The Mystery of the Grail
Encyclopedia
Il Mistero del Graal e la Tradizione Ghibellina dell'Impero (The Mystery of the Grail and the Gibelin Imperial Concept); translated as The Mystery of the Grail: Initiation and Magic in the Quest for the Spirit is a work by the Italian
philosopher Julius Evola
. It was published in 1934 by Hoepli
; English translation by Inner Traditions International, 1995 (ISBN 0892815736).
Evola interpreted the Holy Grail and its heroic mythos as symbolic of knightly or kshatriya
initiation (reintegration into the primordial state), deriving from the ancient Celtic-Hyperborean tradition. Evola also significantly linked the Grail mythos (with its esoteric themes of the "sick king" and the "broken sword" in need of restoration) to the aspirations of the medieval Ghibellines, who attempted a restoration of the "Sacrum Imperium" or Holy Roman Empire
. As H.T. Hansen states, Evola considered the Grail as an initiatory "Hyperborean mystery" and also "a symbolic expression of hope and of the will of specific ruling classes in the Middle Ages
(namely, Ghibellines), who wanted to reorganize and reunite the entire Western world as it was at that time into a Holy Empire
, that is, one based on a transcendental, spiritual basis" (p. vii., The Mystery of the Grail).
Robert Richardson considers Evola's ideas on the Holy Grail as sources for Pierre Plantard
's later claims; by this argument Evola becomes indirectly responsible for the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
To Evola the Grail was based on the Ghibelline tradition, being the apex of Western Civilisation. The Ghibelline tradition during the medieval period was represented by the German Hohenstaufen imperial line in opposition to the papacy.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
philosopher Julius Evola
Julius Evola
Barone Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola also known as Julius Evola, was an Italian philosopher and esotericist...
. It was published in 1934 by Hoepli
Hoepli
Casa Editrice Hoepli is an Italian publishing house based in Milan which was founded in 1870 when Ulrico Hoepli, a Swiss bookseller born 23 years earlier in the small village of Tuttwil , took over a bookshop in the Galleria De Cristoforis in the centre of the city. The first book to be published...
; English translation by Inner Traditions International, 1995 (ISBN 0892815736).
Evola interpreted the Holy Grail and its heroic mythos as symbolic of knightly or kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
initiation (reintegration into the primordial state), deriving from the ancient Celtic-Hyperborean tradition. Evola also significantly linked the Grail mythos (with its esoteric themes of the "sick king" and the "broken sword" in need of restoration) to the aspirations of the medieval Ghibellines, who attempted a restoration of the "Sacrum Imperium" or Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. As H.T. Hansen states, Evola considered the Grail as an initiatory "Hyperborean mystery" and also "a symbolic expression of hope and of the will of specific ruling classes in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
(namely, Ghibellines), who wanted to reorganize and reunite the entire Western world as it was at that time into a Holy Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, that is, one based on a transcendental, spiritual basis" (p. vii., The Mystery of the Grail).
Robert Richardson considers Evola's ideas on the Holy Grail as sources for Pierre Plantard
Pierre Plantard
Pierre Athanase Marie Plantard was a French draughtsman, best known for being the principal perpetrator of the Priory of Sion hoax, by which he claimed from the 1960s onwards that he was a Merovingian descendant of Dagobert II and the "Great Monarch" prophesied by Nostradamus.-Surname:Pierre...
's later claims; by this argument Evola becomes indirectly responsible for the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
To Evola the Grail was based on the Ghibelline tradition, being the apex of Western Civilisation. The Ghibelline tradition during the medieval period was represented by the German Hohenstaufen imperial line in opposition to the papacy.