What's Dolorous Stroke?
Jim Donaldson
The Dolorous Blow or Stroke has to do with the wounding of the Grail King
and the creating of the Wasteland which leads to the Quest.
In Malory Part 1 Book 2, The Blow was struck by Balin with the Lance of
Longinus which wounded the Grail King, Pellam, and caused the Wasteland.
The Lance of Longinus was the lance used to gouge the side of Y'Hoshua when
he was on the cross. Longinus was the Roman soldier that stabbed the Christ
and gambled for his clothes.
Other of the legends, Wolfram's, etc has it that Amfortas, the Grail king,
was stabbed by Klingsor or another in the thigh while jousting and must be
nourished by the Grail until the Grail knight- Parzifal can cure him.
In the Welsh legends of Bran, who also fits the Grail king Bron from de
Boron, he is wounded in the groin or thigh and is wasted.
The ESTOIRE places it earlier when King Varlan (or Brulens) killed King
Lambor with David's Sword.
There are several other variations but they all seem to follow the pattern.
The Grail King is stabbed by treachery or his own failings in the thigh or
groin. The wound is grievous and does not heal. The land becomes a
wasteland signifying the old kingship rules that only an unblemished king
can rule (the land and the king are joined by magic). The king is upheld or
nourished by the Grail until the new king can come and ask the right
question to cure him and take his place. This is a combination of the
ancient annaler kingship rites, Jewish mysticism, and the christianizing of
the Grail.
YK
Can someone tell me what's "Dolorous Stroke" and how's it related to
the "Lance of Longnius"?
I've been searching for the answer for a long time, so pls help.
THANX.
YK
Sigurd Towrie
In article <32d06630...@news.hk.super.net>, YK <c...@hk.super.net>
writes
>Can someone tell me what's "Dolorous Stroke" and how's it related to
>the "Lance of Longnius"?
>I've been searching for the answer for a long time, so pls help.
The "Dolorous Stroke" was the blow/stroke which caused the Wasteland to
be laid barren. In Malory it occurred after Balin killed Garlon (the
Invisible Knight) who happened to be the Grail King Pellam's brother.
Pellam seeks retribution and pursues Balin through the Grail castle -
Balin who is weaponless grabs the Lance of Longinus and stabs Pellam
with it.
Incidentally it would appear that essential elements of the Invisible
Knight/Dolorous Stroke story also appear in an earlier Irish story - the
tale of "Aengus of the Venomous Spear".
In the tale, Aengus of the Venomous spear travels to the palace of King
Cormac at Tara seeking to avenge the dishonouring of his sister by
Cormac's son. (I wonder at this point whether the dishonoring of
Aengus's sister meant that the son had been expelled from Aengus' tribe
and therefore "invisible" to them). This had meant that he had returned
to his father's court.
Aengus enters the hall weaponless (it was forbidden to bring a hero's
arms into Tara after sunset) and upon gaining admittance took down
Cormac's own spear, "the Crimall" (meaning "bloody" - a connection to
the "Bleeding" Lance?) from its rack and killed Cormac's son with it. He
then slew the chief of the household and put out King Cormac's eye.
After cutting down nine others, Aengus escaped. The injured Cormac had
to relinquish his throne (no king with a blemish could reign in
Ireland).
This then has all the elements of the invisible knight/Dolorous
stroke/Bleeding Lance: The vengeance motif, the arrival at the palace,
the weapons prohibition, slaying of the king's kin, the wounding of the
king with his own weapon, the results of this wounding and the survival
of the hero.
In addition to this, it has been noted that Cormac possessed a Golden
Cup of Truth, a cauldron that would supply food to an entire company and
Cuchullain's sword - compare this to the Fisher King's possession of a
Testing Cup, a cauldron of plenty, a magic sword and a spear and we have
quite a strong link between the two tales.
--
Sigurd Towrie |
Kirkwall, Orkney Isles | Website: www.stowrie.demon.co.uk
SCOTLAND | E-mail: s...@stowrie.demon.co.uk
Wilson
In Le Morte Darthur, and Suite Du Merlin (by Robert de Boron ?), King
Pelleas (Pellam, Pellean, Fisher King(?)) is grievously wounded by the
Knight Balain, the Kingdom of Logres turns to a wasteland that Perceval
(Parzival) fails to salvage and later Galahad heals the wounded King and
Logres returns to a beautiful land. - Over simplification, however should
provide area, people you can research to get details.
