From Ritual to RomanceWeston, Jessie L. (Jessie Laidlay)
Religion
From Ritual to Romance
Weston, Jessie L. (Jessie Laidlay)
Grail -- Legends -- History and criticism; Romances -- History and criticism
The central adventure ascribed to Gawain in this group of tales is
precisely the visit to the Grail Castle to which we have already
referred, and we have pointed out that the manner in which it is
related, its directness, simplicity, and conformity with what we know
of the Mystery teaching presumably involved, taken in connection with
the personality of the hero, and his position in Arthurian romantic
tradition, appear to warrant us in assigning to it the position of
priority among the conflicting versions we possess.
At two points in the re-telling of these _Gawain_ tales Wauchier
definitely refers to the author by name, Bleheris. On the second
occasion he states categorically that this Bleheris was of Welsh birth
and origin, _né et engenuïs en Galles_, and that he told the tale in
connection with which the statement is made to a certain Comte de
Poitiers, whose favourite story it was, he loved it above all others,
which would imply that it was not the only tale Bleheris had told
him.[6]
As we have seen in a previous chapter, the _Elucidation_ prefaces its
account of the Grail Quest by a solemn statement of the gravity of the
subject to be treated, and a warning of the penalties which would
follow on a careless revelation of the secret. These warnings are put
into the mouth of a certain Master Blihis, concerning whom we hear no
more. A little further on in the poem we meet with a knight,
Blihos-Bliheris, who, made prisoner by Gawain, reveals to Arthur and
his court the identity of the maidens wandering in the woods, of the
Fisher King, and the Grail, and is so good a story-teller that none can
weary of listening to his tales.[7]
Again, in the fragmentary remains of Thomas’s _Tristan_ we have a
passage in which the poet refers, as source, to a certain Bréri, who
knew “all the feats, and all the tales, of all the kings, and all the
counts who had lived in Britain.”[8]
Finally, Giraldus Cambrensis refers to _famosus ille fabulator_,
Bledhericus, who had lived “shortly before our time” and whose renown
he evidently takes for granted was familiar to his readers.
Now are we to hold that the Bleheris who, according to Wauchier, had
told tales concerning Gawain, and Arthur’s court, one of whic tales was
certainly the Grail adventure; the Master Blihis, who knew the Grail
mystery, and gave solemn warning against its revelation; the
Blihos-Bliheris, who knew the Grail, and many other tales; the Bréri,
who knew all the legendary tales concerning the princes of Britain; and
the famous story-teller Bledhericus, of whom Giraldus speaks, are
distinct and separate personages, or mere inventions of the separate
writers, or do all these passages refer to one and the same individual,
who, in that case, may well have deserved the title _famosus ille
fabulator?_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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