Page 135, line 22--'_His armour a knight displayed_.' The riches of
Feirefis and his costly raiment are dwelt upon at such length that one
suspects that the aim of the poet was to exalt the importance of the
House of Anjou; of which Feirefis, rather than Parzival, must here be
considered the representative.
Page 136, line 31--'_Agremontein_.' Cf. Book IX. p. 284.
Page 136, line 42--'_Thopedissimonté_,' _etc._ This place has not been
named before, and critics have not identified it with any known name.
Assigarzionté may, as suggested in Note to Book XIV., be the same as
Agatyrsjenté. Thasmé we already know, Book XIII. p. 74 and Note.
Page 137, line 59--'_Parzival rode not lonely_.' The expression of an
idea which seems to be a favourite one with Wolfram, cf. Book V. p. 139
and Book VIII. 242.
Page 137, line 81--'_As the lion-cub_,' _etc._ This fable, a belief in
which was general in the Middle Ages, is also mentioned by Wolfram in
his _Willehalm_.
Page 139, line 120--'_My brother and I are one body_,' _etc._ As
remarked before, Wolfram has an extremely high idea of the binding
nature of family relationships, cf. Book III. p. 97 and further on p.
145.
Page 139, line 121--'_Asbestos_.' Cf. Book IX. p. 281.
Page 139, line 138--'Kaukasus.' It is rather curious to find Sekundillé
associated with Kaukasus, as we are elsewhere told that she was queen
of Tribalibot, _i.e._ India. In Book X. p. 11 we are told that she
had golden mountains in her kingdom, which may have suggested the
connection.
Page 140, line 155--'_And the other, the precious jewels_,' _etc._ It
has already been remarked (Note to Book IX.) that the attribution of
strengthening virtue to precious stones, and the prominence given to
them throughout the poem, is a special feature of the _Parzival_. In
the next book we meet with a remarkable instance of this peculiarity.
Page 140, line 161--'_Kardeiss and Lohengrin_.' This is the first
intimation we have of the existence of Parzival's sons; from Kondrie's
speech on p. 159, he seems himself to have been unaware of their birth.
We hear of Parzival sending the knights conquered by him to yield
themselves captives to Kondwiramur (Book VII. p. 220 and Book VIII.
p. 243), and she, therefore, would be in some degree aware of her
husband's movements during the five years of separation; but we have
no indication of his having received any message from her; and from
the wandering life he led during these years (cf. Introduction to Book
IX.), and the fact that he had no squire in attendance who could act as
go-between, it seems most probable that Parzival heard nothing of his
wife throughout the entire time--a fact which makes his fidelity to her
even more striking. _Kardeiss_ was doubtless named after his mother's
brother, whose death is referred to in Book VI. p. 167. _Lohengrin_,
or as the name stands in the original, with an additional syllable,
_Loherangrin_, has been derived from _Lothringen_, the German form
Lorraine. If so, this may indicate the source of the story of the
Swan-knight, which did not, of course, originally belong to the Grail
legend.
Page 140, line 170--'_Pelrapär!_' seq. It is very curious that though
Wolfram emphasizes the fact (p. 139) that Parzival had regained his
faith in God, yet it is not this faith which stands him in good stead
in the hour of his greatest peril; neither is it his devotion to the
Grail; but it is his loyal love for, and fidelity to, his wife that
proves his salvation. If the aim of the poem were, as some critics
contend, a purely religious one, then we should surely find that at
the crucial moment of the hero's career religion, and not _Love_,
would be the saving power. As it is, Parzival's words to Gawain, Book
VI. p. 188, are abundantly borne out, and it _is_ his wife, and no
heavenly power, that acts as Guardian Angel. (The lines 170-71 are not
of course to be taken literally, '_o'er kingdoms four_' is used in
other old German poems as equivalent for '_a great distance_.' It is
not to be supposed that Kondwiramur was in any sense, even mystically,
aware of her husband's danger, though doubtless it is the conviction
that her love for him is as steadfast as his for her that strengthens
his arm.) Throughout this conflict between the two brothers it is
love, in the twelfth century form of _Minne-Dienst_, which is regarded
as the animating power on either side; though the fact that they are
respectively Christian and heathen is insisted on by the poet, yet
we do not find the conflict regarded as a struggle between the two
religions, nor any sign given of the superiority of the God of the
Christian to the heathen deities, in fact the same Divine Power is
invoked to shield them both (p. 139). It certainly seems here as if
the _knightly_ interpretation had, in a great measure, overborne the
_ethical_. That there _was_ an ethical signification attached to the
episode seems evident, not only from the fact that this conflict with
Feirefis, whose peculiar parti-coloured appearance recalls so strongly
the contrast between Doubt and Faith, drawn in the Introduction, is the
last stage in Parzival's long expiation; but also from the fact of
the breaking of Ither of Gaheviess' sword, of which special mention is
made in lines 173 and _seq._ The poet evidently intends us to regard
this as a token that Parzival's youthful sins have been atoned for,
and there seems little doubt that the incident was introduced here for
that purpose. That the sword here broken was originally the _Grail_
sword, and that the change was made by Wolfram from the difficulty
of reconciling that fact with previous statements (cf. Book IX. p.