YK <c...@hk.super.net> wrote in article
<32d06630...@news.hk.super.net>...
> Can someone tell me what's "Dolorous Stroke" and how's it related to
> the "Lance of Longnius"?
> I've been searching for the answer for a long time, so pls help.
>
> THANX.
>
> YK
>
SMShwartz
Myrddin/Jim's about nailed it. In the account I used, Longinus was blind.
When blood from Christ's side ran down the Lance, and onto Longinus, his
sight was restored.
SMShwartz
Jim also mentions Wolfram's PARZIVAL. We should remember that there's a
riddle sequence in this. Amfortas will remain in agony and the land laid
waste until the Fool Made Wise Through Pity (Wagner's account) comes and
asks the right question. Because of how Parzival is brought up (he's a
type of holy fool), he doesn't ask the right question for a long long
time.
Susan Shwartz
Michele
On Sun, 05 Jan 1997 08:28:52 GMT, c...@hk.super.net (YK) wrote:
>Can someone tell me what's "Dolorous Stroke" and how's it related to
>the "Lance of Longnius"?
>I've been searching for the answer for a long time, so pls help.
>
>THANX.
>
>YK
To really get a "clear" answer to your question, you need to know
about Perceval, the Fisher King and the Grail Quest] Please bear with
me, I know that I get wordy.
In the "Suite du Merlin" and Malory, the DOLOROUS STROKE, describes
the blow dealt King Pellean [Pellam, Pelles] by Balin [also called
Balin le Sauvage and The Knight with Two Swords].
Balin and his brother, Balan, are two brothers who fought for Arthur
in his war against Lot. Balin killed Garlon, and when King Pellam
tried to avenge this death Baltin inflicted the DOLOROUS STROKE on
him. Eventually, the two brothers kill each other in battle, without
recognizing each other, and are buried in the same tomb. Merlin sets
Balin's sword in the stone, from which Galahad will eventually draw
it.
The blow reduces Logres to a wasteland. Logres is the setting of
Chretien de Troyes's PERCEVAL, as well as much of the Vulgate Cycle.
Logres is probably to be identified as England, but it is primarily a
poetic creation, the sometimes vague locus of adventure and romance.
Thereafter, the maimed king remains ill for many years until cured by
Galahad, the perfect Grail Knight and the son of Lancelot and Pelles'
daughter, [Lancelot fathers the future hero while under the influence
of a potion, thinking her to be Guenivere.]
Pelles is also known as the FISHER KING, the keeper of the Grail;
sometimes called the Rich Fisher. The Fisher King is the wounded
occupant of the Grail castle in PERCEVAL and other works. He and his
land could have been restored had Perceval asked about the GRAIL
PROCESSION at JOYOUS GARD; Perceval's failure to do so necessitates
the Grail quest. Eventually, Perceval learns that the Fisher King is
his cousin [although in other texts he is Perceval's uncle or
grandfather].
The BLEEDING LANCE, was a lance or spear that first appeared in
PERCEVAL, where it was associated with the Grail in the ceremony in
the Fisher King's castle. It was carried by a youth, and from its tip
came a drop of blood. This lance soon came itno association with the
apocryphal legend of LONGINUS, the Blind Roman soldier whose spear
pierced the side of Christ while he hung on the cross. Originally,
this was not the same weapon as that which wounded the Fisher King,
but it became so later when Robert de Boron completed the unfinished
PERCEVAL. He equated the Grail with the cup of the Last Supper which
was used by Joseph of Arimethea to catch Christ's blood. Then the
blood issuing fromn the spear tip of the BLEEDING LANCE became the
Blood of Christ, the emblem of the Real Presence.
Tennyson holds that the Quest for the Grail accelerated the decay of
the Round Table. By implying that the absence of the Grail is
depended upon Guenivere's sin, Tennyson links the external force of
the quest as the destruction of the Round Table with the sin at the
center of the realm.
Upon the death of Galahad, the Lance and the Grail were removed by a
hand from heaven, never to appear again.
You probably didn't need all this information, but I hope that it
answers your question about the Spear of Longinus.
