of the Grail before Opus Dei can catch them. There are quite a few puzzles interwoven in the plot, which you can probably adapt to your group (as most of them are based of Da Vinci's works).

"The Templar Revelation" by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince. This is a pretty hefty tome - expect to devote quite a bit of time reading this. You might try checking out a copy at your library, as there are only a few sections of the book which are relevant to what you're looking for. It traces the development of the Grail Heresy (that the Grail is a symbolic reference to Mary Magdalene, the wife/lover/soulmate of Jesus who bore his children) through the Knights Templar (guardians of this secret).

Anything by Margaret Starbird should help you. "The Woman With the Alabaster Jar", as mentioned before, is probably closest to what you're looking for. Elaine Pagels is a respected Biblical scholar, and anything by her on the topic of the Holy Grail or Mary Magdalene is highly recommended. Michael Baigent, author of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" also covers the Grail Heresy in a rather sensationalist manner.

Lastly, I haven't yet read it (so many books, so little time!), but "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene" by Jean Yves-Leloup is purportedly a direct translation of a Nag Hammadi scroll attributed to Mary Magdalene, with commentary.

And when all else fails, you can Google the Knights Templar, or Priory of Sion (the secret society reputed with keeping the grail secret). Or rent "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" for inspiration.

I hope you find what you're looking for. Everything I suggested above deals with the heretical interpretation of the Grail myth, so if you're planning on going in a completely different direction with your game, feel free to ignore. Good luck!

 

[Hand of Evil]

I know that there was a holy order of knights that said it was the crib and not a cup.

I would think there would be a lot of info on the web.

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Graal/

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06719a.htm

 

[Sir Trent]

No, No, No

Didn't any of you watch the third Indiana Jones movie? Sheesh!