Abstract
The modern quest for the Holy Grail has led to numerous and varied hypotheses in the last few decades; such hypotheses have rendered the topic complex. In this article I present a new theory based on the simple supposition that Perceval’s visit to the castle of the Fisher King, as presented by Chrétien in his Conte du Graal, is derived from a passage from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In his work the Latin author tells us how the hero Theseus, whose journey is blocked by a river, is invited into the palace of a character who has suffered mutilation: this is the river-god himself, Acheolus. During the lavish dinner that follows, a nymph enters the hall bearing in her hands the mythical cornucopia or horn of plenty. Afterwards Theseus suddenly leaves the palace and continues his journey without any concern for the river. The general outlook of the scene offers some striking similarities to the first appearance of the Grail at the castle of the Fisher King in the romance by Chrétien de Troyes, but the passage in the Metamorphoses also offers, through its rich and interconnected stories – in particular the story of Erysichton and Mnestra as told by Acheolus during Theseus’s visit – elements that seem to shed light on several other details in the Conte du Graal, more specifically the qualifier ‘Fisher’ attached by Chrétien to the royal guardian of the mythical object, and to propose some hypotheses on the invention of the bleeding lance and the state of the king’s father, who is nourished only by the Grail for many years, although Chrétien never provides a reason or explanation for this.