Random Enduring Mystery And Controversy Of The Holy Grail (10 items)

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  (#9) Some Historians Claim The Holy Grail Never Existed

  Because there is no actual evidence that the Holy Grail ever existed, many scholars doubt it is anything more than creation of human imagination. Never present in Scripture or mentioned by any religious authority, the Holy Grail has its foundations in literature, growing in history and lore since the 12th century. According to historian Carlos de Ayala, "You cannot search for something that does not exist."

  That said, the lack of a physical Holy Grail doesn't make it any less real in many ways. As the Holy Grail has developed over time, artwork, language, and cultural connections to the idea of its existence have inspired countless individuals throughout the ages. By giving the Holy Grail meaning, form, and significance, it remains symbolic of divine and personal quests alike.
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  (#5) The Genoa Chalice Is Another Possible Contender For The Grail

  Made of glass and hexagonal in shape, the Sacro Catino, also known as the Genoa Chalice, is said to have been made in Egypt. It was taken to Jerusalem by the Queen of Sheba and moved to the coastal site of Caesarea at some point before the 11th century.

  In the aftermath of the First Crusade, Guglielmo Embriaco took the vessel to Genoa. William of Tyre, writing during the 12th century, described the chalice as more of, "a vase of brilliant green shaped like a bowl. The Genoese, believing that it was of emerald, took it in lieu of a large sum of money and thus acquired a splendid ornament for their church."

  Tradition around the glass dish grew and, by the 13th century, it was definitively identified as one of the items used at the Last Supper. From there, it became part of the story of Jesus on the cross, with stories about Nicodemus, who helped Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus, using it to collect Jesus's blood. 

  Napoleon took the relic to Paris during the early 19th century, where it was discovered that it was made of glass rather than emerald.
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  (#6) The Holy Grail Isn’t Mentioned By Name In The Bible

  While no so-called Holy Grail receives mention in the Bible, there are numerous references to cups and drinking vessels throughout the New Testament. Many of these remain at the core of arguments about the importance and sanctity of the Grail.

  For example, Luke 22:20 describes Jesus drinking at the Last Supper, telling his followers, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Mark 15:23 recounts how, while on the Cross, spectators, "offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it," presumably from a cup. 

  While biblical mention of Holy Grail-like objects can support its existence, the lack of description and specificity adds little to helping identify what a real grail would have looked like.
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  (#10) The Holy Grail Mystery Might Never Be Solved

  Investigation into the Holy Grail - its origins, location, and manifestation - continue to take place. With the term "Holy Grail" indicating something unattainable, or at the very least, difficult to behold or possess, it is entirely possible that the mystery will never come to an end.

  New theories, interpretations, and presentations of the Holy Grail legend add complexity to claims made by historians Margarita Torres and José Ortega del Rio in 2014. They also represent the unending efforts to locate the Holy Grail.

  Alongside historians and archaeologists, fiction writers like Grigor Fedan and Dan Brown, entertainers and Hollywood executives, and artists find no agreement about the Holy Grail - but there's no general acceptance that the search for it has run its course either. 
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  (#8) Sites In England Are Commonly Associated With The Grail Due To Its Arthurian Connections

  Chrétien de Troyes (c. 1190 CE) gave the world Perceval, a knight on a quest for the grail. After Chrétien's passing, authors like Robert de Boron (c. 1200 CE) brought the grail to Britain, with the former placing it into the hands of Joseph of Arimathea. In Joseph d'Arimathie, Arimathea buries the grail in a secret location, a site that dominates the quests of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. 

  Legendarily, Joseph of Arimathea founded Glastonbury Abbey in the south of Britain, home to the Chalice Well where the Holy Grail is supposed to have been hidden. As a result, the entire area has been associated with Arthurian lore. Avalon (King Arthur's burial site) accompanies Cadbury Castle (allegedly Camelot) as locations that have links to the Holy Grail, but so does Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, where King Arthur was said to have been conceived.

  As centuries of Arthurian prose and poems developed, the Holy Grail continued to find life. Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur, a 15th century work, not only synthesizes earlier Arthurian traditions, but also gives the Holy Grail a voice, one that leads Sir Lancelot to the a chamber where he:

  Saw a table of silver and the Holy Vessel, covered with red samite, and many angels about it, whereof one held a candle of wax burning and the other held a cross and the ornaments of an altar.
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  (#3) Researchers Proved The Chalice Of Mary Magdalene Was 2,000 Years Old

  The chalice of Mary Magdalene is believed to have been used by Jesus's devotee to collect his blood while he perished on the cross. The Marian Chalice, made of green alabaster, dates to the first century CE. 

  Author Graham Phillips rejects the idea that the Marian Chalice, a vessel resembles a small jar that would have been used to hold perfume or ointment, was used by Jesus. Rather, it's been conflated or mixed up with the Holy Grail. In Phillip's opinion, the Holy Grail is the Gospel of Thomas, secret Christian scripture discovered in 1945.

  In Phillip's theory, the chalice of Mary Magdalene was taken to Britain during the fifth century CE and later came into the possession of Fulk Fitz Warine. In other versions, the Holy Grail is actually the Hawkstone Grail, a cup later found in Hawkstone Park by the Fitz Warine family and hidden at their Whittington Castle. This is, perhaps, how the Marian Chalice and the Hawkstone Grail were linked in Holy Grail tradition.

  It's also entirely possible they are one and the same, since Fitz Warine family descendent Thomas Write claimed to have the Grail during the 1800s. What he described, however, was more akin to Mary's scent jar. Factor in analogous language referring to wine as blood and the connections unclear. 

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