An intelligent guide to the tarot
and related subjects
From Ritual to Romance
An Investigation of the Holy Grail, by Jessie L. Weston
Preface, by the Editors of tarot-decks.com
Ms. Jessie L. Weston's preface to her fascinating book, From Ritual to Romance, indicates that the work was completed by her in Paris in the year 1919. One might pause to give that place and time some thought, for World War I (the "Great War") ended only in November, 1918. One could, then, place this book within that category of occult works so popular (and so influential) between World War I and World War II in Europe. Indeed, Ms. Weston's book is in some ways a prime example - she associates Grail legends with "Aryan" texts and traditions, drawing numerous examples from the Rig-Veda, and also includes an interesting look at tarot cards and their possible connection to the Grail.
We point this out, because the context is important, and because we want to emphasize that this work is presented here solely for historical purposes.
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Preface by the Author
In the introductory Chapter the reader will
find the aim and object
of these studies set forth at length.
In view of the importance and
complexity of the problems involved it seemed
better to incorporate
such a statement in the book itself, rather
than relegate it to a
Preface which all might not trouble to read.
Yet I feel that such a
general statement does not adequately express
my full debt of obligation.
following pages there are certain scholars
whose published work, or
personal advice, has been specially
illuminating, and to whom specific
acknowledgment is therefore due.
Like many others I owe to Sir J. G.
Frazer the initial inspiration which set me,
as I may truly say,
on the road to the Grail Castle.
Without the guidance of The
Golden
Bough I should probably, as the late M.
Gaston Paris happily expressed
it, still be wandering in the forest of
Broceliande!
During the Bayreuth Festival of 1911 I had
frequent opportunities of
meeting, and discussion with, Professor von
Schroeder. I owe to him
not only the introduction to his own work,
which I found most helpful,
but references which have been of the
greatest assistance; e.g. my
knowledge of Cumont's Les Religions
Orientales, and Scheftelowitz's
valuable study on Fish Symbolism, both of
which have furnished
important links in the chain of evidence, is
due to Professor von
Schroeder.
The perusal of Miss J. E. Harrison's Themis
opened my eyes to the
extended importance of these Vegetation
rites. In view of the
evidence there adduced I asked myself whether
beliefs which had found
expression not only in social institution,
and popular custom, but,
as set forth in Sir G. Murray's study on
Greek Dramatic Origins,
attached to the work, also in Drama and
Literature, might not
reasonably--even inevitably--be expected to
have left their mark on
Romance?
The one seemed to me a necessary corollary of the other,
and I felt that I had gained, as the result
of Miss Harrison's work,
a wider, and more assured basis for my own
researches. I was no
longer
engaged merely in enquiring into the sources
of a fascinating legend,
but on the identification of another field of
activity for forces
whose potency as agents of evolution we were
only now beginning
rightly to appreciate.
Finally, a casual reference, in Anrich's work
on the Mysteries, to the
Naassene Document, caused me to apply to Mr
G. R. S. Mead, of whose
knowledge of the mysterious border-land
between Christianity and
Paganism, and willingness to place that
knowledge at the disposal of
others, I had, for some years past, had
pleasant experience. Mr
Mead
referred me to his own translation and
analysis of the text in question,
and there, to my satisfaction, I found, not
only the final link that
completed the chain of evolution from Pagan
Mystery to Christian
Ceremonial, but also proof of that wider
significance I was beginning
to apprehend.
The problem involved was not one of Folk-lore, not
even one of Literature, but of Comparative
Religion in its widest sense.
Thus, while I trust that my co-workers in the
field of Arthurian
research will accept these studies as a
permanent contribution to
the elucidation of the Grail problem, I would
fain hope that those
scholars who labour in a wider field, and to
whose works I owe so
much, may find in the results here set forth
elements that may prove
of real value in the study of the evolution
of religious belief.
J. L. W.
Paris,
October, 1919.
Nature of the Grail problem.
Unsatisfactory character of results
achieved.
Objections to Christian Legendary origin; to Folk-lore
origin.
Elements in both theories sound.
Solution to be sought in a
direction which will do justice to both.
