The Fisher King or the Wounded King figures in Arthurian legend as the latest in a line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish plate or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers Versions of his story vary widely, but he is always wounded in the legs or groin, and incapable of moving on his own. When he is injured, his kingdom suffers as he does, his impotence affecting the fertility of the land and reducing it to a barren Wasteland. The Wasteland is a Celtic motif that ties the barrenness of a land with a curse that must be lifted by a hero Little is left for him to do but fish in the river near his castle Corbenic. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. Corbenic (also Carbonek and Corbin) is the name of the castle of the Holy Grail in the Lancelot-Grail cycle and Thomas Malory Knights travel from many lands to heal the Fisher King but only the chosen can accomplish the feat. This is Percival in the earlier stories; in the later versions Percival is joined by Galahad and Bors. Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur 's legendary Knights of the Round Table. Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur 's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. Bors (Bohort Julius Tiberius circa 540s-580s is the name of two knights in the Arthurian legend, one the father and one the son
Confusingly, many works have two wounded Grail Kings who live in the same castle, a father (or grandfather) and son. The more seriously wounded father stays in the castle, sustained by the Grail alone, while the more active son can meet with guests and go fishing. For clarity, the father will be called the Wounded King, the son the Fisher King where both appear in the remainder of this article.
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Origin of the name "Fisher King"
The title has several possible origins, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
- Christian symbolism: the fish is a symbol for Christ; the first apostles were fishermen until Christ sent them out to be "fishers of men. Christian symbolism is defined as the investing of outward things or actions with an inner meaning the expression of Christian ideas Ichthys or Ichthus Greek: grc ἰχθύς capitalized grc ΙΧΘΥΣ also transliterated and Latinized as ichthys, The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e "
- Celtic mythology: there is an Irish myth about the Salmon of Wisdom. Celtic mythology is the Mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the Religion of the Iron Age Celts Like other Iron Age The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings The Salmon of Wisdom or Salmon of Knowledge ( bradán feasa) is a creature figuring in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology.
- A play on words or mistranslation: the French words for "fisher" and "sinner" are almost identical (pêcheur and pécheur respectively). Word play is a Literary technique in which the nature of the words that are used become the main subject of the work French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation
Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval
The Fisher King first appears in Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail, from the late 12th century. Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and Trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Perceval the Story of the Grail (Perceval le Conte du Graal is the unfinished fifth romance of Chrétien de Troyes. Neither his wound nor his father's is explained, but Perceval later discovers the kings would have been healed if he had only asked about the Grail (his teacher had warned him not to ask too many questions). Perceval learns he is related to the Grail Kings through his mother, the Wounded King's daughter; the poem breaks off before Perceval can return to the Grail castle.
Chrétien never calls his object the Holy Grail. He uses the word graal assuming his audience would be familiar with it as a fairly common item. It is not until Robert de Boron (see below) that the Grail is connected with Jesus; later writers identified the Bleeding Lance with the Spear of Destiny as well. Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts "Bouron" "Beron" was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries originally from the village The Holy Lance (also known as the Spear of Destiny, Holy Spear, Lance of Longinus, Spear of Longinus or Spear of Christ) is the name
Celtic mythology
The Fisher King appears first in Perceval, but the character's roots lie in Celtic Mythology. Celtic mythology is the Mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the Religion of the Iron Age Celts Like other Iron Age He may be derived more or less directly from the figure of Bran the Blessed in the Mabinogion; in the Second Branch, Bran had a cauldron that could resurrect the dead (albeit imperfectly - those thus revived could not speak after they were resurrected), which he gave to the king of Ireland as a wedding gift for him and his sister Branwen. Bran the Blessed ( Welsh: Bendigeidfran, literally "Blessed Crow" is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the best known tales from the medieval Welsh prose collection known as the Mabinogion. Branwen is also the name of a character in some versions of Tristan and Iseult. Later, he wages war on the Irish and is wounded in the foot or leg, and the cauldron is destroyed. He asks his followers to sever his head and take it back to Britain, and his head continues talking and keeps them company on their trip. The group lands in Grassholm, where they spend 80 years in a castle of joy and abundance, but finally they leave and bury Bran's head in London. Grassholm ( Welsh: Gwales or Ynys Gwales) is a small uninhabited Island situated 13 km / 8 miles off the southwest Pembrokeshire London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. This story has analogues in two other important Welsh texts: the Mabinogion tale Culhwch and Olwen, in which King Arthur's men must travel to Ireland to retrieve a magical cauldron, and the obscure poem The Spoils of Annwn, which speaks of a similar mystical cauldron sought by Arthur in the otherworldly land of Annwn. Culhwch and Olwen ( Culhwch ac Olwen) is a Welsh tale about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors that survives in only two manuscripts King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders Preiddeu Annwfn ( English: The Spoils of Annwfn) is a short enigmatic poem found in the Welsh Book of Taliesin. Annwn or Annwfn ( Middle Welsh Annwvn, sometimes inaccurately written Annwyn Annwyfn or Annwfyn) was the Otherworld
In the Welsh Romance Peredur son of Efrawg, based on Chrétien (or derived from a common original) but containing several prominent deviations, the Grail has been removed entirely. The Three Welsh Romances ( Y Tair Rhamant in Welsh) are three tales associated with the Mabinogion. Peredur son of Efrawg is one of the three Welsh Romances associated with the Mabinogion. The character of the Fisher King appears (though he is not called thus) and presents Peredur with a severed head on a platter. Peredur later learns he was related to that king, and that the severed head was that of his cousin, whose death he must avenge.
