El misterio del Grial

by Julius Evola

Basandosi sui principali testi originali della leggenda, Evola spiega il senso del mistero del Graal, che ha un carattere iniziatico e regale, legato a una tradizione anteriore e preesistente al cristianesimo, mentre presenta connessioni con l'idea di un centro del mondo e di un misterioso dominatore. Dalle varie avventure cavalleresche che si svolgono in un'atmosfera strana e surreale, egli indica il significato nascosto, che si rifà ad esperienze iniziatiche e a prove interne. Anche il simbolismo della 'donna' viene adeguatamente spiegato. L'esame si porta poi sul significato delle leggende del Graal nel Medioevo occidentale; considera quindi varie correnti che in un certo modo ripresero l'eredità del Graal dopo la distruzione dei Templari.

Genres: Philosophy, Spirituality, Mythology, Nonfiction, Religion, Occult, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Julius Evola, born Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola, was an Italian philosopher and esoteric scholar. Born in Rome to a family of the Sicilian landed gentry, Evola was raised a strict Catholic. Despite this, his life was characterised by 'an anti-bourgeois approach' hostile to both 'the dominant tradition of the West—Christianity and Catholicism—and to contemporary civilization—the 'modern world' of democracy and materialism'.

By turns 'engineering student, artillery officer, Dadaist poet and painter, journalist, alpinist, scholar, linguist, Orientalist, and political commentator', he has been described as a 'rare example of universality in an age of specialization'. Yet behind it all lay a singular emphasis on, and pursuit of, a 'direct relationship to the Absolute'. For Evola, 'the center of all things was not man, but rather the Transcendent.' This metaphysical conviction can be seen to have determined both Evola's stance on socio-political issues, and his antipathetic attitude towards 'all professional, sentimental and family routines'.

The author of many books on esoteric, political and religious topics (including The Hermetic Tradition, The Doctrine of Awakening and Eros and the Mysteries of Love), his best-known work remains Revolt Against the Modern World, a trenchant critique of modern civilisation that has been described as 'the gateway to his thought'. Since his death, also in Rome, his writings have influenced right-wing, reactionary and conservative political thought not only in his native Italy, but throughout continental Europe and, increasingly, the English-speaking world. Nevertheless, he should not be considered primarily as a political thinker, but rather as an exponent of the wider Traditionalist School that encompasses the work of such individuals as René Guénon, Titus Burckhardt and Frithjof Schuon.

Reviews

[rodrigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must say that I'm not a big fan of evola, he tries to push his political ideas upon collective archetypes that often possess no connection.

[Крюкокрест · Rating 5 out of 5]

Вернусь после прочтения десятков классических европейских текстов, символизм которых разбирает Барон

[Ermina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knjiga me privukla prvo, zbog naslova, drugo zbog kontroverzne prirode autora, i treće, zbog mješavine ova prva dva razloga. Fašista koji piše o gralu - dovoljno primamljivo.
No, ono što sam našla u knjizi nije me toliko očaralo. Okej, saznala sam nešto više o Arturu i gralu, masonima, templarima... Nekako mi se čini da je knjiga samo zbir već poznatih priča.
Ah da, ima i mizoginije na pretek - žena u muškarcu ZAPRAVO budi seksualnu energiju. Još gore: muškarac zbog žene postaje žena...

(ako se uzme kao veliki meme, onda knjiga može itekako proći!)

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being a profoundly anti-Christian thinker, much is to be learned from Evola, especially because suprahistory and traditional knowledge (in the true meaning of the word) need not be seen through the lens of a pre-Christian Aryan paganism. After all, Guénon, Evola's teacher in many senses, holds that Catholicism is the only institution which still contains a remnant of Tradition.

Read Evola with a healthy dose of skepticism, because some of his comparisons are slightly far-fetched, and in conjunction with Guénon, but knowing that you are reading a master. Great first book to start on the Evola journey.

[Wilson Tun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was….interesting to say at least. Julius Evola presents how every old mythology, especially of the manner of Grail are all interconnected into one single ‘Hyperboreia’ myth. His perspective on mythology itself is intriguing and controversial. In this book, he connects the dots between the Arthurian Mythology, Kali Yuga, and many other symbolism to introduce the idea of one overarching archetype of Hyperboreia.

