Parzival is one of the two great epic poems in Middle High German. Composed by Wolfram von Eschenbach in the first quarter of the thirteenth century, it relates the adventures of Percival, one of the Knights of the Round Table.
The Text
Parzival is divided into sixteen books, each composed of several thirty-line stanzas of rhyming couplets . The stanza lengths fit perfectly onto a manuscript page. For the subject matter, Wolfram von Eschenbach relied heavily on the never-completed grail romance, Le Roman de Perceval by Chrétien de Troyes, as well as another source, possibly Provençal.
The Story
Book I follows the hero Gahmuret as he receives Anjou from his elder brother in fief. He departs from his brother and mother, to serve under the "Baruch of Baghdad" and gain renown. At the end of worldwide adventures — which receive no more than a summary in the text — he travels to the African kingdom of Zazamanc.
Zazamanc's capital, Patelamunt was besieged by two armies. A European army led by Hiuteger of Scotland, Gaschier of Normandy, Killirjacac of Champagne, and Kaylet, Gahmuret's cousin attacked the four eastern gates. The Moorish army of King Razalic of Azagouc attacked the four western gates.
Gahmuret offers his services to the city, and his offer is accepted by Queen Belcane. He conquers Gaschier, Hieuteger, and Razalic, avoiding a joust with Kaylet because of his kinship. As Killirjacac was already captured by the army of Patelamunt, victory is won.
Gahmuret marries Queen Belcane and becomes king of Zazamanc and Azagouc. Growing bored with peace, Gahmuret steals away on a ship, abandoning his wife, who is twelve weeks pregnant. Belcane gives birth to a son whose skin is black with white spots, and who she names Feirefiz
The further story of Parzival
Parzival was brought up by his mother, who -after her husband died the death of a knight- lives in a lonely forest. She does not want Parzival to become a knight to spare him his father's fate. Parzival does not even know his own name. But one day a couple of knights passing by awakens the interest of the boy. he decides to join Arthur's court
Before he leaves her, his mother puts him on the clothes of a jester that shall protect him against serious threats.
The first part of the journey takes completely in the world of king Arthur and Parzival gets entangled in first guilt. Because he does not know the meaning of the pledge of love (Minnepfand ), he snatches a ring and a brooch away from Jeschute , the wife of duke Orilus . Orilus expels his wife and searches for the intruder. Sigune , who mourns for her lover, who got killed by Orilus . From Sigune he gets to know his name: parzival. Before the gates of Nantes Ither , the red knight, has pitched his tents. Parzival goes into the town of Nantes to king Arthur, to ask to challenge Ither to a fight. The colourful and strange appearance of Parzival awakens the interst of the court. Parzival asks for the permission to fight in a single combat against the red knight and gets it. During the fight he kills Ither with a javelin and then puts on the armor of the red knight. So he had passed a first test of courage. Without returning to the court of Arthur he rides away; still wearing the jesters clothes underneath the armor. Now he meets Gurnemanz from whom he learns every rights and duties of a knight, but above all self-control and moderation, Gurnemanz gives him the advice to avoid curiosity: "ir ensult niht vil gefragen".
As a perfect knight Parzival helps Condwiramurs , as her town gets besieged. She becomes his wife. After he left Condwiramurs he gets to the castle of wild mountain. He sees the grail, but he does not ask about the cause of the mourning at the court of the grail, because of Gurnemanz' advice to be not too curious. The next morning Parzival finds himself completly alone in a totally deserted castle. This was the first time Parzival had crossed the limits of this world - and he failed.
Parzival returns to the world of arthur and meets again Sigune, who now explains him that his mother Herzoloyde is the sister of the dangerously ill Anfortas , king of the grail. He also meets Jeschute again, who was unwittingly humiliated by him the last time, and he defeats Orilus in a single combat. eventually Parzival renews the marriage of Jeschute and Orilus. Parzival returns as a perfect member of the Round Table to king Arthur. But during a festive meal Cundrie , messenger of the grail, appears, curses Parzival in the name of the grail and claims that Parzival had lost his honour as a knight of Arthur. Parzival immediately leaves the court, even though he is not able to understand his guilt. From now on he appears as a wicked knight, who gives his situation as a vassal as reason for his distance to god. His horse leads him to Trevrizent to whom he introduces himself as a regretful sinner.
With that action Parzival makes the first step to a life in faith. Through his loneliness and through his yearning for the grail and for Condwiramurs he puts himself outside the world of Arthur. Again Cundrie appears and proclaims now that the curse over Parzival is abolished. She also tells him that he is appointed as the king of the grail. During his new journey to the grail Parzival takes the pagan Feirefiz as a companion and asks king Anfortas the expected question: "oeheim, was wirret dir?" (uncle, what makes you suffer)
The ill Anfortas gets healed by this question and Parzival becomes king of the grail.
Sources
- Otto Springer. "Wolfram's Parzival" in Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages, Roger S. Loomis (ed.). Clarendon Press: Oxford University. 1959. ISBN 0198115881
- A modern translation is Parzival, A Romance of the Middle Ages (trans. Helen M. Mustard and Charles E. Passage) Vintage Books, 1961. ISBN 0394701887
External Links
Last updated: 10-15-2005 00:18:10
