The Lost Book of the Grail

Caitlín & John Matthews are recognized authorities on the myths of the Celtic and Arthurian tradition. They are the authors of more than 100 books, both separately and together, including The Complete King Arthur, Walkers Between the Worlds, King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land, Taliesin: The Last Celtic Shaman, and the award-winning Arthur of Albion. The Matthews live in Oxford, England.

Reveals the long-forgotten prequel to the Grail mythos and how it has profound resonance with modern times Unveiling the long-forgotten prequel to the Grail quest stories, Caitlín and John Matthews examine The Elucidation of the Grail, a forgotten 13th-century French text, and show how it offers the key to understanding the sevenfold path of the Grail and the deeper stories beneath the Christian Grail narrative. Beginning with a new translation of The Elucidation by foremost esotericist Gareth Knight and Caitlín Matthews, the authors provide a complete commentary on the poem, revealing a startling alternative cause of the Wasteland and the Grail quest, one which has a profound resonance with our own times. They examine the forgotten story of the Faery Wars and explain the Faery Accord, an agreement that once existed between humans and the Faery and upon which the spiritual and physical health of the land depends. The offering of the Grail and its regenerative powers by the Maidens of the Wells--Faery women--was part of this Accord. King Amangons and his men violated the Accord, through their abuse of the Well Maidens and other evil actions, causing the wasting of the land. The Knights of King Arthur seek to avenge the Well Maidens and rebirth the Grail to restore access to the lost paradisiacal “Courts of Joy” held in ancestral memory. On their quest, they encounter the Rich Company whose greed keeps the Knights occupied in long wars of attrition, yet their quest to restore the generous hospitality of the Wells--the true Grail, the Faery Grail--continues. In addition to the Faery Accord and Knights’ quest, the authors examine the Seven Guardians of the Stories, the Rich Fisher, the Courts of Joy and paradise lost, and the otherworldly Land of Women. They show how this lost book of the Grail reveals themes familiar to the modern world and offers hope of healing the rift between the worlds of Faery and human as well as restoration of our natural belonging to the land.

Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION Revealing an Unknown Grail Story 1 The Story of the Grail 2 The Elucidation of the Grail Translation and Annotated Analysis 3 The Storyteller and Seven Cloaks of the Story4 The Maidens of the Wells and the Faery Accord5 In the Land of Women Grail Kings and Anti-Kings 6 Grail Kings and Anti-Kings7 The Causes and Consequences of the Wasteland 8 In the Place of the Ancient Heart 9 The Grail Revealed APPENDIX The Elucidation in Verse Notes Bibliography Index