My favorite chapter was about how Evola talks about the Templars that they were inherently Pagan Anti-Christian despite representing Christianity. He also clarified the matter regarding Rosicrucianism and its original purpose of representing the Grail Knights and how Enlightenment movement co-opted this concept to corrupt the spiritual essence of the people.

I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone outside of this specific flavor of niche literature.

[Giovanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting introduction to the esoteric, Evola makes connections to historical traditions and concepts which builds to an analysis of culture and spiritual thought.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It is simply ridiculous to regard myths and symbols as manifestations or archetypes of 'life,' considering that their nature is essentially metaphysical and that they have nothing to do with 'life,' unless we are talking about their empty shells. [...] The truth is that when there are no firm reference points, there is no hope of orienting oneself through various experiences, of understanding and evaluating them, especially when experience as a whole is abusively identified with some of its particular modalities, which at times are even affected by pathological factors. This has been abundantly demonstrated by the outcome of all the various psychoanalytical interpretations. These attempts fail to reach the plane of the spirit.”
—
“The reason behind some genealogies, which are apparently not any less extravagant, is also analogous: a legendary lineage expresses figuratively a spiritual continuity, which may be real even without a biological continuity in space and time.”
—
“When we isolate the texts that make up the Grail cycle, we find that they repeat a few essential themes, which are expressed through the symbolism of knightly figures and deeds. What we are dealing with, then, are essentially the themes of a mysterious center; of a quest and a spiritual test; of a regal succession or restoration, which sometimes assumes the character of a healing or avenging action. Percival, Gawain, Galahad, Ogier, Lancelot, and Peredur are essentially various names portraying the same human type; likewise, King Arthur, Joseph of Arimathea, Prester John, and the Fisher King are equivalent figures and variations on another theme. Also equivalent are images of various mysterious castles, islands, kingdoms, and inaccessible and adventurous lands, which in the narratives are described in a series that, on the one hand, creates a strange, surrealistic atmosphere but, on the other, often ends up becoming monotonous.”
—
“we must recognize the point at which a suprahistorical reality imposed itself on history, closely associating the symbols of that mystery to the confused yet lively sensation that its effective realization required to solve the spiritual and temporal crisis of an entire epoch, namely, the medieval ecumenical-imperial age.”
—
“we must start from the idea of a fundamental, inner unity of the various texts, and of the various figures, symbols, and adventures proper to them, and proceed to discover the latent capability of a text to integrate and continue another, until a thorough exposition of some fundamental themes is achieved.”
—
"According to Hesiod, the 'generation of heroes' was created by Zeus, that is to say, by the Olympian principle, with the possibility of reattaining the primordial state and thus to give life to a new 'golden' cycle. But in order to realize this, which is only a possibility and no longer a state of affairs, it is first necessary to overcome both the ‘lunar’ spirituality and the materialized virility, namely, both the priest and the mere warrior or the Titan. These archetypes are found in the 'heroic' figures of almost every tradition. […] The titanic type-or, in another respect, the warrior type-is, after all, the prime matter of which heroes are made. But in order to implement a positive solution to the dilemma, that is, to attain an Olympian transformation as the reintegration of the primordial state, it is necessary to fulfill a double condition."
—
“This qualification should not become a limitation, a hubris, a closure of the 'I,' and it should not paralyze the capability of opening oneself up to a transcendent force, in function of which alone can the fire really become light and free itself. Second, such liberation should not signify a cessation of the inner tension; thus a further test consists in adequately reaffirming the virile quality on the supersensible plane.”
—
“Analogous is the meaning of the imprisoned virgin who waits to be freed and married to a preordained knight. On this basis, everything that in epic legends and in many chivalric romances is described in terms of adventures and heroic struggles undertaken in the name of a woman is almost always susceptible to interpretation as a symbol of the tests of the virile quality, tests that are assigned as a premise for a transcendent integration of the human personality. And if in this type of literature we also find women who are seductive and who represent a potential danger for the hero, this should not be understood solely in a primitive and direct manner, that is, in terms of a mere carnal seduction. Rather, this should be understood on a higher plane as a reference to the danger that a heroic adventure can lead to a titanic fall. In this case, the woman represents the seductiveness of transcendent power and knowledge when its possession means Promethean usurpation and the sin of prevaricating pride.”