252), as Simrock suggests, is most improbable, there would have been
no reason for the _Grail Sword_ breaking in this rather than in any
other combat (accepting Chrêtien's statement that the sword would break
only in _one peril_; it had withstood considerably more than _one
blow_), quite the contrary, as here Parzival is practically the Grail
champion; but there is a deep significance in this shattering of the
last token of the headstrong folly of his youth. It seems most probable
that Wolfram found this incident in his source; and that the original
meaning of the combat was to depict the last desperate struggle of the
soul with Doubt, wherein by _steadfast resistance_ (absolute conquest
is not at once to be looked for) the sins of the past are wiped out,
and the soul becomes finally worthy of reward.
Page 141, line 195--'_Thro' fear shall I tell my name?_' Cf. Note
to Book XIV. The courteous and knightly bearing of Feirefis, both
here and on p. 142, should be noted. In everything but faith he is
quite the equal of his Christian brother; indeed it must be admitted
that, compared with either Feirefis or Gawain, _Parzival_ gives the
impression of being a much less courtly and polished figure. His
character seems stamped throughout with a rugged simplicity and
directness, quite in keeping with what we are told of his wild and
lonely youth. It is noticeable, too, how very little, comparatively
speaking, Parzival says; though all the speeches put into his mouth
have an earnestness and depth of feeling which we do not find in the
much more frequent utterances of Gawain. Wolfram's tolerant treatment
of heathen, generally, has often been a subject of remark by critics;
and, with regard to Feirefis, the number of allusions to him which the
_Willehalm_ contains lead one to the conclusion that this character, in
particular, was a favourite with the poet.
Page 141, line 202--'_How shall "Angevin" be thy title?_' The reader
will probably by this time have noticed that, King of Anjou as Parzival
is, he is never called an Angevin, but is invariably referred to as
a 'Waleis,' his mother's country. It is his _mother's_ kingdoms of
which he has been deprived (cf. Book III. pp. 73, 80, 87), and this is
really the first indication we have that he knows himself to be also
lord of Anjou. Gamuret is alluded to, and gives his name as, Gamuret
Angevin; Feirefis, is always Feirefis Angevin; but Parzival, the hero
of the story and the real glory of his house, is not an Angevin but a
'Waleis.' This shows clearly that the _Angevin_ element formed no part
of the original Perceval legend, but that it has been grafted on to a
previously existing Celtic basis.
Page 141, line 205--'_Béalzenan_.' Cf. Book V. p. 147 and Note.
Page 142, line 230--'_As written parchment_.' Ekuba did _not_ say this
in Wolfram's version, cf. Book VI. p. 186, possibly the simile was in
the French source and has been dropped out. It is a curious idea to
occur to a man who, like Wolfram, could not write; and it is also a
curious speech to put into the mouth of one who, like Parzival, had
been brought up in the desert, and deprived of the ordinary training
due to his rank.
Page 143, line 241--'_Blest be Juno_,' _etc._ This ascription of
Latin gods and goddesses to _all_ the non-Christian races was not
unusual in the Middle Ages; Apollo was the god most commonly thus
transferred. It is rather curious though to find the mistake made in
a poem so obviously tinged by Oriental influences as the _Parzival_.
Wolfram, too, seems to have known that the Saracens had other gods, in
_Willehalm_ he names as such Apollo, Mahmet, and Tervigant.
Page 144, line 275--'_When King Eisenhart's life was run_.' Cf. Book I.
p. 28.
Page 144, line 294--'_Till King Ipomidon_.' Cf. Book II. p. 59.
Page 146, line 353--'_From Château Merveil_,' _etc._ Cf. Book XII. p.
53.
Page 147, line 377--'_Saranthasmé_.' Cf. Book XIII. p. 74 and note.
Page 149, line 458--'_Wizsant_.' A haven on the coast of France,
near Boulogne, much frequented at that time. Writers of the period
frequently allude to it.
Page 153, line 583 and _seq._, page 154, line 615 and _seq._ The
list of kings conquered by Feirefis and Parzival contain some very
perplexing names, the originals of which have evidently been corrupted
in process of transmission from one language to another. Bartsch, who
has devoted considerable time to the study of the proper names in the
_Parzival_, has endeavoured, with varying success, to identify the
majority; and the following suggestions are taken from his article on
the subject, already quoted in Appendix B, of vol. i.
In the first list, that of the princes conquered by Feirefis, names of
Greek origin are of frequent occurrence; thus Papirus of Trogodjenté,
Bartsch identifies as the king of the Troglodytæ; Liddamus of Agrippé
was originally Laodamus of Agrippias; Tinodent, the island of Tenedos;
Milon is, of course, a well-known Greek name, as is Kallicrates, here
Killicrates, Filones of Hiberborticon is the Greek _Philon_; and it
may be taken as a general rule that all the names ending in _on_, in
this list, may be traced more or less directly to a Greek source.
Possizonjus is a version of Poseidonios (having probably passed through
a Latin medium); Atropfagenté is the land of the Androphagi, or
Anthropophagi; Acheinor is the Greek _Archenor_.
