Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. 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 King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders 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 He is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Carbonek, and is renowned for his gallantry and purity. 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. He is perhaps the knightly embodiment of Jesus in the Arthurian legends. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) He first appears in the Lancelot-Grail cycle, and his story is taken up in later works such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend 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
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Galahad's career
Galahad's conception comes about when Elaine, daughter of the Grail King Pelles, uses magic to trick Lancelot into thinking she is Guinevere. The Fisher King or the Wounded King figures in Arthurian legend as the latest in a line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. Guinevere was the legendary Queen consort of King Arthur. She was most famous for her love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot, which first They sleep together, but on discovering what has transpired, Lancelot abandons Elaine and returns to Arthur's court. Galahad is placed in the care of his great aunt, the abbess at a nunnery, and is raised there. According to the Quest del Saint Graal (part of the interconnected set of romances known as the Vulgate Cycle) "Galahad" had been Lancelot's original name, but it had been changed when he was a child. The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend Merlin prophesies that Galahad would surpass his father in valor and be successful in his search for the Holy Grail. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the It is also interesting to note that Galahad's maternal grandfather Pelles is generally considered to be a descendent of Joseph of Arimathea's brother-in-law Bron (whose line was entrusted with the grail by Joseph). The Fisher King or the Wounded King figures in Arthurian legend as the latest in a line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. Joseph of Arimathea was according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion
Upon reaching adulthood, Galahad is reunited with his father Lancelot, who knights him. In the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot ( Lancelot du Lac, also Launcelot) is one of the Knights of the Round Table. He is then brought to King Arthur's court at Camelot during Pentecost. Camelot is the most famous Castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the Without realizing the danger he is putting himself in, Galahad walks over to the Round Table amidst the revelry and takes his seat at the Siege Perilous. In Arthurian legend, the Siege Perilous (also known as The Perilous Seat) is a vacant seat at the Round Table reserved by Merlin for the This place had been kept vacant for the sole person who would accomplish the quest of the Holy Grail; for anyone else sitting there, it would prove to be immediately fatal. Sir Galahad survives the event, witnessed by King Arthur and his knights. The king then asks the young knight to perform a test which involves pulling a sword from a stone. This he accomplishes with ease, and King Arthur swiftly proclaims Sir Galahad to be the greatest knight in the world. He is promptly invited to join the Order of the Round Table, and after an ethereal vision of the Holy Grail, the quest to find the famous object is set. 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
In Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur", Galahad's incredible prowess and fortune in the quest for the Holy Grail are traced back to his piety. 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 According to the legend, only pure knights may achieve the Grail. While in a general sense, this "purity" refers to chastity, Galahad appears to have lived a sinless life, and so as a result, lives and thinks on a level entirely apart from the other knights of the legend. This quality is reflected in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem Sir Galahad and its first four lines which state, "My good blade carves the casques of men,/My tough lance thrusteth sure,/My strength is as the strength of ten,/Because my heart is pure. Alfred Tennyson 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892 was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and remains one of the most popular English poets "
Despite, and perhaps because of his sinless nature, Galahad as a character seems inhuman. He defeats rival knights apparently without effort, speaks little to his fellow knights, and leads his companions to the Grail with a relentless determination. So of the three who undertake the quest for the Grail (Bors, Perceval, and Galahad), Galahad is the one who actually achieves it. Bors (Bohort Julius Tiberius circa 540s-580s is the name of two knights in the Arthurian legend, one the father and one the son Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur 's legendary Knights of the Round Table. When he does, he is taken up into heaven like the biblical patriarch Enoch or the prophet Elijah, leaving his companions behind. Enoch ( Hebrew:; Tiberian: Ḥănōḵ, Standard: Ḥanokh, Ashkenazi, Jiddish: jHenosch Elijah or Elias ( was a Prophet in Israel in the 9th century BC
Galahad in popular culture
In 1949 Galahad was featured in his own Columbia serial, played by George Reeves, the future Superman. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company George Reeves ( January 5, 1914 &ndash June 16, 1959) was an American Actor, best known for his role as Superman in the Adventures of Superman is an American Television series based on Comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel It was the first, and only, Arthurian film serial. However Galahad has fared less well in other cinematic retellings of the Matter of Britain. In Knights of the Round Table and Merlin he is only shown as a child, (though he is destined to find the Grail after the action of each film); and is left out of Excalibur and Camelot altogether. Knights of the Round Table is a 1954 historical film made by MGM. Merlin is a 3 hour made-for-television movie released in 1998 that retells the famous legend of King Arthur from the perspective of the wizard Excalibur is a 1981 Fantasy film which retells the legend of King Arthur. Camelot is the 1967 Film version of the successful musical of the same name. Galahad has a minor part in King Arthur as an adult rather than a child, but is not the son of Lancelot in this film. King Arthur is a 2004 Film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Franzoni.