—
“The unilaterally virile and warrior aspect that could be supposed in Arthur as an ursus horribilis is also modified in the legend by Arthur's being always accompanied, as some kind of complement or counterpart, by Myrddhin or Merlin, who holds a spiritual knowledge and power. This Merlin seems less a distinct person and more the personification of the transcendent and spiritual side of Arthur himself.”
—
“The image of a regality in a state of sleep or apparent death, however, is akin to that of an altered, wounded, paralyzed regality, in regard not to its intangible principle but to its external and historical representatives. Hence the theme of the wounded, mutilated, or weakened king who continues to live in the inaccessible center, in which time and death are suspended.”
—
“Prester John's gifts to Emperor Frederick constitute a sort of mandate of a superior character, which was offered to the German representative of the Holy Roman Empire that he might establish a real contact with the principle of the Universal Ruler. The water of perennial youth visibly has the meaning of immortality. The incombustible garment is connected to the power of the phoenix to remain unscathed and renew itself in fire. Invisibility is a potent symbol of the power to contact the invisible and supersensible dimension, and to be able to be transferred to it. The power of breathing underwater corresponds to the ability of not sinking or drowning and of walking on water […] it signifies the ability to participate in a principle that is superior to the current of the world and to the stream of becoming.”
—
“Dante's view is limited by his Christian faith. When he accuses the Church (more or less like Luther, a few centuries later) he blames her for her corruption, namely, for her being mundane and for fostering political intrigues; he doesn't accuse her with the assumption that even if the Church had remained the pure and incorrupted representative of Christ's original teaching she would still have been an obstacle, since Christianity's essence would have amounted to a lunar spirituality (asceticcontemplative at best), unfit to be the supreme reference point for an integral traditional restoration.”
—
“The power of the Grail destroys all those who try to hold it without having the proper qualifications, or who attempt to usurp it by repeating the Titanic, Luciferian, or Promethean deed. A significant expression is found, in this regard, in Wolfram, when he says figuratively that to those who are guilty, the Grail is so heavy that they could not hold it up even if they all tried to at the same time. What causes the power of life to act as a destructive force (e.g., the fire that consumes Moses) is the very excess that the transcendent power constitutes for a conditioned being who is tied to his own limitations.”
—
“the woman (i.e., the vivifying force, the power, the transcendent knowledge) represents a danger only when she is yearned after; only as such does she substantiate the Luciferian temptation and cause the wound in Amfortas's ‘virility,’ which degrades and paralizes him. She is the woman who, in Kalki's myth, never marries anyone but the restoring hero, since all other men, as soon as they lust after her, are transformed from men into women, or in other words, like Amfortas, they lose their spiritual virility. When considered as a craving, or as an uncontrolled desire, the heroic eros is a danger. In this context chastity signifies control, limit, antititanic purity, overcoming of pride, and immaterial unshakability, rather than a moralistic and sexuophobic precept. There is a significant saying of Trevrizent to Percival: ‘There is only one thing that the Grail and its secret virtues will never tolerate in you: countless desires.’”
—
“This sword, as I have explained, awaits one who has been predestined: a sign warns that he who wants to use this sword will find it useless in time of need. Nescien wields it against a giant, but it breaks in half. After Mordrain puts it together again, Nacien is wounded by another flaming sword, wielded by an invisible hand, as a punishment for having unsheathed the sword. [...] Here the theme of usurpation merges with the theme of lack of faith; in one of the versions, Joseph of Arimathea's disciple Moses, lacking faith, is swallowed up by a chasm that opens up beneath the "perilous" seat reserved for the elect one. The weapon cannot be brandished against the giant without breaking, or before the one wielding it assumes a different quality from all that may have a relation with the elemental, the wild, the titanic (the giant) and before his faith becomes unshakable.”
—
“The theme we have already encountered, of a slain or wounded knight whom the seekers of the Grail find by his woman (sometimes, significantly enough, next to a tree),8 refers to the motif of the hero who has failed in his task; in other words, it awakens the Grail seeker to the reasons why he failed in his mission at first. Significantly, such a woman, conceived as a relative of the seeker of the Grail, makes him aware of his own name, which he himself has ignored. In any event she offers some explanations regarding the mystery of the Grail's castle; she blames the knight for not having asked the question, and sometimes she gives instructions on how to mend the sword should it break.”