Later medieval works
The Fisher King's next development occurs in Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie about the end of the 12th century, the first work to connect the Grail with Jesus. Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts "Bouron" "Beron" was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries originally from the village Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Here, the "Rich Fisher" is called "Bron", a name similar enough to Bran to suggest a relationship, and he is said to be the brother-in-law of Joseph of Arimathea, who had used the Grail to catch Christ's blood before laying him in the tomb. Joseph of Arimathea was according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion Joseph founds a religious community that travels eventually to Britain, and he entrusts the Grail to Bron. Bron, called the "Rich Fisher" because he catches a fish eaten at the Grail table, founds the line of Grail keepers that eventually includes Perceval.
In the Didot-Perceval, thought to be a prosification of a lost work by Robert de Boron, Bron is called the "Fisher King", and his story is told when Percival returns to his castle and asks the healing question.
Wolfram von Eschenbach takes up Chrétien's story and expands it greatly in his epic Parzival. Parzival is a major medieval German Epic poem attributed to the poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, written in the Middle High German He reworks the nature of the Grail and the community that surrounds it, and gives names to characters Chrétien left nameless (the Wounded King is "Titurel" and the Fisher King is "Anfortas").
Pelles
The Lancelot-Grail cycle includes a more elaborate backstory for the Fisher King. The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend Many in his line are wounded for their failings, and the only two that survive to Arthur's day are the Wounded King, called Pellam or Pellehan, and the Fisher King, Pelles. King Pellam of Listeneise is the name that Malory gives to the Maimed King in his rendition of the tale of Sir Balin, at whose hands Pellam suffers the King Pellam of Listeneise is the name that Malory gives to the Maimed King in his rendition of the tale of Sir Balin, at whose hands Pellam suffers the Pelles engineers the birth of Galahad by tricking Lancelot into bed with his daughter Elaine, and it is prophesied that Galahad will achieve the Grail and heal the Wasteland. Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur 's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. In the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot ( Lancelot du Lac, also Launcelot) is one of the Knights of the Round Table. Elaine is a name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend. In the Post-Vulgate Cycle and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, the Fisher King's wound was given to him by Sir Balin in the "Dolorous Stroke". The Post-Vulgate Cycle is one of the major Old French Prose cycles of Arthurian literature Sir Thomas Malory (c 1405 – 14 March 1471 was an English writer the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. Le Morte d'Arthur (spelled Le Morte Darthur in the first printing and also in some modern editions Middle French for la mort d'Arthur Sir Balin le Savage, also known as the Knight with Two Swords, is a character in the Arthurian legend. The Dolorous Stroke is a trope in Arthurian legend and some other stories of Celtic origin To defend himself from an enraged Pellam, Balin grabs a spear and stabs him. The spear is the Spear of Longinus, however, and Pellam and his land must suffer for its misuse until the coming of Galahad. The Holy Lance (also known as the Spear of Destiny, Holy Spear, Lance of Longinus, Spear of Longinus or Spear of Christ) is the name
In Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, there are four characters (some of whom can probably be identified with each other) filling the role of Fisher King or Wounded King:
- King Pellam, wounded by Balin, as in the Post-Vulgate. Sir Thomas Malory (c 1405 – 14 March 1471 was an English writer the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. Le Morte d'Arthur (spelled Le Morte Darthur in the first printing and also in some modern editions Middle French for la mort d'Arthur
- King Pelles, grandfather of Galahad, described as "the maimed king". In one passage he is explicitly identified with Pellam; in another, however, he is said to have suffered his wound in quite different circumstances.
- King Pescheour or Petchere, lord of the Grail Castle, who never appears on stage (at least under that name). He owes his existence to a mistake by Malory, who took the Old French roy Peschour ("Fisher King", a phrase Malory never otherwise uses) for a name rather than an epithet. Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium Nevertheless, Malory treats him as distinct from Pelles.
- An anonymous, bedridden Maimed King, healed by Galahad at the climax of the Grail Quest. He is definitely distinct from Pelles, who has just been sent out of the room, and who is anyway at least mobile.
It would appear that Malory intended to have one Maimed King, wounded by Balin and suffering until healed by his grandson Galahad, but never managed to successfully reconcile his sources.
