Percival

:This article is about the Percival of the Arthurian legend. For the British aircraft manufacturer of the same name, see Hunting Aircraft

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Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. In Welsh literature his name is Peredur (see the Peredur article for the historical figure). He is most famous for his involvement in the quest for the Holy Grail.

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There are many versions of Percival's birth. In most accounts he is of noble birth; his father is either King Pellinore or another worthy knight. His mother is usually unnamed but plays a significant role in the stories. His sister is the bearer of the Holy Grail, she is sometimes named Dindrane. In tales where he is Pellinore's son his brothers are Sir Tor, Sir Aglovale, Sir Lamorak, and Sir Dornar.

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After the death of his father, Percival's mother takes him to the Welsh forests where she raises him ignorant to the ways of men until the age of 15. Eventually, however, a group of knights passes through his wood, and Percival is stricken with their heroic appearance. Wanting to be a knight himself, the boy travels to King Arthur's court, and after proving himself to be an excellent warrior he is knighted and invited to join the Knights of the Round Table.

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Even in the earliest stories he is connected to the Grail Quest. In Chr?tien de Troyes' Perceval, le Conte du Graal, he meets the crippled Fisher King and sees the Holy Grail, but he fails to ask the question that would heal the injured monarch. Upon learning of his mistake he vows find the Grail castle again and fulfill his quest.

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In later accounts, the true Grail hero is Galahad, Lancelot's son. But though his role in the romances had been diminished, Percival remained a major character and was one of only two knights (the other was Sir Bors) who accompanied Galahad to the Grail castle and completed the quest with him.

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In early versions, Percival's sweetheart was Blanchefleur and he became the King of Carbonek after healing the Fisher King, but in later versions he was a virgin who died after achieving the Grail. In Wolfram's version, Percival's son is Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swan.

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In modern times his story has been used in such varied retellings as T.S. Eliot's epic poem The Waste Land, Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal, and the novel and film The Natural.

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While some scholars once believed that Percival, along with the legend of the Holy Grail, was of Persian origin, those theories have been rejected by the weight of scholarly opinion.

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Chr?tien wrote the first story of Percival; Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, and the theoretical Perceval of Robert de Boron are other famous accounts of his adventures.

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King Arthur: :For the 1691 opera by Dryden and Purcell, see King Arthur (opera)....

Knights of the Round Table: The Knights of the Round Table were those men awarded the highest Order of Chivalry at the Court of King Arthur in the literary cycle, the Matter of Britain....

Welsh literature: The term Welsh literature may be used to refer to any literature originating from Wales or by Welsh writers. However, it more often refers to literature written in the Welsh language. Literature by Welsh writers in the English language is usually called Anglo-Welsh literature or Welsh literature i...