—
“Generally speaking, various symbols always express the idea of inviolability before any profanation. Moreover, the theme of invisibility, together with other related themes, underlines the notion of inaccessibility, which is proper to anything that escapes the control the physical world, of form and the physical senses, according to a limitation that, in the case of ordinary people, is identified with death or with sleep. We have already seen how the Grail's castle, upon which ‘the flames of the Holy Spirit’ descend, is also that in which the ‘test of sleep’ takes place. To pass this test means to go beyond the realm of waking consciousness proper to the physical individual. And yet this does not happen without a crisis and some difficult and risky action: according to a particular interpretation, this may be what the ‘dangerous fights’ mentioned by Wolfram allude to. Those who have experience in such matters know very well that similar adventures may also end in sickness, derangement, or death.”
—
“The seat of the Grail, which must be defended "unto death;' can be related neither merely to the Church and Christianity, which, as I have argued, constantly ignored this cycle of myths, nor even, more generally speaking, to a religious or mystical center. It is rather an initiatory center that retains the legacy of the primordial tradition, according to the undivided unity of the two dignities, namely, the regal and the priestly.”
—
“the initiates of the Grail must aspire to a suprapersonal mission, which is the true measure of their qualification. According to previously mentioned texts, to know the Grail and yet not ask, ‘What is its use?’ is a proof of the hero's insufficiency. This is a matter of a committed spirituality, the ideal of which is not transcendence separated from this world.”
—
“Little by little the hero will rise from the still passive and lunar quality, which is symbolized by the silver chess pieces, and will eventually attain the active and (in a transcendent sense) virile quality, proving worthy of it. It is a progressive growth, simultaneously Promethean and Olympian, along the way on which Heracles and Jacob, the winner of angels, won, but on which Lucifer, Prometheus, and Adam were vanquished. It is the same transformation indicated by the Hermetic ars regia with this formula: ‘Our Work is the conversion and change of one being into another being, as from one thing into another thing, from debility to strength ... from corporeality to spirituality.’”
—
“Once this question is asked, a miracle ensues. At this point fragments of ancient Atlantic, Celtic, and Nordic traditions are mixed with confused images of the Judeo-Christian religion. Avalon; Seth; Solomon; Lucifer; the stone-thunderbolt; Joseph of Arimathea; the White Island; the fish; the Lord of the Center and the symbolism of his seat; the mystery of the revenge and the deliverance; the ‘signs’ of the Tuatha de Danaan, who in turn are confused with the race that brought the Grail to earth-they all form a whole in which the various elements, as I have endeavored to show, reveal a logical unity to those who are capable of penetrating its essence.”
—
“the inexorable unfolding of the various phases of modern decadence, individualism has been only a shortlived mirage and a misleading intoxication; the collective and irrational element in the age of the masses and of technology has rapidly overcome the emancipated ‘individual’ who is without roots and without traditions.”
—
“one cannot help feeling that he is confronting a force that, on the spiritual plane, acts against the spirit itself: a dark force of antitradition and counterinitiation. In that case it is possible that its rites are more harmful than one may think, and that those who partake of it, without realizing it, establish contact with this force, which cannot be grasped by ordinary consciousness.”
—
“The Grail retains the meaning of a symbol in which the antithesis between "priest" and "warrior" is overcome, but also retains the modern equivalent of this antithesis, that is to say, materialized, telluric, and titanic, or better yet, Luciferian forms of the will to power on the one hand, and the lunar forms of the surviving devotional religion and of confused mystical and neospiritualist impulses toward the supernatural and what is not ordinary.”
—
“even those who have received the ‘sword’ must wait for the right time to wield it, the right moment being only that in which forces, the power of which is still unknown owing to an intrinsic determinism, will encounter a real limit and the cycle will end. The right moment will be that in which, even before the most extreme existential situations, a desperate defense instinct rising from the deepest recesses (I almost said, from the memoire de sangc) will eventually regalvanize and give strength to myths and ideas connected to the legacy of better times. […] To understand and to live by these motifs means to enter into a dimension of suprahistorical realities and, in this way, to gradually reach the certainty that the invisible and inviolable center, the king who must awake, and the avenging and restorating hero are not mere fancies of a dead and romantic past, but rather the truth of those who, today, alone may legitimately be said to be alive.”

