Wolfram’s Parzival, an Arthurian romance of over
25,000 lines in rhymed couplets, is based on Chrétien
de Troyes’s Perceval (also called Le Conte del Graal).
It is not a translation in the modern sense, rather an
adaptation, expansion, and completion of Chrétien’s
work. There are several important differences.
Chrétien’s romance is unfi nished. Although there are
several continuations, his work stops after 9,234 lines.
Wolfram provides his Parzival with a detailed prehis-
tory and brings his story to a logical conclusion, while
maintaining the general sequence of events found in his
source. The prehistory (the fi rst two books) deals with
Parzival’s father, Gahmuret, and how he eventually mar-
ries Herzeloyde, but is killed in battle. Striken by the
news of Gahmuret’s tragic death, Herzeloyde gives birth
to Parzival and resolves to raise him in the wilderness,
far from the knightly world of the court.
Wolfram takes Chrétien to task in an epilogue for not
having told the story properly then goes on to say that
a certain “Kyot,” who told the true tale, might well be
angry about that (Parzival 827, 1–4). Earlier Wolfram
had claimed Kyot as his source on several occasions and
had gone into great detail about how Kyot had found the
true story of the Grail in a discarded Arabic manuscript
in Toledo. In the manuscript there was a report about the
Grail and the Grail family by a part-Jewish astronomer
named Flegetanis, who had read about the Grail in the
stars. Kyot, a Provençal Christian, had to learn Arabic
to read the manuscript. Then he read in Latin chronicles
and fi nally found the story of the Grail Family, which
he eventually located in Anjou. All in all, an elaborate
invention, especially since we have no real evidence of
such a Kyot.
Another striking difference between Wolfram and
his source is the nature of the Grail. In Chrétien it is
a dish or bowl, in Wolfram a fantastic stone with the
pseudo-Latin name of lapsit exillis. The angels, who
had remained neutral during Lucifer’s rebellion, were
banished to the stone. Later, a human family became
the guardians of the Grail and lived from the food and
drink that the Grail miraculously provided. Anyone who
has been in the presence of the Grail will not die for a
week thereafter, only a virgin can carry the Grail, and in-
scriptions appear on the stone to name children who are
called to the Grail. They grow up to become knights and
ladies and are sent out to occupy thrones that lack rulers.
The knights defend the Grail Castle and are forbidden
to marry or to have a love relationship with a woman
(Wolfram calls them “templars”). Only the Grail King
may have a wife, but King Anfortas had been wounded
by a poisoned spear while performing chivalric deeds in
the service of a lady, and been kept alive by the power
of the Grail, yet suffering excruciating pain. Neverthe-
less, although the Grail cannot be found by any seeker,
an inscription on the Grail announced that a stranger
would come and Anfortas would be healed if he asked
the question without prompting during the fi rst night.
The stranger would then become Grail King.
Of course, Parzival is destined to be that stranger. He
grows up ignorant of knighthood until he encounters
some knights, riding through the forest. Impressed by
their armor, Parzival is intent on becoming a knight
himself. His desire for knighthood stems from the
paternal side of his genetic makeup, and his mother
reluctantly allows him to leave. Still, she dresses him
in fool’s clothing in the hope that the ridicule he will
surely receive will force his return. However, Parzival’s
handsome appearance impresses people, and he eventu-
ally reaches King Artus’s court, only to be told that he
should get his own armor by attacking Ither, a knight
outside the court who is feuding with Artus, if he wants
to become a knight.
Parzival kills Ither with his crude javelin, unaware
that Ither is a blood relative, strips him of his armor, puts
it on, and rides off on Ither’s horse. He arrives at the
castle of Gurnemanz, who gives him a short course in
knightsmanship and admonitions about how to behave
as a knight. Traveling on to Pelrapeire, Parzival wins
the beautiful Condwiramurs by defeating her besiegers.
After some rime, Parzival leaves Condwiramurs to visit
his mother, but he arrives instead unwittingly at Mun-
salvæsche, the Grail Castle. There he is received with
great honor, sees the Grail procession and the bloody
lance, hears the lamenting of the people, and receives
a sword from King Anfortas, who is obviously in great
pain. But Parzival, mindful of Gurnemanz’s advice not to
ask too many questions, remains silent. The next morn-
ing the Grail company has disappeared, and Parzival
leaves to try to fi nd them. Two days later, he comes to
King Artus’s court, which has been eager to meet the
Red Knight, as he was called by the knights he had de-
feated, and sent to Artus. His arrival occasions a feast at
the Round Table, and Parzival is duly admitted to that
select company. At this crowning moment of Parzival’s
knightly career, the ugly Grail messenger, Cundrie, ap-
pears and castigates him verbally for having failed to
ask about An-fortas’s suffering. Publically humiliated,
Parzival leaves, angrily blaming God for his shame and
determined to fi nd the Grail and rectify things.
After Parzival’s humiliation by Cundrie in front of
Artus and his knights, that other paragon of chivalry,
Gawan, is challenged to defend his honor. He then
takes over center stage of the narrative with his quest
for four queens and four hundred maidens held captive
at Schastel Marveille. His adventures predominate from
Book VII through XIV, except for Book IX, where the
story returns to Parzival. Book IX is crucial for Parzival,
angry as he is at God but with his thoughts on the Grail
and his wife, Condwiramurs. Four and one-half years
have passed since Parzival was at the Munsalvæsche andWOLFRAM VON ESCHENBACH