Sir J. G. Frazer's Golden
Bough indicates possible line of research.
Sir W. Ridgeway's
criticism of Vegetation theory examined.
Dramas and Dramatic Dances.
The Living and not the Dead King the factor
of importance.
Impossibility of proving human origin for
Vegetation Deities. Not
Death but Resurrection the essential centre
of Ritual. Muharram too
late in date and lacks Resurrection feature.
Relation between defunct
heroes and special localities.
Sanctity possibly antecedent to
connection.
Mana not necessarily a case of relics.
Self-acting
weapons frequent in Medieval Romance.
Sir J. G. Frazer's theory holds
good.
Remarks on method and design of present Studies.
Essential to determine the original nature of
the task imposed upon the hero.
CHAPTER III
Enquiry may commence with early Aryan
tradition. The Rig-Veda.
Extreme importance assigned to Indra's feat
of "Freeing the
Waters."
This also specific achievement of Grail heroes.
Extracts
from Rig-Veda.
Dramatic poems and monologues.
Professor von
Schroeder's theory.
Mysterium und Mimus.
Rishyaçriñga drama.
Parallels with Perceval story.
Result, the specific task of the Grail
hero not a literary invention but an
inheritance of Aryan tradition.
CHAPTER IV
General objects to be attained by these
Nature Cults.
Stimulation of
Fertility, Animal and Vegetable.
Principle of Life ultimately
conceived of in anthropomorphic form.
This process already advanced
in Rig-Veda.
Greek Mythology preserves intermediate stage.
The
Eniautos Daimon.
Tammuz--earliest known representative of Dying God.
Character of the worship.
Origin of the name.
Lament for Tammuz.
His death affects not only Vegetable but
Animal life. Lack of
artistic representation of Mysteries.
Mr Langdon's suggestion.
Ritual possibly dramatic.
Summary of evidence.
Adonis--Phoenician-Greek equivalent of
Tammuz. Probably most
popular and best known form of Nature Cult.
Mythological tale of
Adonis.
Enquiry into nature of injury.
Importance of recognizing
true nature of these cults and of the ritual
observed. Varying dates
of celebration.
Adonis probably originally Eniautos Daimon.
Principle of Life in general, hence lack of
fixity in date. Details
of the ritual.
Parallels with the Grail legend examined.
Dead Knight
or Disabled King.
Consequent misfortunes of Land.
The Weeping
Women.
The Hairless Maiden.
Position of Castle.
Summing up. Can
incidents of such remote antiquity be used as
criticism for a Medieval
text?
CHAPTER V
Is it possible to establish chain of descent
connecting early Aryan
and Babylonian Ritual with Classic, Medieval
and Modern forms of
Nature worship?
Survival of Adonis cult established.
Evidence of
Mannhardt and Frazer.
Existing Continental customs recognized as
survivals of ancient beliefs.
Instances.
'Directly related' to
Attis-Adonis cult.
Von Schroeder establishes parallel between
existing Fertility procession and Rig-Veda
poem. Identification of
Life Principle with King.
Prosperity of land dependent on king as
representative of god.
Celts. Greeks.
Modern instances, the Shilluk
Kings.
Parallel between Shilluk King, Grail King and Vegetation
Deity.
Sone de Nansai and the Lament for Tammuz.
Identity of
situation.
Plea for unprejudiced criticism.
Impossibility of such
parallels being fortuitous; the result of
deliberate intention, not an
accident of literary invention.
If identity of central character be
admitted his relation to Waste Land becomes
fundamental factor in
criticizing versions.
Another African survival.
CHAPTER VI
Summary of results of previous enquiry.
The Medieval Stage.
Grail
romances probably contain record of secret
ritual of a Fertility cult.
The Symbols of the cult--Cup, Lance, Sword,
Stone, or Dish. Plea for
treating Symbols as a related group not as
isolated units. Failure
to
do so probably cause of unsatisfactory result
of long research.
Essential to recognize Grail story as an
original whole and to treat
it in its ensemble aspect.
We must differentiate between origin and
accretion.
Instances. The
Legend of Longinus.
Lance and Cup not
associated in Christian Art.
Evidence. The
Spear of Eastern
Liturgies only a Knife.
