Holy Grail, lived a life of
pleasure and adventure. Wounded by a thrust from a poisoned
lance,--some authors claim it was the one which wounded the Saviour's
side,--Amfortas sadly returned to Montsalvatch, where the mere thought
of the veiled Holy Grail increased his pain by intensifying his
remorse. There, one day, he read on the rim of the cup, that his wound
was destined to be healed by a guileless fool, who would accidentally
climb the mountain and, moved by sympathy, would inquire the cause of
his suffering and thereby make it cease.

We have already mentioned the fact that Parzival was a great-grandson
of Titurel; his mother, fearing he would die young, like his father,
were he to become a knight, brought him up in seclusion, telling him
nothing about knights, fighting, or the world. Straying in the forest
one day this youth encountered a couple of knights, whom he mistook
for angels, owing to their bright array, and offered to worship. The
knights, however, refused his homage, and good-naturedly advised him
to hasten to Arthur's court and learn to become a knight too.

Parzival now left his mother,--who died of grief,--went to court
(meeting sundry adventures on the way), and there asked to be
knighted. He was told, however, he must first procure a horse and
armor, whereupon he followed and slew an insolent knight who defied
King Arthur. But Parzival did not know how to remove the armor from
his dead foe, until a passing knight obligingly showed him how it was
done.

Parzival now spent a time of apprenticeship at court where he learned
among other things, that a knight should never be unduly inquisitive,
then went to the rescue of a persecuted and virtuous queen, whom he
wooed and married. He soon left her, however, to visit his mother, of
whose death he was not aware. On his way home Parzival came to a lake,
where a richly dressed fisherman informed him he might find a night's
lodging in the castle on the hill, where he offered to conduct him.
Thus Parzival penetrated into the castle on Montsalvatch and was duly
led into the banqueting hall. Awed by the splendor of his
surroundings, the young candidate for knighthood silently noted that
his host seemed to be suffering from a secret wound, and perceived
that all the other guests were oppressed by overwhelming sadness. Then
suddenly the doors opened wide, and a strange procession entered the
hall, slowly circled around the table, and again passed out! In this