Galahad

Galahad
/gal"euh had'/, n.
1. Sir, Arthurian Romance. the noblest and purest knight of the Round Table, son of Lancelot and Elaine: gained the Holy Grail.
2. a man showing devotion to the highest ideals.

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In Arthurian legend, the pure knight who achieved a vision of God through the Holy Grail.

The illegitimate son of Lancelot and the princess Elaine, he alone was worthy to sit in the Siege Perilous at the Round Table, reserved for the one destined to succeed in the quest for the Grail. Unlike his father, who was given to earthly and adulterous love, Galahad was chaste and filled with spiritual fervour. By finding the Grail, he healed the Fisher King and brought fertility back to the land. He appears in many Arthurian romances, notably in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur. See also Perceval.

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▪ legendary knight
      the pure knight in Arthurian romance, son of Lancelot du Lac and Elaine (daughter of Pelles), who achieved the vision of God through the Holy Grail. In the first romance treatments of the Grail story (e.g., Chrétien de Troyes's 12th-century Conte du Graal), Perceval was the Grail hero. But during the 13th century a new, austerely spiritual significance was given to the Grail theme, and a new Grail winner was required whose genealogy could be traced back to the House of David in the Old Testament. Galahad was, moreover, made the son of Lancelot so that an achievement inspired by earthly love (Lancelot inspired by Guinevere) could be set in contrast to that inspired by heavenly love (Galahad inspired by spiritual fervour). This theological version of the Grail story appeared in the Queste del Saint Graal (“Quest for the Holy Grail”), which forms part of the Prose Lancelot, or Vulgate cycle. The Queste shows signs of strong Cistercian influence, and similarities can be seen between it and the mystical doctrines of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. See also Grail.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Galahad — Représentation romantique de Galahad Tableau de George Frederick Watts (1888). Galahad ou Galaad est le fils du chevalier Lancelot du Lac et d Ellan, fille du roi Pellès, le roi Pêcheur, qui détient le Graal. Son nom vient du gallois… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Galahad — английская нео прогрессив рок группа. Содержание 1 Состав группы 2 Дискография 2.1 Пластинки …   Википедия

  • Galahad — [gal′ə had΄] n. Arthurian Legend 1. a knight who is successful in the quest for the Holy Grail because of his purity and nobility of spirit: he is the son of Lancelot and Elaine 2. any man regarded as very pure and noble …   English World dictionary

  • Galahad — Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur s Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Carbonek, and is renowned for his gallantry and purity. He is… …   Wikipedia

  • Galahad —    Sir Galahad was one of the most important of the knights in the legendary ROMANCES of King ARTHUR. He is the son of Arthur’s greatest knight, Sir LANCELOT, and Elaine, daughter of King Pelles. Most important, Galahad’s goodness and purity make …   Encyclopedia of medieval literature

  • Galahad — Un retrato de Sir Galahad por George Frederick Watts. Sir Galahad (a veces como Galaz; en galés: Gwalchavad) es un caballero de la Mesa Redonda del Rey Arturo y uno de los tres que alcanzaron el Grial en las leyendas artúricas. Es el hijo… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Galahad — Sir Galahad George Frederic Watts, 1888. Galahad (Sir Galahad, auch französisch Galaad) ist einer der wichtigsten Ritter der Tafelrunde in der Artussage. Seine besondere Stellung wird in manchen Versionen der Sage dadurch ausgedrückt, dass er auf …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Galahad — Gal|a|had, Sir in old stories, one of King Arthur s Knights of the Round Table, who was very honest and morally good, and who found the ↑Holy Grail. The name Sir Galahad is sometimes used to mean a man who behaves in a morally good and generous… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Galahad — [ galəhad] (also Sir Galahad) noun a chivalrous man of great integrity. Origin C19: the name of one of King Arthur s knights …   English new terms dictionary

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