The Grail Legend, Signs of Life

"...the man is distinguished by the feminine elements." The Grail Legend by Emma Jung

Continuing in the classic story of the Holy Grail, a myth made noble by its telling and re-telling, the author Emma Jung, wife of famed psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, writes that the myth is known since the middle ages. Over time it develops and refines itself through the numerous spiritual awakenings experienced by its telling. "Thus he [like Percival]  is brought into close connection with the Christ." So then the "Grail hero," Percival, represents  the higher conscious awareness of a person, in the religious, spiritual sense of the word.

The story events can be traced and understood as "symbolic representations of the archetypal development .... on the other hand, they possess a dimension in depth which points specifically to the problem of the Christian era." The "problem" as described relates to the nature of salvation contained within the Christ story. Percival spurred on by his mother, goes forth from the family home to find his way in the world and most importantly to discover the location of the Grail Castle. For this, he searches long, high and low.

"It would seem,' writes Jung, 'that the mother's story has produced an after-effect in the unconscious of the youth and has there aroused the images of the paternal figures which he then meets in the Grail Castle." This as example, is an experience many of us are familiar with: during our waking day we experience something which while fleeting, to which no importance may be attached, nonetheless it activates the unconscious mind. Often these experiences give rise to dreams which appropriately consider the subject in depth, but most often in symbols. Within the Grail Legend there are a host of symbols to be considered, both religious and spiritual, masculine and feminine.

One of the many things the myth demonstrates is that during Percival's long wandering, while a man naturally has the "tendency to identify with his masculinity, and it is well known, the acceptance of his feminine side is a severe problem for him. He is therefore inclined to act unjustly towards the feminine. It may seem strange... to place a high value on the wronging of the feminine element... it must not be overlooked, however, that a woman is only loved externally; the manly ideal is a one-sided and absolute masculinity." There is then the "motif of the chessboard" upon which Gauvain [another character in the myth] and his beloved defend themselves.

"For in the game of chess which requires concentration and close attention, the two sides confront one another,  "a well nigh all powerful queen stands beside a somewhat helpless yet nevertheless vitally important king... the knight must still submit himself" for the further development of the game. As in the game, Percival, like a 'shadow figure' tries to investigate these and other profound problems seeking solutions and the ultimate holy of holy, the Grail itself. To whom the Grail is possessed is riches without parallel. In this game, that one is the victor.

The Legend of the Holy Grail

"It is one of those fairy tales... in which the search for a 'treasure hard to attain." The Grail Legend by Emma Jung and M-L von Franz


Despite the popularity of comedies and parodies about the Holy Grail, Monty Python most famously, there is in European folklore and myth, the tale of the Holy Grail. The Grail Legend as written by Emma Jung and completed after her death by Marie-Louise von Franz is a compelling examination into the origins and compilation of what today we know as the Grail myth. The story is thought to have originated in parts of Europe, especially in the Northern regions, and in geographic France. Its more recent form is often accredited to 12th century by the Middle Age writer, Chretien de Troyes, an early French speaker. It also may be traced to the Anglo and Germanic regions of Europe. Truly it is of European descent.


The legend in general is told as a story about the search for a mysterious, life sustaining object or vessel guarded by a King in a castle which is remote and difficult to find. The King is lame or sickly; thus the surrounding countryside is suffering, many parts in devastation. The health of the King is paramount to the restoration of the fertility and health of the land. If a knight sufficiently noble and quite excellent can find the castle, and at first sight asks a question there in that place, all will be well. Should he neglect to ask, all remains as before. The castle then is to vanish, the knight to set out once more to search for the vessel. After wandering, should the knight succeed, find the Grail Castle again, ask the question, the King will then be restored to health; the lands will prosper. And that knight, now the hero will become guardian of the Grail from that time onward.


What remains of special interest in this story, even today, has been the focus of study by various individuals, including Emma Jung, wife of the famed psycho-analyst, Carl Jung. Believing in the power of myth and the importance of them in the modern age, Jung set out to examine their components and what they had to teach us about the world we live in and the spiritual world we sense to be. In this story, a unique blend of  "eternal fairy tale enters," writes Jung. She says it reflects the 'Christian eon' as well as fundamental human concerns and spirituality.