San Graal

So, let us begin with the most obvious of all questions: What is the Holy Grail?

The word Graal originates from ancient Mesopotamia, where it was recorded as being the nectar of supreme excellence. It was directly related to the bloodline of kings who descended from the gods - those monarchs who were anointed with the fat of the sacred Messiah (Hebrew for Anointed One). By medieval times in Europe, this line of kingly descent was defined by the French word Sang Real(as per Dan Brown), meaning Blood Royal. This was the Blood Royal of Judah - the line of King David which progressed to the family of Jesus.


Ironically, San Graal' is actually Celtic, not French, but Dan Brown has mischievously re-translated it as 'Sang Real', Royal Blood, in order to make Mary Magdalene the bearer of a supposed child of Christ, hence a vessel of the royal blood, thereby her becoming the 'Holy Grail'.

Dan Brown has created a modern day Grail quest, and in doing so has revitalized and to some extent reinvented an ancient literary tradition. The 'Holy Grail' arguments are based on mistranslations that lead to faulty interpretations. Admittedly, Grail quests have always been popular, but never this popular. What has Dan Brown done that is so different? How can the hunt for the Grail be so fascinating to people living in the Internet Age?

The answer is fundamental to the novel, to history and to Christian religion, for it concerns the meaning of the word ‘Grail’. Medieval Grail manuscripts used the word ‘Sangraal’, which was later split into ‘San Graal’, meaning Holy Grail. But the authors of one of the books that influenced Dan Brown, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, suggested that perhaps the word had been split in the wrong place. If instead of ‘San Graal’ the split is changed to make ‘Sang Raal’ then the meaning changes to ‘Royal Blood’. Therefore the quest for the Holy Grail changes from a relatively meaningless hunt for a chalice artifact to a search for a holy bloodline – the bloodline of Jesus.

BTW, as for Dan Brown, the last supper has no vessel that Jesus drank wine from and the V between Jesus and Mary is just a dramatic effect in the painting. It is silly to consider it the code for vomb aka womb lol, thereby making her the Holy Grail.