Acknowledged by T. S. Eliot as crucial to understanding "The
Waste Land," Jessie Weston's book has continued to attract readers
interested in ancient religion, myth, and especially Arthurian
legend. Weston examines the saga of the Grail, which, in many
versions, begins when the wounded king of a famished land sees a
procession of objects including a bleeding lance and a bejewelled
cup. She maintains that all versions defy uniform applications of
Celtic and Christian interpretations, and explores the legend's
Gnostic roots.
Drawing from J. G. Frazer, who studied ancient nature cults that
associated the physical condition of the king with the productivity
of the land, Weston considers how the legend of the Grail related
to fertility rites--with the lance and the cup serving as sexual
symbols. She traces its origins to a Gnostic text that served as a
link between ancient vegetation cults and the Celts and Christians
who embellished the story. Conceiving of the Grail saga as a
literary outgrowth of ancient ritual, she seeks a Gnostic Christian
interpretation that unites the quest for fertility with the
striving for mystical oneness with God.
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