Vegetation Theory and the Holy Grail
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According to Jessie L. Weston in her thesis, From Ritual to Romance, the infamous grail story has always been deeply rooted in a type of vegetation theory as defined by J.G. Frazer in which there is a close connection between “the vitality of a certain King and the prosperity of his kingdom.” Vegetations theories hold beliefs that the animal and vegetable worlds are closely tied through rituals that can be preformed or actions that can be carried out to deities for them to restore the land and to keep it prosperous. Also gods of vegetation behave in terms of death and rebirth to ensure fertility to the lands. The King in the Grail stories can be thought of as a representation of a vegetation god or even as a divine being himself. She argues that the forces working towards the Kings demise in the Grail stories, such as an inflicted wound, old age, or sickness, leads to the land becoming “Waste.” Consequently, if the health and vigor of the King is that of youthfulness and fertileness, the land is fruitful, thus bringing life and vegetation to its people. People who worship vegetation gods are known to kill their kings in hopes of the soul of their god to enter into a more youthful and healthy king so that the lands they live on will be blessed and abundant. There are features of the romance, Parzival, which relates to the Wasteland, stemming back from Jesse Westons vegetation theory.
In Westons chapter The Task of the Hero is explained in detail the significance of the questor of the grails importance to the Wasteland motif. Specifically in Parzival, stress has been made on the sufferings of the king and how he will be brought back to youth, an idea that stems from the vegetation theory. In some versions of the grail story, failure to ask the right question causes the illness of the king, misfortunes of the people, and the lands death. In Parzivals version, the question that is to be asked of the King by Parzival in order to restore the kings vigor relates to the Kings wound and condition. Parzival failed to ask the question initially, thus causing the king to continue suffering, prohibiting him from being a healthy king for his people. Though Parzivals question is directed more towards the kings condition, and the outcome of asking the proper question restores his health and not the land, there is still a theme of a Wasteland in the story. One can think of Parzivals soul as a barren wasteland, and through his spiritual and knightly journey in the romance, he restores his soul to life, spirituality to abundance, and character to great and holy esteem completely once he finally asks the correct question.
In chapter IX of Westons book, she elaborates on the importance of the significant figure of the Fisher King and how the character relates to the vegetation theory through rituals. Firstly she connects the relation to the nature of the Fisher Kings wound to the residual effects it has on the Wasteland, in this case being Parzivals journey to reaching spiritual vigor. The wound of the king is in an area that can affect fertility. The nature of this injury stems back from the vegetation theory in that it is a suspension of