The Bleeding Lance.
Treasures of the Tuatha
de Danann.
Correspond as a group with Grail Symbols.
Difficulty of
equating Cauldron-Grail.
Probably belong to a different line of
tradition.
Instances given.
Real significance of Lance and Cup.
Well known as Life Symbols.
The Samurai. Four
Symbols also preserved
as Suits of the Tarot.
Origin of Tarot discussed.
Probably reached
Europe from the East.
Use of the Symbols in Magic.
Probable
explanation of these various appearances to
be found in fact that
associated group were at one time symbols of
a Fertility cult.
Further evidence to be examined.
CHAPTER VII
Relation of Sword Dance, Morris Dance, and
Mumming Play. Their
Ceremonial origin now admitted by scholars.
Connected with seasonal
Festivals and Fertility Ritual.
Earliest Sword Dancers, the Maruts.
Von Schroeder, Mysterium und Mimus.
Discussion of their nature and
functions.
The Kouretes.
Character of their dance.
Miss
J. E. Harrison, Themis.
The Korybantes.
Dance probably sacrificial
in origin.
The Salii.
Dramatic element in their dance.
Mars, as
Fertility god.
Mamurius Veturius.
Anna Perenna.
Character of dance
seasonal.
Modern British survivals.
The Sword Dance.
Mostly
preserved in North.
Variants. Mr E.
K. Chambers, The Medieval
Stage.
The Mumming Plays.
Description.
Characters. Recognized
as
representing Death and Revival of Vegetation
Deity. Dr Jevons, Masks
and the Origin of the Greek Drama.
Morris Dances. No
dramatic
element.
Costume of character significant.
Possible survival of
theriomorphic origin.
Elaborate character of figures in each group.
Symbols employed.
The Pentangle.
The Chalice. Present
form shows
dislocation.
Probability that three groups were once a combined whole
and Symbols united.
Evidence strengthens view advanced in last
Chapter.
Symbols originally a group connected with lost form of
Fertility Ritual.
Possible origin of Grail Knights to be found in
Sword Dancers.
CHAPTER VIII
The role of the Medicine Man, or Doctor in
Fertility Ritual. Its
importance and antiquity.
The Rig-Veda poem.
Classical evidence, Mr
F. Cornford.
Traces of Medicine Man in the Grail romances.
Gawain as
Healer.
Persistent tradition.
Possible survival from pre-literary
form.
Evidence of the Triads.
Peredur as Healer.
Evolution of
theme.
Le Dist de l'Erberie.
CHAPTER IX
Summary of evidence presented.
Need of a 'test' element.
To be found
in central figure.
Mystery of his title.
Analysis of variants.
Gawain version.
Perceval version.
Borron alone attempts explanation
of title.
Parzival.
Perlesvaus. Queste.
Grand Saint Graal.
Comparison with surviving ritual variants.
Original form King dead,
and restored to life.
Old Age and Wounding themes.
Legitimate
variants.
Doubling of character a literary device.
Title. Why
Fisher King?
Examination of Fish Symbolism.
Fish a Life symbol.
Examples.
Indian--Manu, Vishnu, Buddha.
Fish in Buddhism.
Evidence
from China.
Orpheus.
Babylonian evidence.
Tammuz Lord of the Net.
Jewish Symbolism.
The Messianic Fish-meal.
Adopted by Christianity.
Evidence of the catacombs.
Source of Borron's Fish-meals.
Mystery
tradition not Celtic Folk-tale.
Comparison of version with Finn
story.
With Messianic tradition.
Epitaph of Bishop Aberkios.
Voyage
of Saint Brandan.
Connection of Fish with goddess Astarte.
Cumont.
Connection of Fish and Dove.
Fish as Fertility Symbol.
Its use in
Marriage ceremonies.
Summing up of evidence.
Fisher King
inexplicable from Christian point of view.
Folk-lore solution
unsatisfactory.
As a Ritual survival completely in place.
Centre of
action, and proof of soundness of theory.
CHAPTER X
The Grail regarded as an object of awe.
Danger of speaking of Grail
or revealing Its secrets.
Passages in illustration.
