Perceval (/ˈpɜːrsɪvəl/, also written Percival, Parzival, Parsifal), alternatively called Peredur (Welsh pronunciation: [pɛˈrɛdɨr]), is a figure in the legend of King Arthur, often appearing as one of the Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Troyes in the late 12th century tale Perceval, the Story of the Grail, he is best known for being the original hero in the quest for the Grail before being replaced in later literature by Galahad, first introduced in the early 13th century.
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👉 Perceval in the context of Knights of the Round Table
The Knights of the Round Table (French: Chevaliers de la Table Ronde) are the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur that first appeared in the French-language Matter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are a chivalric order dedicated to ensuring the peace of Arthur's kingdom following an early warring period, entrusted in later years to undergo a mystical quest for the Holy Grail. The Round Table at which they meet is a symbol of the equality of its members, who range from sovereign royals to minor nobles.
The various Round Table stories present an assortment of knights from all over Great Britain and abroad, some of whom are even from outside of Europe. Their ranks often include Arthur's close and distant relatives, such as Agravain, Gaheris and Yvain, as well as his reconciled former enemies, like Galehaut, Pellinore and Lot. Several of the most notable Knights of the Round Table, among them Bedivere, Gawain and Kay, are based on older characters from a host of great warriors associated with Arthur in the early Welsh tales. Some, such as Lancelot, Perceval and Tristan, feature in the roles of a protagonist or eponymous hero in various works of chivalric romance. Other well-known members of the Round Table include the holy knight Galahad, replacing Perceval as the main Grail Knight in the later stories, and Arthur's traitorous son and nemesis Mordred.
In this Dossier
Perceval in the context of Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes (Modern French: [kʁetjɛ̃ də tʁwa]; Old French: Crestien de Troies [kresˈtjẽn də ˈtrojəs]; fl. c. 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval, and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including Erec and Enide, Lancelot, Perceval, and Yvain, represent some of the best-regarded works of medieval literature. His use of structure, particularly in Yvain, has been seen as a step toward the modern novel.
Perceval in the context of Galahad
Galahad (/ˈɡæləhæd/), sometimes referred to as Galeas (/ɡəˈliːəs/) or Galath (/ˈɡæləθ/), among other versions of his name (originally Galaad, Galaaz, or Galaaus), is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in the Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot du Lac and Lady Elaine of Corbenic and is renowned for his gallantry and purity as the most perfect of all knights.
Emerging quite late in the medieval Arthurian tradition, Sir Galahad first appears in the early 13th-century Lancelot–Grail prose cycle. There and in subsequent works, such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle and Le Morte d'Arthur, he has replaced Perceval, introduced in the late 12th century, as the main Grail hero.
Perceval in the context of Perceval, the Story of the Grail
Perceval, the Story of the Grail (French: Perceval ou le Conte du Graal) is an unfinished Arthurian verse romance written by Chrétien de Troyes in Old French during the late 12th century. Starting as the eponymous tale of the young Perceval, the story breaks off and follows an adventure of Gawain of similar length, that also remains incomplete. Later authors added 54,000 more lines to the original 9,000 in the series of continuations of Perceval, known collectively as the Four Continuations or the Perceval Continuations, as well as further related texts.
Perceval is the earliest recorded account of what was to become the Quest for the Holy Grail. However, it describes it only a golden grail (a serving dish) in the central scene, does not call it "holy" and treats a lance, appearing at the same time, as equally significant.