Malory: The Appearance of the Holy Grail

Within this particular section of reading we are faced with the unknown wonders of the Holy Grail, including its strange appearance on pages 364 and 365. After great peals of thunder that shook the castle, a beam of light appeared and within it was the Holy Ghost. Before reading any farther you would assume that the Holy Ghost would do something or say something, but rather its spirit just kind of hangs out while a maiden carries the Grail, covered in samite, into the hall and suddenly each man is given the meat and drink he desires. After this odd appearance the Grail, maiden, and Holy Ghost disappear and the hall returns to its normal state. Apparently during this time period the appearance of the Holy Ghost is a normal occurrence, and therefore none of the men are concerned with the fact that they have just had a divine encounter, but rather they all want to see the Grail which was hidden from them. And so the men begin to make promises to go in search of the Grail and not to return without it before a certain amount of time has passed. Little do the knights know that this desire to have the Grail and covet it for themselves and their king, is actually the reason they cannot find it, only the knights who are pure and without sin may see and touch the Holy Grail.