| The Virgin and the Grail: Origins of a Legend Subjects: Grail -- Legends -- History and criticism; Mary Blessed Virgin Saint -- Legends -- History and criticism; Arthurian romances -- History and criticism; Grail in art; Some fifty years before Chrétien de Troyes wrote what is probably the first and certainly the most influential story of the Holy Grail, images of the Virgin Mary with a simple but radiant bowl (called a "grail+? in local dialect) appeared in churches in the Spanish Pyrenees. In this fascinating book, Joseph Goering explores the links between these sacred images and the origins of one of the West's most enduring legends. Joseph Goering is professor in the department of history, University of Toronto. |