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julius Evola's 'The Mystery of the Grail' presents itself as an enigmatic dive into the murky waters of medieval symbolism, focusing on the quest for the Holy Grail. Rated a middling 3 out of 5, the book challenges with its lack of didactic clarity and fragmented prose, resembling more a patchwork of symbols than a cohesive narrative or in-depth study. True to his style, Evola prioritizes a purely symbolic approach, comparing myths and symbols from various traditions without delving into the philosophical or metaphysical depths such symbols might suggest. This method becomes both the book’s strength and its weakness, as while it may intrigue those fascinated by mystification, it suffers from the ailment so common among occultists: a fondness for obscurity without cause. For readers seeking clarity or substantial philosophical insights, 'The Mystery of the Grail' may prove to be a frustrating read, though for enthusiasts of symbols and myths, it might offer fertile ground for speculation.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this book was a captivating, inspiring and potentially transformative read. I'm certainly planning to investigate some of the topics raised further and will be seeking out more of Evola's work.

I would have liked to give it 5 stars but didn't for two main reasons:
- It could have been organized better. The so-called chapters seem to bleed into each other heavily at times and the linear chapter structure doesn't match the twisting, looping journey through the actual content.
- Some parts of it were beyond my experience and knowledge, therefore I can't offer an opinion on their quality or credibility.

The historical and mythological aspects were often quite dense, although interesting. What really enamored me was the deeply transcendental ethos that underlies the entire character of the writing. The best way I could describe this work is as being "charged with meaning" and potentially of conferring a greatly charging effect on the reader.

[Aleksander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Fit for anyone interested in mythology and its symbolism. Reserch is in depth and amazingly detailed. Evola shows his huge commitment and respect for the topic he is working on. Variety of texts is covered from a lot of diffrent cultures, that lets the reader grasp connections between them. Myth as a universal story and life as an ethernal reenactment.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory reading for anybody interested in Grail legends, secret societies and initiation. Evola is among the best at this sort of thing, his superiority humiliates so many of the clowns in these fields.

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

En intressant bok där Evola tolkar Graalens myter och dess symbolism genom en traditionalistisk lens. Enligt Evola pekar myten mot ett sätt att åter realisera en regal och heroisk spiritualitet som förenar "krigaren" och "prästen" och en återfödelse av ett traditionalistiskt imperium.

[Kjǫlsigʀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Baron does it again, another keenly insightful illumination of the Mystery from the higher plane proper to it rather than yet another profane vanity.

[Carla Parreira]

