Perceval's sister is a role of two similar but distinct characters in the

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...

stories within the

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century writer Geoffr ...

featuring the Grail hero

Perceval Perceval (, also written Percival, Parzival, Parsifal), alternatively called Peredur (), is a figure in the legend of King Arthur, often appearing as one of the Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Tro ...

(Percival). The first of them is named Dindrane, the second is usually unnamed and is known today as the Grail heroine.

Dindrane

Dindrane (alternatively ''Dandrane'', ''Dandrenor'', ''Dindraine'') is a character in the 13th-century

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th Perlesvaus, or The High Book of the Holy Grail'', an anonymous prose altered adaptation of (and a sequel to)

Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (; ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on King Arthur, Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including ''Erec and Enide'' ...

' unfinished poem ''

Perceval, the Story of the Grail ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'' () is an unfinished verse romance written by Chrétien de Troyes in Old French in the late 12th century. Later authors added 54,000 more lines to the original 9,000 in what is known collectively as the ''Four ...

''. Here, she is sister of

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

's knight Perlesvaus (i.e.

), who rescues her from an evil bride kidnapper. She lives in the Castle of Souls (i.e. the Grail Castle) together with their mother Yglais, a sister of King

Pelles The Fisher King (; ; ; ) is a figure in Arthurian legend, the last in a long line of British kings tasked with guarding the Holy Grail. The Fisher King is both the protector and physical embodiment of his lands, but a wound renders him impotent ...

and widow of Alain the Large, lord of the valley and castle of Kamaalot (i.e.

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...

, but in this case not King Arthur's own domain). Castell Dinas Bran, the home of

Bran Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the component of a Cereal, cereal grain consisting of the hard layersthe combined aleurone and Fruit anatomy#Pericarp layers, pericarpsurrounding the endosperm. Maize, Corn (maize) bran also includes the p ...

, one original source for the Fisher King, is a Welsh

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

possibly related to Dindrane, whose name is rendered as Danbrann in the Welsh ''Perlesvaus'' version ''Y Seint Greal''. The pre-cyclic version of the Prose ''Lancelot'' features a corresponding character named Heliabel, unrelated to Perceval, describing her as even more beautiful than

Guinevere Guinevere ( ; ; , ), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First mentioned in literature in the early 12th cen ...

. In the expanded cyclic version, she became the figure of Galahad's mother, today best known as Elaine.

Grail heroine

Dindrane from ''Perlesvaus'' is not the same character as the sister of Perceval in the

Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...

''Queste del Saint Graal'' (''Quest for the Holy Grail'') and the derived works, who helps her brother and his companions in their quest for the

. She is a prominent figure in such Grail romances, sometimes dubbed the "Grail heroine". Though usually left unnamed, she is named as Agresrizia in the Italian '' Tavola Ritonda''. According to Anna Caughey,

Thomas Malory Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author of ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', the classic English-language chronicle of the Arthurian legend, compiled and in most cases translated from French sources. The most popular version of ''Le Morte d'A ...

's portrayal of Percival's (Perceval's) sister in his ''

Le Morte d'Arthur ' (originally written as '; Anglo-Norman French for "The Death of Arthur") is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the ...

'', based on the Vulgate ''Queste'', characterizes her with an unusual "seizure of power and agency for a Malorian

ood The Ood are an alien species with telepathic abilities from the long-running science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future (circa 42nd century). The Ood are portrayed as a slave race, natura ...

woman that has previously been seen only in ambivalent or actively evil figures such as Nynyve or

Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (; Welsh language, Welsh and Cornish language, Cornish: Morgen; with ''le Fay'' being garbled French language, French ''la Fée'', thus meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan , Morgain /e Morgant Mor ...

." She is first encountered upon her brother (sometimes half-brother)'s return to their mother's castle, where she tells him that their mother has died. Perceval leaves her either in the care of their hermit uncle or (in other texts) at the Castle of Maidens. She later meets up with Perceval,

Galahad Galahad (), sometimes referred to as Galeas () or Galath (), among other versions of his name (originally ''Galaad'', ''Galaaz'', or ''Galaaus''), is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Ar ...

and Bors, telling them who she is (she does not mention her name prior to this). She proceeds to inform them of the Sword of the Strange Belt, the magical Ship of

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

, the

Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythology, mythological, religion, religious, and philosophy, philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The ...

, and other aspects of her destiny. The travellers board the Ship of Solomon, intent to complete the mystical Grail quest. After leaving the ship, they encounter a castle with a

leprous Leprous is a Norwegian progressive metal band from Notodden, formed in 2001. The group was founded by singer and keyboardist Einar Solberg and guitarist Tor Oddmund Suhrke. After releasing several demos with relatively unstable lineups, the ban ...

mistress; told that only the blood of a maiden princess can cure the chatelaine's leprosy, Perceval's sister opts to

donate A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as blo ...

hers, but succumbs to the blood loss and dies. As per her dying wish, her body is set adrift in a boat (without a crew) to float to the holy city of Sarras. In one version,

Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), alternatively written as Launcelot and other variants, is a popular character in the Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend's chivalric romance tradition. He is typically depicted as King Arthu ...

(Galahad's father) finds her vessel and buries her in Palais Esperitel. In the other version, she is interred by Galahad and Bors when they land at the port of Sarras, after which they proceed to win the Grail.

References

Footnotes Citations

External links

Perceval's Sister
at The Camelot Project {{Arthurian Legend Arthurian characters Fictional characters introduced in the 12th century Holy Grail

Dindrane

Grail heroine

See also

References

External links