King Pelles is the name of the Maimed King in some versions of the Arthurian legend. One of a line of Grail keepers established by Joseph of Arimathea, Pelles is the father of Eliazer and Elaine, mother of Galahad, and resides in the castle of Corbinec in Listenois. Joseph of Arimathea was according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion Elaine is a name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend. Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur 's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. Corbenic (also Carbonek and Corbin) is the name of the castle of the Holy Grail in the Lancelot-Grail cycle and Thomas Malory Listeneise or Listenoise is the name of the land of the Holy Grail in some Arthurian works and the location of the Grail Castle. Pelles and his relative Pellehan appear in both the Vulgate (Lancelot-Grail) and Post-Vulgate Cycles, as well as in later works, such as Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (in which Pellehan is called Pellam). King Pellam of Listeneise is the name that Malory gives to the Maimed King in his rendition of the tale of Sir Balin, at whose hands Pellam suffers the The Post-Vulgate Cycle is one of the major Old French Prose cycles of Arthurian literature In the Vulgate, Pelles is the son of Pellehan, but the Post-Vulgate is less clear about their relationship. It is even murkier in Malory's work: one passage explicitly identifies them (book XVIII, chapter 5), though this is contradicted elsewhere.
Galahad, the knight prophesied to achieve the Holy Grail and heal the Maimed King, is conceived when Elaine uses magic to trick Lancelot into thinking she is his love Guinevere. Lancelot sleeps with her, but flees when he realizes what he has done. Galahad is raised by his aunt in a convent, and when he is eighteen, comes to King Arthur's court and begins the Grail quest. Only he, Percival, and Bors are virtuous enough to achieve the Grail and restore Pelles.
Modern takes on the legend
Richard Wagner used the Fisher King in his opera Parsifal, based on Wolfram's work, and T. S. Eliot made extensive use of the Fisher King legend in his poem The Waste Land. Parsifal is an Opera, or Music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner. Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26 1888 – January 4 1965 was a poet Dramatist, and Literary critic. The Waste Land ( 1922) is a highly influential 434-line modernist poem by T
In Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, Merlin's grandfather Avallach, previously a king of lost Atlantis, is explicitly called the Fisher King. Stephen R Lawhead (born July 2, 1950) is a best-selling American Writer known for his works of Fantasy, Science fiction The Pendragon Cycle is a series of Fantasy or semi- Historical books based on the Arthurian legend, written by Stephen R The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the According to one Welsh tradition, Afallach was the father of Modron. Atlantis (in Greek,, "island of Atlas " is the name of a Legendary Island, first mentioned in Plato 's dialogues He carries a wound never healed from battle and spends his later years in Britain fishing on the lake. The character appears again in opera in Michael Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage, partly inspired by Eliot's poem. Sir Michael Kemp Tippett, OM (2 January 1905 &ndash 8 January 1998 was one of the foremost English Composers of the 20th century The Midsummer Marriage is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Michael Tippett.
The story is dealt with humorously in the 1991 movie The Fisher King, starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams, who turns from Parry (see Percival) to the Fisher King. The Fisher King is a Comedy-drama Film made in 1991, written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Terry Gilliam. Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is a four-time Academy Award -nominated American Actor and Musician. Robin McLaurim Williams (born July 21 1951 or 1952 is an American television stage and film actor and Comedian who has won an Academy Award for his performance Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur 's legendary Knights of the Round Table.
Other modern takes on the Fisher King appear in novels like C. S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength, Paule Marshall's The Fisher King: A Novel, Tim Powers' novels The Drawing of the Dark and Last Call and Matt Wagner's comic book series Mage. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 That Hideous Strength is a 1945 Novel by C S Lewis, the final book in Lewis's theological Science fiction Space Trilogy. Paule Marshall (born April 9, 1929) is an American Author. She was born Valenza Pauline Burke in Brooklyn to Barbadian Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American Science fiction and fantasy author Last Call ( 1992) is a Fantasy novel by Tim Powers. It was published in New York by Harper Collins in 1996 with ISBN 0-380-72846-X Matt Wagner (born 1961) is an American Comic book Writer and Artist, best known as the creator of two irregular series Mage is an American Superhero Comic book written and illustrated by Matt Wagner. Don Nigro's play Fisher King retells the story during the American Civil War. Don Nigro is an American playwright his plays Anima Mundi and The Dark Sonnets of the Lady have both been nominated for the National Repertory Theatre Foundation's Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South In 1998, David Crosby wrote and recorded a song with the band CPR, called "Somehow She Knew", based on personal experiences and the movie The Fisher King. David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American Guitarist, Singer, and Songwriter. CPR or Crosby Pevar & Raymond is a rock/jazz band that consists of members David Crosby (founding member of The Byrds and Joan Didion compared U.S. president Ronald Reagan to the legendary king in her critical essay "In The Realm Of The Fisher King," published in 1989. Joan Didion (born December 5, 1934) is an American Journalist, Essayist and Novelist Didion contributes regularly to The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series includes a game where the central piece is called "the Fisher", which is a piece in the shape of an old, blinded and wounded man. Robert Jordan was the Pen name of James Oliver Rigney Jr ( October 17, 1948 &ndash September 16, 2007) under which he The Wheel of Time (abbreviated by fans to WoT) is a series of epic fantasy novels written by the late American author James Oliver
Further reading
- The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol by Roger Sherman Loomis ISBN 0-691-02075-2
- Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends by Ronan Coghlan
- From Ritual to Romance by Jessie Weston (available online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/frr/)
External links
- BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time on the Fisher King
- Student Research on the Fisher King at the University of Idaho
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