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Shield of Sir Perceval
The hero of the earliest Grail romance is Sir Perceval of Wales. As far as we can now tell, the theme of the Grail and the quest to achieve it was introduced to us by the twelfth century poet, Chretien de Troyes. However, he claimed to have an earlier source for his story, which had been written in the Welsh language. This was a common enough literary device in Chretien's day; but it has intrigued Grail questers ever since; especially since a Welsh version of the story does indeed exist, albeit in a much later manuscript. However, we can be pretty certain that Chretien was truthful insofar as he did have a wealth of storytelling traditions from the Celtic world upon which to draw for inspiration. Whatever the truth, though, Chretien's tale became an instant hit. It was copied and re-copied many times, sometimes in illuminated manuscripts. The artists who decorated these manuscripts would ascribe ficticious coats of arms to Sir Perceval and the other knights he encountered in the course of his adventures. Over time, these started to become conventionalized. This coat of arms is an early one, and it is one of my favourites. As a child Perceval was brought up by his mother in isolation. Thus, because of his innocence, he was referred to as 'the Perfect Fool'. This design, therefore, symbolizes his pure heart.
We have hand crafted this badge in pewter and enamel. It is approximately 33mm overall. |
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| Code: KTB168Price: £6.50 |
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Shield of Sir Galahad
Sir Galahad became the hero of the Grail Romances in the first part of the thirteenth century. In the original Grail romance, 'Li Conte del Graal', Chretien de Troyes had been rather vague about the nature of this wondrous object. Nor did he help matters much by failing to complete his tale. In the years that followed Chretien's death (circa 1180), other writers attempted to provide satisfactory conclusions to his story; however, it was not until circa 1200 that the Burgundian poet, Robert de Borron, made the connection between Chretien's Graal, or Grail, and the cup or dish used by Christ at the Last Supper. From that time on, we should, therefore refer to the Grail as 'Holy'. What de Borron also achieved was to take the Grail quest out of the Celtic tradition of the mystical hero quest, and translate it to the realm of Christian spiritual awakenings. A new hero was therefore needed to successfully complete the quest who did not owe his origins to 'uncouth' Celtic prototypes, like Perceval and Gawain. Into the breach stepped Sir Galahad; the virgin flower of Christian knighthood. Traditionally Sir Galahad was said to have carried a white shield, upon which Joseph of Arimathea had smeared a cross in blood.
We have hand crafted this badge in pewter and enamel. It is approximately 33mm overall. |
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| Code: KTB167Price: £6.50 |
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