Michael Palin plays the role of Galahad in the satirical Arthurian film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese In one memorable scene he follows a vision of the Grail to a castle, where he encounters a number of beautiful maidens eager to seduce him (a fairly common Arthurian theme). Galahad explains that he is sworn to remain chaste, but his will begins to weaken. Lancelot appears just in time to "rescue" him, although not without protest from Galahad. In the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot ( Lancelot du Lac, also Launcelot) is one of the Knights of the Round Table. As they leave the castle, Galahad says to Lancelot "I bet you're gay!"
In the 2005 Broadway musical adaptation of the film, Spamalot, his character is combined with another character whom Palin played in the film, Dennis the Politically Active Peasant. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In the musical, this character is called Sir Dennis Galahad the Dashingly Handsome after he is knighted by King Arthur in Act 1. He was played by Christopher Sieber in the original Broadway cast, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. Christopher Sieber (born February 18, 1969 in St Paul Minnesota) is an American actor and musical theatre performer The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented (Incidentally, in the musical Lancelot did turn out to be gay. )
Galahad remains a medieval knight, albeit in a modern setting, as "Galahad, Knight of the Table Round" in the Neil Gaiman short story "Chivalry". Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and He shows up at the door of one Mrs. Whitaker, who had recently bought the Holy Grail for thirty pence at a junk shop, and offers her various precious items for it, eventually succeeding in obtaining it.
Galahad appeared as a villain in the Grant Morrison work The Shining Knight in his Seven Soldiers series where he is called both Galahad the Giant Killer and Galahad the Perfect Knight. Grant Morrison (born January 31 1960 is a Scottish Comic book writer and artist The Seven Soldiers of Victory (also known as Law's Legionnaires) is a fictional team of Comic book Superheroes in the DC Comics universe He was brought under the control of the series main antagonists, the Sheeda, and fought against Sir Justin the Shining Knight. Shining Knight is the name of three Fictional Superheroes in the DC Comics universe. Galahad was the subject of a song by Rick Wakeman and is used as a metaphor in a song by Joan Baez ("Sweet Sir Galahad"), and is mentioned in the song "Tin Man" by the band America. Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949 in Perivale, London) is an English Keyboard player best known as the Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York) an American Folk singer and Songwriter known America is an English-American Folk rock band originally composed of members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek. Galahad is also the name of a lager produced by well known German retailer Aldi. Galahad also is one of the Knights of the Round Table portrayed in the computer game Runescape. RuneScape is a Java -based MMORPG ( Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) operated by Jagex Ltd During the quest known as "The Holy Grail", he provides the player with a special item that allows a person to eventually find the grail. The Mega Drive/Genesis version of the computer game Leander is known as Legend of Galahad. The is a 16-bit Video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 North America in 1989 and the PAL region in 1990 The is a 16-bit Video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 North America in 1989 and the PAL region in 1990 In the PS2 game Shadow Hearts: Covenant, a weapon for both Nicolai and Karen known as Galahad's Sword is available. Shadow Hearts Covenant is a Console role-playing game developed by Nautilus and published by Midway 2004
See also
- Sir Galahad was the pseudonym of Austrian writer Bertha Diener (aka Helen Diner) (1874 -1948)
External links
- Biography of Sir Galahad from Early British Kingdoms
- The full text of the poem Sir Galahad
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