From Ritual to Romance | Page 8

direction which shall do justice to what is sound in the claims
of both.
Some years ago, when fresh from the study of Sir J. G. Frazer's
epoch-making work, The Golden Bough, I was struck by the
resemblance existing between certain features of the Grail story, and
characteristic details of the Nature Cults described. The more closely I
analysed the tale, the more striking became the resemblance, and I
finally asked myself whether it were not possible that in this mysterious
legend--mysterious alike in its character, its sudden appearance, the
importance apparently assigned to it, followed by as sudden and
complete a disappearance--we might not have the confused record of a
ritual, once popular, later surviving under conditions of strict secrecy?
This would fully account for the atmosphere of awe and reverence
which even under distinctly non-Christian conditions never fails to
surround the Grail, It may act simply as a feeding vessel, It is none the
less toute sainte cose; and also for the presence in the tale of distinctly
popular, and Folk-lore, elements. Such an interpretation would also
explain features irreconcilable with orthodox Christianity, which had
caused some scholars to postulate a heterodox origin for the legend,
and thus explain its curiously complete disappearance as a literary
theme. In the first volume of my Perceval studies, published in 1906, I
hinted at this possible solution of the problem, a solution worked out
more fully in a paper read before the Folk-lore Society in December of
the same year, and published in Volume XVIII. of the Journal of the
Society. By the time my second volume of studies was ready for
publication in 1909, further evidence had come into my hands; I was
then certain that I was upon the right path, and I felt justified in laying
before the public the outlines of a theory of evolution, alike of the
legend, and of the literature, to the main principles of which I adhere

to-day.
But certain links were missing in the chain of evidence, and the work
was not complete. No inconsiderable part of the information at my
disposal depended upon personal testimony, the testimony of those who
knew of the continued existence of such a ritual, and had actually been
initiated into its mysteries--and for such evidence the student of the
letter has little respect. He worships the written word; for the oral,
living, tradition from which the word derives force and vitality he has
little use. Therefore the written word had to be found. It has taken me
some nine or ten years longer to complete the evidence, but the chain is
at last linked up, and we can now prove by printed texts the parallels
existing between each and every feature of the Grail story and the
recorded symbolism of the Mystery cults. Further, we can show that
between these Mystery cults and Christianity there existed at one time a
close and intimate union, such a union as of itself involved the practical
assimilation of the central rite, in each case a 'Eucharistic' Feast, in
which the worshippers partook of the Food of Life from the sacred
vessels.
In face of the proofs which will be found in these pages I do not think
any fair-minded critic will be inclined to dispute any longer the origin
of the 'Holy' Grail; after all it is as august and ancient an origin as the
most tenacious upholder of Its Christian character could desire.
But I should wish it clearly to be understood that the aim of these
studies is, as indicated in the title, to determine the origin of the Grail,
not to discuss the provenance and interrelation of the different versions.
I do not believe this latter task can be satisfactorily achieved unless and
until we are of one accord as to the character of the subject matter.
When we have made up our minds as to what the Grail really was, and
what it stood for, we shall be able to analyse the romances; to decide
which of them contains more, which less, of the original matter, and to
group them accordingly. On this point I believe that the table of descent,
printed in Volume II. of my Perceval studies is in the main correct, but
there is still much analytical work to be done, in particular the
establishment of the original form of the Perlesvaus is highly desirable.

But apart from the primary object of these studies, and the results
therein obtained, I would draw attention to the manner in which the
evidence set forth in the chapters on the Mystery cults, and especially
that on The Naassene Document, a text of extraordinary value from
more than one point of view, supports and complements the researches
of Sir J. G. Frazer. I am, of course, familiar with