Native from Britanny, in a very catholic family, I have been told about
these legends since I was 3!
These stories are mixing celtic paganism with roman christianity:
- "Merlin the enchanter" is a wizard of the old celtic religion, living in
forests, legendary being stripped of its knowledge and its capacities by the
Viviane fairy.
- Viviane is a paganist fairy, later supposed to have given the mission of
taking care of the Holy Grail to the knights of the round table.
- the Holy Grail is originaly a paganist magic symbol (the cauldron of
Dagda, most important god of the celtic mythology), later supposed to
contain the blood of the Christ.
It appears clearly that Christianity at this time (+-12th century) has added
a christian explaination and sense to all the paganist legends and believes!
the same method was applied in Asia (in India, Jesus is a divinity just like
Shiva, Buddha or Ganesh), in Africa (in Madagascar, death people,
christianily buried, are still unearther 1 year after, for them to go in
peace to the other world) and in Europe (in most of european countries,
Christian priests still bless the fields and the cattles).
Anyway, even if these stories are very beautiful, there is nothing hitoric
about the Holy Grail...
how could it be possible to take some blood of the Christ on the cross, and
to keep this cup safe during all these centuries?...
politicaly, even if this legend has been used to developp the Roman
Christianity during the XIIth, the same has fighted and burned people
believing in it during the XIIIth (the Cathares faith has been dismantled,
all juged for heresy).
So I believe that if there is any link between the Grail and Gabriel, it's
only one more attempt to link the original Celtic religion to the Christian
believes!
Loïc
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gilberto Simpson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Baha'i Studies" <bahai-st@list.jccc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 6:33 PM
Subject: Re: Holy Grail
I'm not sure about the chronology of Christianity's spread to England
(And I doubt if scholars have a clear consensus about the origins and
historicity of the Arthur legends) but in the Mists of Avalon the
portrayal is actually kind of interesting. Arthur's reign is seen as a
turning point between Paganism and Christianity. Merlin and Morgana le
Fey are representatives of the Old religion as England is slowly taken
over by Christianity. (Although Goddess worship is secretly continued
as Marian devotion)
On 1/2/07, Brill de Ramirez, Susan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
This is an especially interesting direction for discussion. We know that
there have been many Manifestations of God throughout human existence
propelling cultures and civilizations forward. Those of written religious
history, we know more about than those of oral cultures.
Judaism has the distinction of being one of the few tribal faiths that
arose with a written culture with the Book rather than the Word of God
having been transmitted orally (here, we might also include some Chinese
traditions, perhaps the Egyptians, the Mayans, perhaps others). . .
although, of course, there is also an active oral sacred tradition in
Judaism . . . most notably retained in the Passover seder rituals and
storytelling.
Anyway, the Grail. . . .
Lately, I've been thinking about Merlin and Arthur. I've been pondering
whether, in fact, Merlin might have been a Prophet/Manifestation of God
for the Celtic peoples of England with the Message of unification of the
various peoples of Great Britain with Arthur as his unifying instrument.
All that we have, of course, are stories, variously embellished and
fictionalized. In those stories, might the Grail be the holy Sign that
fuses both ancient Celtic tribal traditions with the arrival of
Christianity? The Holy Grail being the tangible Sign of the Message of
Christianity as it was brought from its Middle Eastern origins all the way
to England. . . .
So much for early Gregorian year musings,
Regards to all,
Susan
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