grail romances

This is a short list of grail romances, pre-grail romances, and important studies on the grail. Happy reading!

Pre-Grail (i.e. Celtic or Apocryphal texts):

• "Preiddu Annwn"--"The Spoils of Annwn": Welsh; attributed to Taliesin, perhaps ninth century; from The Book of Taliesin, 13th century.
• "Cormac macAirt in the Land of Fairy": Irish text.
• "The Boyhood Deeds of Finn Mac Cumhill": Irish
• "The Second Battle of Mag Turedh": Irish
• "The Four Branches of the Mabinogi": Welsh. The first four stories of the Mabinogion.
• "The Lad with the Goatskin": Irish/Scottish.
• "The Gospel According to John": wherein Joseph of Arimathea figures prominently.
• "The Gospel of Nicodemus" aka "The Acts of Pilate": Latin apocrypha.

Grail texts (specifically using the word graal or grail)

• Perceval, ou, Le Conte del Graal--Perceval, or, The Story of the Grail: French. Chretien de Troyes ca. 1174-1191.
  • 2 anonymous prologues:
    • "The Elucidation"
    • "The Bliocadran"
  • 4 continuations:
    • pseudo-Wauchier: "Gawain continuation"
    • Wauchier: "the Perceval continuation" both before 1200. Second continues the first
    • Manessier: ca.1214-27 continues the second
    • Gerbert de Montreuil: ca.1226-30 continues the second
• Le Roman du Graal--The Romance of the Grail: French. Robert de Boron ca. 1195-1200.
• Peredur: Welsh, found in the Mabinogion. ca. 1200-1250.
• Perlesvaus, or The High History of the Holy Graal: French with British origins. ca. 1190-1210.
• Didot Perceval, or Perceval le Gallois ou le conte du Graal: French, possibly the prose version of Robert de Boron's "Perceval". ca. 1210-1220
• Parzival: German. Wolfram von Eschenbach ca. 1220.
• The Vulgate Cycle, or Lancelot-Grail Cycle: French. Anonymous, attributed to Walter Map, but specifically by one or a small group of Cistercian monks. ca. 1220
• Diu Krone--The Crown: German. Heinrich von dem Turlin. ca. 1220.
• Sone de Nansi: French. ???
• Le Morte d'Arthur: English. Sir Thomas Malory, 1475.

Useful Studies:

• The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol: Roger Sherman Loomis
• The Grail: The Celtic Origins of the Sacred Icon: Jean Markale
• Bran the Blessed in Arthurian Romance: Helaine Newstead.
• The Grail Legend: Emma Jung
• From Ritual to Romance: Jessie L. Weston