King of the Grail

The image that struck me to the heart was that of the vigil of brave Galahad, as his fellow knights equip him for the dangerous journey ahead. Clothed in the color of our Lord's brave martyrs, Galahad seems to exude a peace and calm acceptance of the perils ahead as the white clad nuns look on with pious purity and a wish to see him accomplish his task with all due reward. The light of the candles that they hold seem to become beacons of peace while his brothers in arms Sir Lancelot and Sir Bors attach his spurs and make him ready to face his fate, while the face of the brave man seems both calm and worshiping. The church and the colors are bold yet charmingly calm, allowing the viewer to experience the warmth and piety that is captured forever in oils and varnish.

Oh how beautiful! These paintings upon the walls of Abbey move me in many ways. Initially, I was touched by the grace and flow of the paintings. The story is told very clearly and emotionally. Though some are a bit brutal and physically unpleasant to serene eyes, the emotional story that is told is very satisfying to the soul. This quest for the grail is already very dear and emotional to me because it has such a heavy affect on my son. Being a woman of virtue, I take a great attachment to spirituality and this quest is one of the purest spiritual pilgrimages known. The very fact that my son Arthur, took so much of his time leading this quest holds it close to me. I also marveled at the haunting effect the paintings had. They were not only hauntingly beautiful, but rather haunting as in fearful. The images of Joseph of Arimathea and the spiritual figures dressed in red and white while partially cloaked were very chilling. I believe these were all so scary because the quest itself was as well. It was painful, tiresome and seemingly impossible. However, eventually, it was completed. Haunting pictures of a haunting journey.

Wonderuful works of art!

Ha ha!  Now this is my kind of tale!  Galahad and the Grail!  What a great image of his departure from the church.  Sirs Lancelot and Bors were wise men, and Galahad learned much from them throughout his time as a knight.

Galahad was always my favorite of all my fellow Knights.  Lancelot may have had his incredible strength and power on the battlefield, Gawain his bravery and courtesy, and Percival his prodigal talent, but none could match Galahad.  All but he, you see, were in some way susceptible to the ever-pervasive spectre of adulterous acts!

Galahad the Pure.  A true Grail Knight, wielder of the memory of its power and champion over the failures of all of us.  Galahad was powerful in arms and in speech, but it was the purity of his virgin soul that grants him the divine strength that all of his fellow knights, myself included, stupidly forfeited to our wives or lovers – if only we had known the magnitude of our mistake!

The quest for the Grail, while desperately long and so bleak so much of the time, is what truly tested out mettle as knights.  Galahad may be the best of us, but every knight had his own victories and experiences that must have caused a fundamental change in the knight – many of the men of the Round Table who survived the quest are not the same as I remember them.  

These images do bring back many memories of our days hunting after the Grail though.  I feel a deep sense of connection to all of these works, may God honor the man who made them.

Arthur's Aimless Search for the Grail

I fear Tim the Enchanter from the movie, Monty Python, was indoctrinated in necromancy. His violent bolts of fire wreaked havoc across a desolate terrain of Britain. When in search of the Holy Grail, Arthur and his knights confronted this wretched man. Arthur was led to believe that the Holy Grail lied in a cave. However, he and his knights were beguiled by the innocent appearance of a white rabbit, which is said to protect this relic. Some knights perished in the fight against this creature. Indeed, they were led astray by the false prophet.

My presence would have made no difference, for Arthur himself must learn to trust his heart. As King, Arthur seems to struggle to maintain cohesion among his knights. He is depicted as a gullible authority by listening to Tim. I’m afraid Arthur is blinded by his search for an unattainable thing. The Grail may very well be an aimless desire of man, which is pursued by ideological motive.

My Representation In Art

Though I am not a man to boast wildly about, I must say the artistic representations of my quest are quite extraordinary. My quest to achieve the Holy Grail was a trying one, I had to forsake all the pleasures of Earth to make sure that I was pure and able to achieve the Grail. Many times I over the course of my quest I had to face danger and also face the smiling face of success. One of these instances I remember most fondly.
It was of course the day that good King Arthur knighted me and accepted me into the Round Table. There is no greater honor in all of the land than to be in the company of the best knights in the world. I wore red and knelt before the magnificent King and was brought into the same majestic circle of fantastically talented men, such as my father Lancelot. Before the eyes of God I was bestowed the title that makes men quiver with fear and women quiver with passion. But alas I had no time for the quivering of women, even though I do deserve their quivering.
Though I may have suffered and was tortured by the arduous task of achieving the Grail, it was all worth it in the end, my name shall ring out through the ages, for I am Sir Galahad, Knight of the Round Table, Champion of the Holy Grail.

Abbey Paintings

Hello all. I was astounded by the size of the Boston Public Library upon entering! I wandered foolishly in search of these Abbey paintings for some time. But when I found them...oh my! It was like taking a journey back in time. What a tribute to Galahad! And what size to them! Much larger than I had expected.

I was particularly enthralled by one of the middle paintings. It was the one in which Galahad had encountered the three women. I believe them to have been trying to stop him from getting to the grail by distracting him with magic and what not. The older women, or the head "damsel" I would presume reminded me a lot of Morgan La Fay. She was on a horse wore a red cloak, and carried the kings head in her arms. And the other women reminded me of myself, though of course, it was not.

But Galahad, as we know was so truthful and pure of a man. He resisted all the temptation he had encountered--ultimately finding the grail in later paintings and becoming a king himself. I can give credit where it is due--well done Galahad!

Delineations of Galahad

The image of Galahad as represented by the paintings of Abbey is a true model for those who wish to achieve prosperity. By his virtues and constant struggle through life to achieve what is impossible, he succeeded where no one else could. His eventual success shows how remaining true to one's cause is the only way to obtain the rewards that it offers and to fulfill one's role is to carry the burden of the task, no matter how great, and not break the rules even when faced with the most difficult conditions. Though Galahad was endowed with the knowledge and will necessary to seek out the greatest relic of human existence, his path could have been impeded if he should falter in preserving his innocence. Without this quality, the grail would no longer be in his reach, as proved by Bors and Percival. In order to achieve his highest purpose, Galahad even sacrificed his love of Blanchefleur. Though he may have given up his purity, he at least retained his innocence. I was because of this utter commitment to his highest purpose, not as a hero but as a savior to the king and the land, that he was favoured by the Grail and left behind all earthly burdens once this purpose was fulfilled.