Grail Legend
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Paperback / softback
£30.00
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691002378
Number of Pages: 472
Width: 15.2 cm
Height: 23.5 cm
The Holy Grail and its quest is a legend that has had a powerful impact on our civilization and culture. The Grail itself is an ancient Celtic symbol of plenty as well as a Christian symbol of redemption and eternal life, the chalice that caught the blood of the crucified Christ. The story of the Grail sheds profound light on man's search for the supreme value of life, for that which makes life most meaningful. Writing in a clear and readable style, two leading women of the Jungian school of psychology present this legend as a living myth that is profoundly relevant to modern life. We encounter such universal figures as the Fool (the naive young Perceval), the Wise Old Man (the Hermit Gornemanz), the Virgin Maiden (Blancheflor), the Loathly Damsel, and such important themes as the Waste Land, the Trinity, and the vessel of the Grail. Weaving together narrative and interpretation, the authors show us how the legend reflects not only fundamental human problems but also the dramatic psychic events that form the background of our Christian culture. Emma Jung--analyst, writer, and wife of the famous psychologist C. G.
Jung--researched and worked on this book for thirty years, until her death in 1955. Marie-Louise von Franz, also eminent in the field of depth psychology, completed the project.
Foreword7IIntroduction9IIPerceval's Early History, according to Chretien de Troyes39IIIThe Defeat of the Red Knight and the Meeting with Blancheflor52IVPerceval's First Visit to the Grail Castle66VThe Sword and the Lance79VIPerceval's Task98VIIThe Central Symbol of the Legend: The Grail as Vessel113VIIIThe Grail as Stone142IXThe Table, the Carving Platter and the Two Knives161XThe Continuation of Perceval's Quest173XIThe Suffering Grail King187XIIThe Figure of Gauvain; Perceval's Return to Christianity213XIIIGauvain's Adventures228XIVPerceval's Further Adventures253XVThe Redemption of the Grail Kingdom; Perceval's End290XVIRobert de Boron's Roman de l'Estoire dou Graal302XVIIThe Problem of the Trinity317XVIIIThe Figure of Adam331XIXThe Trinity: The Problem of the Fourth338XXThe Figure of Merlin347XXIMerlin as Medicine Man and Prophet357XXIIMerlin and the Alchemical Mercurius367XXIIIMerlin's Solution of the Grail Problem379XXIVThe Disappearance of Merlin390Bibliography401Index419
"The Grail Legend is a beautifully sustained application of Jungian theory to a whole story rather than merely to isolated motifs or archetypes. The work is far better researched than many other Jungian studies, and is written with a spritely, charming touch. A delightful volume."-Robert Segal, University of Lancaster, editor of Jung on Mythology and The Gnostic Jung