A Knight S Quest For The Holy Grail

It's not always the quest for the cup. Sometimes, it's the quest for what's in the cup. Lance wants nothing more than to be there to fight the dragons for his beloved Princess Alexandra. With his faithful steed by his side, Lance sets out for the magic elixir found only in the Holy Grail. With its strengthening power, facing off an old hag, the bewitching woods, and the strange ogre who lives under a bridge should be easy. But when it comes to Alexandra's dragons, things aren't quite what they all seem to be. Will Lance's gift be enough -- or will his princess require something even more powerful to sustain her? Pull up a cup of your favorite "elixir" and enjoy this sweet and snarky satire story from C. S. Johnson, where the dragons are real, even if they aren't. FROM THE STORY: Every knight has a quest, and every quest has its reward. As a knight-errant, albeit one still in training, with only a year of service behind him, Lance took his duty seriously. But waking up was also a serious business, and that was why, despite the midmorning light flickering over his face, Lance was still half asleep. His faithful steed stepped up to help him, breathing smelly fumes into his face. “Blah!” Lance sputtered, trying to clear his tongue of the frothy waft. “What have you been eating, Percy?” His pet’s pungent wake-up call forced Lance to roll over. When the heat of Percy’s breath continued to eat into the shield of his pending sleep, Lance finally gave in to his beast’s rude awakening. “Alright, I’m getting up. Back from me, you fearsome brute.” The horse was far from intimidated by Lance’s waking grogginess; instead, he moved closer to his master, nuzzling him with his wet nose. “You’re lucky you’re the runt of your family,” Lance grumbled, sitting up. He patted down his hair, brushing the chestnut locks out of his eyes, before taking in the full sight of the bouncing creature before him. “Or you would be tied outside, like the ones at my mother’s house.” Percy gave a small yip, and the nuzzle became a nudge. “Alright, alright,” Lance muttered, petting his horse’s long, flowing mane playfully. “I know you’re hungry.” He also knew there was no point in trying to sleep when Percy was hungry—no matter how sleepy he still was. “I suppose you’re right, anyway, Percy.” Lance yawned and rubbed his hands over his face. “We promised the princess we would save her today, and every knight knows there is nothing more important than completing his quest.” Lance tossed Percy several treats and stroked his pet affectionately, before he put on his armor for the day. He pulled a breastplate polished to a shine over his head, slipped his feet into protective boots, and even donned a helmet to protect his face from the bright summer sunshine. Before too long, he stepped outside his quarters. Percy came trotting eagerly after him. With his steed at his side and a grin on his face, Lance set out into the morning to see his princess. “Princess Alexandra, I am coming for you,” he called out rapturously, eager to see his beloved once more. FROM THE AUTHOR: It's a good romantic tale that hints at the darker sides of depression and mental health, and the troubles we sometimes face when we befriend our demons, with liquid portals, jokes about avocados, strange references to illegal plants, and coffee runs. What's not to love? WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING: "... An endearing story of love ... " ~ Dee Bookworm "This is a sweet short story where dragons aren't what they seem. It begins in a fantasy and ends in the real world. This story highlights the struggles of depression and how love overcomes all obstacles." ~ Amanda's Books and More Review

King Arthur & The Holy Grail vividly tells the story of the greatest adventure in history. As with other epics, Gregg's illusory world is filled with strong moral conflict. Ride with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as they battle the evil Saxons, led by Lord Goron, in a deadly quest to rescue the Fisher King and The Holy Grail, Christ's Cup from the Last Supper. Live the twists and turns, plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and defeat, and the terror of demons, phantoms, dragons, and the Devil himself as they try to stop Arthur and his men of the round table as they race against evil in a quest for the most powerful relic in Christendom. This is a story of kings and queens, knights and maidens, wizards and witches, assassins and saints, hate and love. And, in a spectacular finish, the age-old question, "Where is the Holy Grail?" is finally answered.

Composed by an unknown author in early thirteenth-century France, The Quest of the Holy Grail is a fusion of Arthurian legend and Christian symbolism, reinterpreting ancient Celtic myth as a profound spiritual fable. It recounts the quest of the knights of Camelot - the simple Perceval, the thoughtful Bors, the rash Gawain, the weak Lancelot and the saintly Galahad - as they journey through danger and temptation to reach the elusive Holy Grail. But only one of them is judged worthy to see the mysteries within the sacred vessel, and look upon the ineffable. Enfused with tragic grandeur and an aura of mysticism, The Quest is an absorbing and radiant allegory of man's perilous search for divine grace, and had a profound influence on later Arthurian romances and versions of the Grail legend. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Rooted in folklore, medieval ideals of chivalry, and the last gallant strugglesof the British against the Saxon invaders, the legends of King Arthur have been told in song and story since the middle ages. When Percival comes to Camelot and Galahad sits in the Seat Perilous, as Merlin foretold, the quest for the Holy Grail scatters Arthur's Knights far and wide, bringing death to many and bitter disappointment to the great Lancelot . . .

In the twelfth century, a French poet wrote a verse romance about a young knight who witnesses a mysterious procession centered on a radiant vessel, a "grail." Left unfinished, the poem inspired other writers of prose and verse, until the story was completely rewritten into the Arthurian romances, in which the vessel becomes a relic of the Last Supper, the Holy Grail. For hundreds of years, the Grail story has haunted the western imagination. But the original medieval texts are full of inconsistencies, as different writers attempted to complete the story in varied ways. This encyclopedia illuminates a path through the Perilous Forest of literature and legend. Entries summarize the stories of the principal characters, sacred objects and places associated with the Grail. An Afterword shows how mysteries of the grail continue to enchant the scholars and creative writers who have transformed the medieval legend into modern mythology.

The Old French Lancelot-Graal is an important but massive work, providing a place for King Arthur not only in the history of Britain but also in Christian history. This new translation of one section, the Quest of the Holy Grail, will be a flexible addition to courses on medieval literature or romance. The notes and guides are designed to help readers enjoy the text while appreciating its relationship to social and literary history. Appendices include translations of material from two of Chrétien de Troyes’s romances (Perceval and Yvain); translations from other parts of the Lancelot-Grail Cycle (the early history of the Grail and the conception of Galahad); and excerpts from apocryphal works (from French versions written at about the same time as the Quest).

Why do the powerful medieval Knights Templar, the famed warriors of the Crusades, still intrigue many today? A secret society long shrouded in mystery, the Templars were believed to conduct mystical rituals, to guard the Holy Grail, and to possess the priceless treasures of the Temple of Jerusalem. Did they bring their treasure to North America, as some legends say? This definitive work about the Templars and their presumed hidden knowledge addresses many such fascinating questions, with rare photos from the Rosslyn Chapel Museum (Scotland) included.