Editing Holy Grail (section)

=== Scholarly hypotheses ===
Scholars have long speculated on the origins of the Holy Grail before Chrétien, suggesting that it may contain elements of the trope of magical [[Cauldron|cauldrons]] from [[Celtic mythology]] and later [[Welsh mythology]], combined with Christian legend surrounding the [[Eucharist]],<ref>Weston 1993, p. 74, 129.</ref> the latter found in [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern Christian]] sources, conceivably in that of the [[Byzantine Rite|Byzantine Mass]], or even Persian sources.<ref>Jung, Emma and von Franz, Marie-Louise. ''The Grail Legend'', Sigo Press, Boston, 1980, p. 14.</ref> The view that the "origin" of the Grail legend should be seen as deriving from Celtic mythology was championed by [[Roger Sherman Loomis]] (''The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol''), [[Alfred Nutt]] (''Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail'', available at Wikisource), and [[Jessie Weston (scholar)|Jessie Weston]] (''[[From Ritual to Romance]]'' and ''The Quest of the Holy Grail''). Loomis traced a number of parallels between medieval Welsh literature and Irish material, and the Grail romances, including similarities between the ''[[Mabinogion]]''{{'}}s [[Bran the Blessed]] and the Arthurian Fisher King, and between Bran's life-restoring cauldron and the Grail.

The opposing view dismissed the "Celtic" connections as spurious, and interpreted the legend as essentially Christian in origin. Joseph Goering identified sources for Grail imagery in 12th-century wall paintings from churches in the Catalan [[Pyrenees]] (now mostly moved to the [[Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya]]), which present unique iconic images of the [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]] holding a bowl that radiates tongues of fire, images that predate the first literary account by Chrétien de Troyes. Goering argues that they were the original inspiration for the Grail legend.<ref>Goering, Joseph (2005). ''The Virgin and the Grail: Origins of a Legend''. Yale University Press. {{ISBN|0-300-10661-0}}. [http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=0300106610]</ref><ref>Rynor, Micah (October 20, 2005). [http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051020-1720.asp "Holy Grail legend may be tied to paintings"]. www.news.utoronto.ca.</ref>

Psychologists [[Emma Jung]] and [[Marie-Louise von Franz]] used [[analytical psychology]] to interpret the Grail as a series of symbols in their book ''The Grail Legend''.<ref name="Barber2482">Barber 2004, p. 248–252.</ref> They directly expanded on interpretations by [[Carl Jung]], which were later invoked by [[Joseph Campbell]].<ref name="Barber2482"/> Philosopher [[Henry Corbin]], a member of the [[Eranos]] circle founded by Jung, also commented on the esoteric significance of the grail, relating it to the [[Iranian Islam|Iranian Islamic]] symbols that he studied.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carey |first=John |title=Henry Corbin and the Secret of the Grail |url=https://www.temenosacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/JOHN-CAREY-Henry-Corbin-and-the-Secre-of-the-Grail_Optimized-Copy-Copy.pdf |publisher=The Temenos Academy |publication-place= |page=159-178 |access-date=|journal=Temenos Academy Review|issue=14|year=2011}}</ref>

Daniel Scavone (1999, 2003) argued that the "Grail" originally referred to the [[Image of Edessa]].<ref>D. Scavone: "Joseph of Arimathea, the Holy Grail and the Edessa Icon," ''[[Arthuriana]]'' vol. 9, no. 4, 3-31 (Winter 1999) ([http://www.shroud.it/SCAVONE1.PDF Article] and [http://www.shroud.com/scavone2.htm abstract]); Scavone, "British King Lucius, the Grail and Joseph of Arimathea: The Question of Byzantine Origins.", Publications of the Medieval Association of the Midwest 10 (2003): 101-42, vol. 10, 101-142 (2003).</ref> According to [[Richard Barber]] (2004), the Grail legend is connected to the introduction of "more ceremony and mysticism" surrounding the sacrament of the Eucharist in the high medieval period, proposing that the first Grail stories may have been connected to the "renewal in this traditional sacrament".<ref>Barber 2004.</ref> Goulven Peron (2016) suggested that the Holy Grail may reflect the [[Cornucopia#In mythology|horn]] of the river-god [[Achelous]], as described by [[Ovid]] in the ''[[Metamorphoses (Ovid)|Metamorphoses]]''.<ref name="Peron, Goulven 2016, p. 1132">Peron, Goulven. L'influence des Metamorphoses d'Ovide sur la visite de Perceval au chateau du Roi Pecheur, ''Journal of the International Arthurian Society'', Vol. 4, Issue 1, 2016, p. 113-134.</ref>