Chapter IX: The Fisher King

Summary of evidence presented. Need of a ‘test’ element. To be found in central figure. Mystery of his title. Analysis of variants. _Gawain_ version. _Perceval_ version. Borron alone attempts explanation of title. _Parzival. Perlesvaus. Queste. Grand Saint Graal_. Comparison with surviving ritual variants. Original form King dead, and restored to life. Old Age and Wounding themes. Legitimate variants. Doubling of character a literary device. Title. Why _Fisher_ King? Examination of Fish Symbolism. Fish a Life symbol. Examples. Indian—Manu, Vishnu, Buddha. Fish in Buddhism. Evidence from China. Orpheus. Babylonian evidence. Tammuz _Lord of the Net_. Jewish Symbolism. The Messianic Fish-meal. Adopted by Christianity. Evidence of the catacombs. Source of Borron’s Fish-meals. Mystery tradition not Celtic Folk-tale. Comparison of version with _Finn_ story. With Messianic tradition. _Epitaph of Bishop Aberkios. Voyage of Saint Brandan_. Connection of Fish with goddess Astarte. Cumont. Connection of Fish and Dove. Fish as Fertility Symbol. Its use in Marriage ceremonies. Summing up of evidence. Fisher King inexplicable from Christian point of view. Folk-lore solution unsatisfactory. As a Ritual survival completely in place. Centre of action, and proof of soundness of theory.

CHAPTER X The Secret of the Grail (1)

_The Mysteries_

The Grail regarded as an object of awe. Danger of speaking of Grail or revealing Its secrets. Passages in illustration. Why, if survival of Nature cults, popular, and openly performed? A two-fold element in these cults, _Exoteric, Esoteric_. The Mysteries. Their influence on Christianity to be sought in the _Hellenized_ rather than the _Hellenic_ cults. Cumont. Rohde. Radical difference between Greek and Oriental conceptions. Lack of evidence as regards Mysteries on the whole. Best attested form that connected with Nature cults. Attis-Adonis. Popularity of the Phrygian cult in Rome. Evidence as to Attis Mysteries. Utilized by Neo-Platonists as vehicle for teaching. Close connection with Mithraism. The Taurobolium. Details of Attis Mysteries. Parallels with the Grail romances.

CHAPTER XI The Secret of the Grail (2)

_The Naassene Document_

Relations between early Christianity, and pre-Christian cults. Early Heresies. Hippolytus, and _The Refutation of all Heresies_. Character of the work. _The Naassene Document_. Mr Mead’s analysis of text. A synthesis of Mysteries. Identification of Life Principle with the Logos. Connection between Drama and Mysteries of Attis. Importance of the Phrygian Mysteries. Naassene claim to be sole Christians. Significance of evidence. Vegetation cults as vehicle of high spiritual teaching. Exoteric and Esoteric parallels with the Grail tradition. Process of evolution sketched. Bleheris. _Perlesvaus_. Borron and the Mystery tradition. Christian Legendary, and Folk-tale, secondary, not primary, features.

CHAPTER XII Mithra and Attis

Problem of close connection of cults. Their apparent divergence. Nature of deities examined. Attis. Mithra. The Messianic Feast. Dieterich, _Eine Mithrasliturgie_. Difference between the two initiations. Link between Phrygian, Mithraic, and Christian, Mysteries to be found in their higher, esoteric, teaching. Women not admitted to Mithraic initiation. Possible survival in Grail text. Joint diffusion through the Roman Empire. Cumont’s evidence. Traces of cult in British Isles. Possible explanation of unorthodox character of Grail legend. Evidence of survival of cult in fifth century. The _Elucidation_ a possible record of historic facts. Reason for connecting Grail with Arthurian tradition.

CHAPTER XIII The Perilous Chapel

The adventure of the Perilous Chapel in Grail romances. _Gawain_ form. _Perceval_ versions. _Queste. Perlesvaus. Lancelot. Chevalier à Deux Espées_. Perilous Cemetery. Earliest reference in _Chastel Orguellous. Âtre Perilleus. Prose Lancelot_. Adventure part of ‘Secret of the Grail.’ The Chapel of Saint Austin. _Histoire de Fulk Fitz-Warin_. Genuine record of an initiation. Probable locality North Britain. Site of remains of Mithra-Attis cults. Traces of Mystery tradition in Medieval romance. _Owain Miles_. Bousset, _Himmelfahrt der Seele_. Parallels with romance. Appeal to Celtic scholars. Otherworld journeys a possible survival of Mystery tradition. The Templars, were they Naassenes?

CHAPTER XIV The Author

_Provenance_ and authorship of Grail romantic tradition. Evidence points to Wales, probably Pembrokeshire. Earliest form contained in group of _Gawain_ poems assigned to Bleheris. Of Welsh origin. Master Blihis, Blihos, Bliheris, Bréri, Bledhericus. Probably all references to same person. Conditions of identity. Mr E. Owen, and Bledri ap Cadivor. Evidence not complete but fulfils conditions of problem Professor Singer and possible character of Bleheris’ text. Mr Alfred Nutt. Irish and Welsh parallels. Recapitulation of evolutionary process. Summary and conclusion.