Michele Center
The National Fantasy Fan Federation
YK
On Mon, 06 Jan 1997 08:28:25 GMT, capt...@intrnet.net (Michele )
wrote:
>You probably didn't need all this information, but I hope that it
>answers your question about the Spear of Longinus.
>
>Michele Center
>The National Fantasy Fan Federation
What a splendid world of legends! I love it!
Thanks all of you for providing the information. ;-)
Can you guys suggest books that will give satisfactory account of this
story?
THANX AGAIN!
YK
SMShwartz
Robert de Boron's Grail cycle (the Vulgate Cycle--I won't inflict my
memory for thirteenth-century titles like Le Quete de Sante Graal or
something on you) is available at libraries. It has side-notes for the
French-challenged among us.
Wilson
Susan..., if you do not mind, a question... - Several years ago I spent
some time looking for Lancelot (Part one of the Vulgate Cycle (or Prose
Lancelot) in English. I have the English versions of Queste del Saint Graal
and La Mort le Roi Artu (these were published in 1969 and 1971,
respectively), I was told by someone that an English version of Lancelot
was in the works. Do you know if it was ever published ?
Thank You
SMShwartz <smsh...@aol.com> wrote in article
<19970107003...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
SMShwartz
Susan..., if you do not mind, a question... - Several years ago I spent
some time looking for Lancelot (Part one of the Vulgate Cycle (or Prose
Lancelot) in English. I have the English versions of Queste del Saint
Graal
and La Mort le Roi Artu (these were published in 1969 and 1971,
respectively), I was told by someone that an English version of Lancelot
was in the works. Do you know if it was ever published ?
Thank You>>>>>>>>
I wish I knew if a prose Lancelot was ever published. Unfortunately, I've
been out of academe for many years (since about 1980), so I don't know.
The Arthurian FAQ might know, and so might the International Arthurian
Society. Possibly the surest way to check would be to attempt to access
online the catalogue of one of the really major libraries: I'd suggest
Harvard's Widener Library because it's likely to have such a thing.
I'm sorry: that's my best guess at this time. If you find out, let ME
know!
Susan Shwartz
Susan and Ken Reed
In article <19970107080...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
smsh...@aol.com (SMShwartz) wrote:
A Rely from a different Susan:
I found a copy of an English tranlation of the prose _Lancelot_ at my
local Border's about a year ago (and have seen it there since). It's
entitled _Lancelot of the Lake_, translator, Corin Corley (Oxford and New
York: Oxford University Press, 1989); ISBN: 0-19-281756-6. I hope this
helps.
Susan Reed
--
Susan and Ken Reed nach...@patriot.net AFPOPA
R K Architects, Falls Church, VA
Lisa L. Spangenberg
In article <01bbfc37$f4654920$8db1...@wilson.btiserve.btigate.com>,
"Wilson" <wil...@btigate.com> wrote:
> Susan..., if you do not mind, a question... - Several years ago I spent
> some time looking for Lancelot (Part one of the Vulgate Cycle (or Prose
> Lancelot) in English. I have the English versions of Queste del Saint Graal
> and La Mort le Roi Artu (these were published in 1969 and 1971,
> respectively), I was told by someone that an English version of Lancelot
> was in the works. Do you know if it was ever published ?
> Thank You
>
> SMShwartz <smsh...@aol.com> wrote in article
> <19970107003...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
> > Robert de Boron's Grail cycle (the Vulgate Cycle--I won't inflict my
> > memory for thirteenth-century titles like Le Quete de Sante Graal or
> > something on you) is available at libraries. It has side-notes for the
> > French-challenged among us.
> >
There's an expensive hard cover multi-volume one from Garland and a
reduced paperback from Oxford Classics. There's a woman, whom I believe is
Elspeth something (sorry I'll try to get better data for you) who's a very
prolific writer and editor of this material, and who has been working with
the mss. for years.
--
Lisa L. Spangenberg | Digital Medievalist
Lis...@Netcom.Com | My opinions are my own.
celti...@gmail.com
Samuel Alton Wenger
celti...@gmail.com http://www.abebooks.com/blog/index.php/2015/12/10/sam-wenger-and-his-quest-for-arthurian-literature/
www.threegeeseinflight.com