O Mistério do Graal de Evola se destaca como uma profunda exploração que conecta temas mitológicos, espirituais e sociopolíticos para elucidar a relevância e o significado duradouros do Graal no discurso contemporâneo. A defesa de Evola por um método tradicional na interpretação da lenda do Graal levanta questões significativas sobre a validade da erudição empírica moderna na compreensão de narrativas simbólicas. Ele argumenta que interpretações tradicionais priorizam a essência e a universalidade dos símbolos, mas essa perspectiva pode romantizar excessivamente os mitos ao mesmo tempo em que negligencia as nuances históricas que podem carregar.
A Idade Dourada simboliza um estado primordial e espiritual. A Idade Prateada introduz uma espiritualidade lunar, caracterizada por uma inclinação sacerdotal e feminina. A Idade do Bronze marca uma revolta contra a liderança espiritual, favorecendo guerras e materialismo, simbolizada por mitos titânicos. A Idade do Ferro, ou Kali Yuga, representa o secularismo completo e a perda de valores espirituais. Os Cavaleiros da Mesa Redonda representam uma mistura de virtudes marciais e espirituais, enfatizando uma busca por um propósito mais elevado além da mera guerra. O conceito do Graal incorpora esse ideal transcendente, servindo como um objetivo tangível para os cavaleiros e um símbolo de suas aspirações. O estudo do Graal sob uma perspectiva histórica revela uma tradição efêmera, mas significativa, que emergiu durante um curto período entre o final do século XII e o início do século XIII. Essa era marcou o auge da tradição medieval, da cavalaria, das Cruzadas e da influência do tomismo em meio a ideologias pré-cristãs. A proliferação de romances do Graal foi abruptamente seguida por uma queda de interesse, coincidindo com os esforços da Igreja para suprimir o que considerava herético. Um ressurgimento do interesse pelo Graal ocorreu nos séculos XIV e XV, embora em formas alteradas após a queda dos Cavaleiros Templários. A busca pelo Graal é descrita como uma jornada interior e uma iniciação em estados mais elevados de ser. Várias lendas conectam o Graal tanto a origens celestiais quanto à história de Lúcifer, sugerindo seu profundo significado simbólico e as provações enfrentadas por aqueles que o buscam. O Graal está associado a uma pedra celestial ligada a um legado misterioso e a um estado ancestral que foi mantido durante o exílio. A menção de Lúcifer significa uma tentativa distorcida de reaver essa condição primordial. Existem paralelos com os Tuatha de Danaan, uma raça divina que desceu à Irlanda trazendo objetos significativos, incluindo uma pedra dos reis, semelhante aos itens do Graal. Evola conclui que a verdadeira maestria sobre desejos e orgulho é essencial para se tornar digno do Graal. O capítulo encapsula a jornada espiritual, contrastando os destinos de Gawain e Amfortas para elucidar o caminho em direção ao ascetismo, à identidade e à verdadeira essência da virilidade. O Rei Pescador serve como uma figura multifacetada que busca revitalizar as tradições primordiais e sagradas incorporadas no Graal. Seu simbolismo reflete uma profunda busca por conhecimento e renovação, sinalizando a necessidade de um herói digno para cumprir esses antigos mistérios. Os ricos símbolos e as profundas bases filosóficas tanto do cátaro quanto dos Vassalos do Amor indicam interações complexas com a lenda do Graal. Cada tradição, embora distinta, contribui para a exploração mais ampla da espiritualidade, do amor e do heroísmo na cultura medieval. Os Vassalos do Amor mantinham uma aparência de conhecimento elevado e uma essência imaterial em sua interpretação do amor e da iniciação. Apesar de sua decadência ao longo do tempo em significados alegóricos e traços humanísticos, seu legado influenciou figuras posteriores por aspectos de suas práticas espirituais e esotéricas que persistiram mesmo à medida que se transformavam. O Rosacrucianismo reflete uma tradição enraizada no conhecimento esotérico e na realização espiritual, contrastando com interpretações superficiais modernas que desviam de suas origens profundas. A verdadeira essência dos ensinamentos rosacruzes enfatiza a transformação interior, a experiência mística e uma busca duradoura pela verdade espiritual.

[Nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the same vein as Metaphysics of War, Evola offers us his interpretation of the importance and real essence of the Grail myth, and the unconscious symbolic influence it holds over history and our cultures. While in the previous book such anti-Christian bias was not really apparent, here Evola fully displays that he has a serious (politically influenced) biased view against Christianity. In short, for Evola, most of what we attribute as Christian symbolism and essence is actually a bastardization of original pagan roots and, as such, a vilification and corruption of its powerful nature. Evola, for example (if I understood his point rightly), uses the example of original chivalry and its Templar Order incarnation, which according to him are in truth the heritage of the pagan warrior freeman that then became corrupted and decadent with the spreading of Church control and corruption.

Nevertheless, as far as myth interpretation goes, Evola is still strong. He offers a very compelling analysis of the symbolic importance of the "virility" of male characters and how losing that virility—through actions or symbolic evil seduction (feminine)—was one of the greatest tragedies in chivalric literature. Gaining the lady is one thing; being corrupted by the malevolent female spirit is another. To be blunt, Evola has a very clear and absolute interpretation of his own equivalent of "Jungian archetypes" (he does mention him actually) in which the nature of the feminine (and by that he means biological sex, not anything else or more) is absolute acceptance of male "rule" and acceptance of a position of submission. There is a clear and clean balance: strength, boldness, bravery, control, and leadership paired with submission, deep caring, loyalty, and overall the spiritual essence of motherhood in a very traditional way. Evola does not only take this interpretation as what it means in the actual myth, but as what the world's essence is and must return to. Evola believes that these absolute concepts and symbols are something to strive for, and he deeply rejects modernism and anything close to feminist waves.

In short, Evola overall argues in this book that since the end of paganism, we have been in a constant and deepening state of terrible decadence, which totally exploded with the "modern world," and that if we want to save ourselves and reconnect with what he defines as "superhistory" (as in symbolism transcending physical matter), we must absolutely oppose those social and ideological changes.
I don't agree with Evola's extremism or with his extreme takes on symbolism, but he still can be very insightful.

[Radu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all of the books Julius Evola wrote this book has to be the easiest of his to read and assimilate... though this might in part be because of the subject matter addressed in the book.