Why, if survival
of Nature cults, popular, and openly
performed? A two-fold
element in
these cults, Exoteric, Esoteric.
The Mysteries.
Their influence on
Christianity to be sought in the Hellenized
rather than the Hellenic
cults.
Cumont. Rohde.
Radical difference between Greek and Oriental
conceptions.
Lack of evidence as regards Mysteries on the whole.
Best attested form that connected with Nature
cults. Attis-Adonis.
Popularity of the Phrygian cult in Rome.
Evidence as to Attis
Mysteries.
Utilized by Neo-Platonists as vehicle for teaching.
Close
connection with Mithraism.
The Taurobolium.
Details of Attis
Mysteries.
Parallels with the Grail romances.
CHAPTER XI
Relations between early Christianity, and
pre-Christian cults.
Early
Heresies.
Hippolytus, and The Refutation of all Heresies.
Character
of the work.
The Naassene Document.
Mr Mead's analysis of
text.
A synthesis of Mysteries.
Identification of Life Principle
with the Logos.
Connection between Drama and Mysteries of Attis.
Importance of the Phrygian Mysteries.
Naassene claim to be sole
Christians.
Significance of evidence.
Vegetation cults as vehicle
of high spiritual teaching.
Exoteric and Esoteric parallels with the
Grail tradition.
Process of evolution sketched.
Bleheris.
Perlesvaus.
Borron and the Mystery tradition.
Christian Legendary,
and Folk-tale, secondary, not primary,
features.
CHAPTER XII
Problem of close connection of cults.
Their apparent divergence.
Nature of deities examined.
Attis. Mithra.
The Messianic Feast.
Dieterich, Eine Mithrasliturgie.
Difference between the two
initiations.
Link between Phrygian, Mithraic, and Christian,
Mysteries to be found in their higher,
esoteric, teaching.
Women not
admitted to Mithraic initiation.
Possible survival in Grail text.
Joint diffusion through the Roman Empire.
Cumont's evidence.
Traces
of cult in British Isles.
Possible explanation of unorthodox
character of Grail legend.
Evidence of survival of cult in fifth
century.
The Elucidation a possible record of historic facts.
Reason
for connecting Grail with Arthurian
tradition.
CHAPTER XIII
The adventure of the Perilous Chapel in Grail
romances. Gawain form.
Perceval versions.
Queste.
Perlesvaus. Lancelot.
Chevalier à Deux
Espées.
Perilous Cemetery.
Earliest reference in Chattel
Orguellous.
Atre Perilleus.
Prose Lancelot.
Adventure part of
'Secret of the Grail.'
The Chapel of Saint Austin.
Histoire de Fulk
Fitz-Warin.
Genuine record of an initiation.
Probable locality
North Britain.
Site of remains of Mithra-Attis cults.
Traces of
Mystery tradition in Medieval romance.
Owain Miles.
Bousset,
Himmelfahrt der Seele.
Parallels with romance.
Appeal to Celtic
scholars.
Otherworld journeys a possible survival of Mystery
tradition.
The Templars, were they Naassenes?
CHAPTER XIV
Provenance and authorship of Grail romantic
tradition. Evidence
points to Wales, probably Pembrokeshire.
Earliest form contained in
group of Gawain poems assigned to Bleheris.
Of Welsh origin.
Master
Blihis, Blihos, Bliheris, Bréri, Bledhericus.
Probably all references
to same person.
Conditions of identity.
Mr E. Owen, and Bledri ap
Cadivor.
Evidence not complete but fulfils conditions of problem
Professor Singer and possible character of
Bleheris' text. Mr
Alfred
Nutt.
Irish and Welsh parallels.
Recapitulation of evolutionary
process.
Summary and conclusion.
non Mysteria ad angustias animi
constringantur."
(Bacon.)
"Many literary critics seem to think that
an hypothesis about
obscure and remote questions of history
can be refuted by a simple
demand for the production of more
evidence than in fact exists.--But
the true test of an hypothesis, if it
cannot be shewn to conflict with
known truths, is the number of facts that
it correlates, and explains."
(Cornford, Origins of Attic Comedy.)
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Of interest . . .