In the list of the heroes conquered by Parzival we have, on the
contrary, few classical names; Jeropleis, _i.e._ Hieropolis, seems to
be almost the only example. The majority of the names appear to be of
Romance origin, or at least to have passed through a Romance source.
Thus Mirabel, the name of a place in Southern France, and Serabel,
here the ending _bel_ indicates the French origin; Villegarunz is the
Prov. _Villagrana_; Jovedast of Arles, a Provençal, proclaims his own
nationality.
It is probably no accident that this majority of classical names appear
in the first list, that of Feirefis, since, as noted above, Greeks and
Romans alike were classed by the mediæval writers as heathens, and they
would see nothing incorrect in giving Saracens classical names, in the
same way as they provided them with classical deities.
Page 154, line 608--'_Olympia and Klauditté_.' Here again we find the
names of the three queens beloved by Feirefis of distinctly classical
origin: Klauditté being a French derivation from Claudia. Sekundillé is
the only queen of whom we hear elsewhere, the other two are mentioned
by name only.
Page 155, line 643--'_Heraclius or Hercules_.' Heracles was the
hero of a German poem of the twelfth century, which attributes to
him a knowledge of the properties of precious stones. The Alexander
here referred to is Alexander the Great; not the lover of Surdamur,
mentioned in Books XII. and XIV. (cf. note to XII.)
Page 156, line 664--'_Drianthasmé_.' Apparently a combination of
Triande and Thasmé, cf. Book XIII. p. 74.
Page 158, line 723--'_With turtle-doves, all shining_.' Kondrie does
not seem to have borne the badge of the Grail on her first visit (Book
VI. p. 177); this, her second appearance, seems to bear more of an
official character.
Page 158, line 741--'_Without a kiss_.' A kiss was the customary sign
and seal of forgiveness (cf. Book V. 151, 152; Book VI. 177; Book XIV.
129), but Kondrie is fully aware of her repulsive appearance, and
would, therefore, release Parzival from the fulfilment of a distasteful
duty. It must be noted that, throughout the poem, Kondrie is in no
sense represented as a malicious character. Her brother, Malcréature,
on the contrary, seems to have been thoroughly evil-disposed, cf. Book
X. p. 12.
Page 159, line 767--'_Now rejoice with a humble heart_.' Kondrie's
announcement to Parzival appears, in some points, to be a direct
contradiction of what we have already been told with regard to the
promised healing of Anfortas. In Book IX. p. 278, Trevrezent distinctly
says that the question must be asked on the _first_ night of the visit
to the Castle; that no warning must be previously given; and that
_if_ the knight fulfils these conditions, then, and then only, will
he become king of the Grail. Now Parzival apparently traverses all
these conditions, he omits to ask the question on his first visit, he
is told of the sin he has thereby committed, and on this, his second
visit, is made well aware of what is expected of him (cf. lines 774
and _seq._), while the Grail announces him as king _before_ he has
asked the question. It is true that no one tells him the exact words
in which he is to put the query, but Parzival is well aware that he
is to ask Anfortas the cause of his anguish, and it scarcely seems
likely that the virtue of the question depends upon the form in which
it is put. Are we to consider from Trevrezent's words, Book XVI. p.
171, that Parzival's valour and steadfastness of purpose have wrought
a change in the Divine Counsels, and that the bliss which he had in
his folly forfeited is to be granted to him on his fulfilment of the
_spirit_ of the Grail conditions, the fulfilment of the _letter_ being
dispensed with? The question is a perplexing one, and difficult to
solve satisfactorily.
Page 160, line 779--'_Seven stars did she name unto him_.' The
introduction of these Arabic names is decidedly curious in view of
Wolfram's emphatic statement that the origin of the _Parzival_ was an
Arabic MS., though Bartsch remarks that the names in question were not
necessarily derived from the source, there being still extant a German
astronomical poem of the twelfth century which contains a number of
Arabic names. Still it is strange that Wolfram's version should be
as close as it is to the original form of the words, thus Zevâl is
the Arabic _Zuhal_, Saturn; Almustri, _El-musteri_, Jupiter; Almaret,
_El-mirrêk_, Mars; Samsi, _Shams_, the Sun; Alligafir and Alkamer
cannot be exactly identified with the remaining two planets, Venus and
Mercury, but seem to represent rather the names of two constellations,
respectively called El-gafir and El-kidr. Alkamer is the moon, Arabic
_El-kamer_.
Page 160, line 799--'_If thou speakest, Lady_.' The humility of this
speech of Parzival's, contrasted with the indignant outbreak of wounded
pride in Book VI. pp. 187, 188, is the most decisive proof which the
poem affords of the spiritual change which has passed over him, and of
his fitness to become king of the Grail, a blessing which Anfortas has
forfeited through lack of humility (cf. Book IX. p. 272 and Book XVI.
p. 182).
Page 161, line 817--'_From the bright eyes of Orgelusé_.' Cf. Book XII.
p. 65.
Page 162, line 861--'_Triant_.' Cf. Book XIII. p. 74. Nouriente = von
ourient, _i.e._ Orient.