The story of King Arthur and the search for the Holy Grail is a story we've all heard at least in passing throughout out lives and Evola takes the time to explore the common trends found in these various surrounding it, as well as in part the secret societies that surrounded the search for the Holy Grail before tying it all together with how the mythos shaped the spirit of European culture and had caused the state of global politics at the time of his having written the book.

The idea of viewing the holy grail as a symbol of the desire for transcendence was a very interesting take and one that I imagine will help with understanding Evola's other more difficult works involving the esoteric.

[Chrysalides · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 'appendix' to his magnum opus Revolt Against the Modern World sees Evola apply the Traditional method to the Grail mythos. Using his erudite knowledge of Hermetic symbolism and several traditional texts, he identifies the origin of the Grail to be pre-Christian and symbolic of initiatic realization. From a metaphysical point of view, Evola makes a very strong argument, and it is hard to discredit it even on the grounds of his 'personal' view of metahistory.

The epilogue of the book is of special interest to me. Not only does Evola launch into a credible critique of Masonry, even going as far as to directly challenge the perspectives of his 'master' Guenon, but he also evaluates a particular controversial book of 'protocols' from a metahistorical reference point.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very interesting and illuminating regarding the perennial elements found within the Grail Cycle and how these myths show up across cultures and time.

This is my first book from Evola based on a recommendation from a friend. The issue I had is that the text (and my friend) seem to assume that you are already familiar with a number of other works by Evola, various mythology and the Grail legend in general.

Because of this, I have now bought Le Morte d'Arthur and The Divine Comedy to read - which are heavily referenced throughout. I will also likely read more Evola in the future.

Books lead to more books!

[David Shaw]

This book was an interesting examination of different Holy Grail stories, how they've changed, and their shared elements. The author claims that, while most versions of the quest for the grail contain many Christian elements, that the myth itself has much older roots.

I listened to an audio book version of it and the narration was decent.

[Saint Barone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um bom livro para quem quer começar a ler sobre o estudo do tradicionalismo.
Evola tem uma escrita que não é agonizante ou prolixa, tende a ter fontes ricas e um forte uso de comparação de tradições. Eu recomendaria Evola, assim como recomendo M. Eliade quando se trata de religião comparativa e estudo da tradição.

[Benjamín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunque le da vueltas a cosas que me parecieron irrelevantes me gustó bastante. Aprendí bastantes cosas. Está bien si tienes curiosidad sobre el tema y las antiguas leyendas populares. Me gustó sobre todo la parte en la que habla de los Rosacruz y su influencia en la masonería posterior.

[Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evola tries to place the grail myth in the evolution of initiatory mysteries, tying it to its pre-Christian predecessors and the alchemists, Templars, and Dante as successors. The Arthurian grail legends are analyzed from the standpoint that they contain coded “suprahistorical” information that would allow those who understood to envision a future goal for society, a spiritual, caste-based empire.

He views the grail myth as having a much more objective and practical value, dismissing Jung and Freud and their psychological interpretations. He sees them as the spiritual warrior ideal. He goes in great depth discussing the the different varieties of the myth and stories, giving particular attention to their origins.

[Fabio degli Spiriti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sicuramente non un libro per neofiti: occorrerebbero svariate letture per poter apprezzare e tentare di capire il punto di vista dell’autore ma la stesura del testo non gioca esattamente a favore rendendo difficoltosa la comprensione di un argomento già di per sé complicato.

[harcourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good anthology and introduction to Arthurian legend--but from the perspective of Julius Evola. There is a long of commentary on Arthurian legend as a shared legacy from Indo-European mythology that was syncretized with the Bible.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding analysis of Hermeticism and the idea of the Grail and it's pre-Christian gnostic origins.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but found it harder to read than some of his other stuff as I am not very familiar with the story of the grail

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Says that it isn't going to be a typical literary analysis of the Grail legend and then promptly launches off into his whole thing about Celts and Hyperborea, which is basically the take on the Grail these days. Though it was interesting in terms of there being sources older than Eschenbach, like de Borron.

[Jack The Heathen Castellano · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on Grail myth and my recommended place to begin reading Evola

[Paolo Spaggiari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Studio approfondito sul motivo del Graal osservato da un punto di vista non-cristiano. Molto interessante. Inutile sottolineare l'erudizione di Evola. Consigliato.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent