Diu Krône

The German author, Heinrich von dem Türlin, had written Diu Krône or "The Crown" in the early 13th century. It was the only tale that had the Grail quest where the hero was Gawain, not Perceval or Galahad.

However, Diu Krône was not just about the Grail adventure. The Grail was only one of Gawain's many adventures, and the quest didn't take place until Book 2 of Diu Krône.

But my interest in this book rests only on Gawain's quest with the Grail. So I have skipped a great deal of the story.

• Castle of Mystery

• Castle of Maidens

• The Goddess and the Grail

Castle of Mystery

Many of Gawain's adventures in Diu Krône concerning the Grail are similar to those told by Chretien de Troyes in Conte du Graal (c. 1185) and Wolfram von Eschenbach in Parzival (c. 1205), except for the part where Gawain succeeded in unravelling the mystery of the Grail.

The following events are different from most of the Grail stories.

Gawain was heading towards a tournament with his companions, but got separated when he let his preoccupation divert him from his path. While his companions galloped towards the tournament, Gawain's horse ambled aimlessly.

Gawain only woke from his reverie when he heard the sound of fighting. Gawain wanted to rush to the combat, but only found a grieving damsel mounted on a horse, with a dead knight behind her on the saddle. She told Gawain that Parzival (Perceval) had failed to ask the question about the spear and the Grail. Had Parzival done so, the curse would have been lifted and the suffering of many people would have come to an end. Gawain left the damsel with the dead knight and headed in another direction.

It wasn't long before he heard another battle taking place a great distance away. Gawain raced off to see the battle. What he saw caused great astonishment from him. He saw a company of knights in white armour battling two unseen foes. A broadsword and lance were wielded by invisible hands above two horses, slaughtering the white knights. All of the white knights were killed.

Gawain tried to follow these two invisible riders, following the tracks of their horses, and in his journey he witnessed some more strange sights.

He saw a beautiful nude maiden fending off large birds that tried to strip away the flesh from an ugly giant. Her attempts were futile, because the bird tore the giant to pieces, devouring its flesh and entrails. The damsel was unharmed. Gawain wanted to understand what he had seen, but he didn't want lose his trail of the two invisible attackers.

He also saw an old woman who was mounted on a green beast with three horns on its head, beating a naked black Moor. Although he pitied the Moor, he did not come to his aid, because he didn't want to confront the old woman.

At a forest, he came upon a horse tied to a tree, with a shield leaning against the tree, with an unsheathed sword and a fine hauberk lying on the ground beside the shield. There was also a blue banner planted nearby, with a severed head on top. At first he heard two female voices weeping and lamenting, but saw no one. A third voice then joined the other two. Gawain did not stay, but hurried on.

Gawain then came across a magnificent castle with transparent, crystal walls. He heard maidens celebrating in merriment, but their joyful cries ended with the arrival of a giant, black peasant who wielded a gigantic steel club. The peasant struck the wall with his club, and the wall exploded into flame. With his club, the giant pushed the maidens into the flame, burning them all to death.

At night, he was strangely feeling refreshed, because he could smell a sweet aroma that permeated the night air. So Gawain continued to ride throughout the night.

Then in the morning, he saw a beautifully dressed lad bound to a bed. The lad+ was blinded because two arrows were transfixed to his eyes. He waved a fan at the dead lady lying on the bed. Sitting on the bed was a dwarf with a crown, and lying beside the dead woman was a dead knight with a broken lance through his heart.

Then he came upon a river, but couldn't find either a bridge or a ford to cross. So he decided to wade across. Gawain dismounted and led his horse into water, but immediately found himself in trouble, because he had stepped into a quagmire, slowly sinking to his death.

Fortunately, a lady came to his rescue, and he agreed to any boon the lady wished. She threw a small vial into the river, which caused the water to solidify enough for Gawain to climb out of the quagmire onto solid water. With the help of the lady, Gawain dragged his horse out of the quagmire, then crossed safely to the other side of the river. Only then did the water turn back to liquid, and begin flowing like a normal river again.

On the bank of the river, he saw that the sand was bloody, and there was a spear planted through a surcoat. The surcoat had a message that the owner of the surcoat had been killed by this lance. Anyone who pulled out the lance would have to avenge him. The lady, named Gener of Kartis, stopped Gawain from drawing out the lance from the surcoat, because the dead knight (Rahin de Gart) had murdered her brother (Humildis) and had stolen his land. The boon she asked for was to leave the lance where it was, so the dead knight would remain unavenged. Gawain accepted the boon.

Finally, he came upon a castle where he was warmly greeted by an old, crippled lord. Gawain went to a chapel to say his prayers, when suddenly day turned into night, and he was left alone in the dark. Gawain prayed for God to protect him, and immediately all of the candles were lighted. He saw a pair of gloved hands bearing a heavy spear, where blood was streaming from the spearhead. Suddenly, he heard a thunderbolt, which caused the walls in the chapel to shake so hard that the candles fell to the floor, extinguishing the flame. In the darkness, Gawain heard a terrible and painful wail that left him senseless.

When he regained consciousness in the morning, he heard chanting but saw no priest. Gawain left the chapel bewildered and returned the hall where he met the old king. This time, he was greeted by knights, and he shared a meal with them, with him seated beside the old lord.

That night, he saw four noble maidens, each bearing candles on golden candlesticks. Each was more beautiful than any other women he had seen. A fifth woman entered the hall, carrying a crystal vessel filled with blood in one hand, while she held a tube (a straw) with another.

They all walked towards the old man on the bed, and kneeled before the king. The fifth maiden handed the tube to the king, who drank the blood from the crystal vessel. Despite drinking the blood, the vessel remained full. Once he finished drinking, the five maidens left the hall, returning to where they had come from.

Gawain desperately wanted to ask questions about what he had witnessed, but remained silent, because he thought it would be rude to question anyone while they ate. Gawain decided to wait. But knights immediately left after the meal; everyone left the hall, leaving Gawain alone. So Gawain waited and waited for someone to return, so he could satisfy his curiosity, but no one returned.

Finally Gawain took a single candle and relighted the four candles that the four maidens had brought in. He was shocked to see the old king lying on the bed was dead. Seeing that the whole castle was seemingly deserted, he went to the stable, where he slept near his horse.

In the morning, he was surprised to find himself in a meadow, and the entire castle was nowhere to be seen. He found that his horse was nearby, as well as his armour, weapon and other gears. Gawain put his armour on, saddled his horse, then left.

Castle of Maidens

Clearly, his adventure to the Grail Castle was a variation of the first continuation of Chretien's Grail romance. Like Parzival before him, Gawain failed to ask the question when he witnessed the Grail.

Later, many of his adventures that followed were the same as what happened in Chretien's Conte du Graal and in Wolfram's Parzival, which I will now very briefly tell.

Gawain encountered a knight named Quoikos who was heading towards the tournament at Saorgarda Castle, where the best knight in the tournament would win Lady Flursensephen, daughter of Count Leigamar. Like in Lady of the Short Sleeve of the Conte du Graal, Flursensephen got into an argument with her younger sister, Quebeleplus, over the two newcomers. Flursensephen derisively claimed Gawain and his companion were merchants, impersonating knights to avoid paying customs. Quebeleplus recognised Gawain to be a great knight, even though no one knew of Gawain's true identity, and thought that he was a better knight than Fiers of Arramis, the man whom Flursensephen was in love with. When Flursensephen struck her little sister, Quebeleplus went to Gawain to fight for her, and avenge her by defeating Fiers. Gawain agreed. When the tournament started, Gawain fought on Quebeleplus' behalf, unhorsing and capturing many knights, including Fiers and Quebeleplus' father, Leigamar. Flursensephen fainted at Fiers' defeat. Gawain refused to marry Flursensephen after the tournament, giving her to Quoikos.

Gawain's next adventure was like in Chretien's Postponement of the Duel, where Gawain was a guest of the Lady of Karamphi Castle. Her brother Angaras, recognising Gawain, attacked him at the castle with his men. Gawain defended himself with a chessboard, until Angaras' father ended the battle, making Gawain promise either to find the Grail in one year, or to fight a duel with Angaras. Gawain agreed.

What is interesting, is that before Gawain arrived at this castle, he encountered the goddess Enfeidas, who was both Arthur's aunt, as well as the Queen of Avalon. She was the sister of Uterpandragon (Uther Pendragon). She was the one who warned him about the danger of the castle of Karamphi.

Like Chretien's Castle of Marvels and in Wolfram's Parzival, Gawain helped a wounded knight and a damsel, but was betrayed. The wounded knight stole his horse, and he was left with a nag. He won back his horse when he unhorsed the wounded knight's ally. He accepted hospitality from a ferryman named Karadas. Across the river, he saw a castle filled with maidens, which was why it was known as the Castle of Maidens, built by the sorcerer Gansguoter, and found out that his own grandmother, mother and sister (Igern (Igraine), Orcades (Morgawse) and Klarisanz (Clarissant)) were living in this castle. Karadas failed to dissuade Gawain from entering the Castle of Maidens, because those who entered the castle never returned alive.

At the Castle of Maidens was a marvellous bed. But the bed was a trap which many knights had foolishly tried to sleep on. Only a knight who had never performed a shameful act could break the custom and curse of the castle. As Gawain sat on the bed, the bells rang, causing all the windows and doors to close and 500 crossbow bolts were fired at Gawain. God or Lady Luck protected Gawain, for he escaped without a scratch. Gawain promptly fell asleep.

Karadas and the maidens in the castle wept and lamented when they heard the bells and missiles discharged, because they thought the knight was dead. Four maidens and four squires went to the chamber to remove the dead body on the bed and bury the unfortunate victim. But to their surprise, they saw that he was alive and unharmed. They reported back to Igern, and told the three queens of the miracle they had witnessed.

Igern went into the deadly bedchamber with her daughter and granddaughter, and they realised that the curse and custom was almost at its end. They rejoiced that the stranger was alive (no one recognised Gawain). Karadas also arrived and was very happy that his guest had survived.

Gawain woke from the ladies and maidens' cries of despair, then of joy. Gawain leaped to his feet, not realising that he was naked. Igern covered him with a blanket. Karadas informed him that he had survived the trap of the bed, but now he had to face a lion.

The ferryman quickly armed Gawain. Once armed, one of the doors opened, and the lion immediately leaped and attacked Gawain. Gawain quickly dispatched the lion, cutting off the lion's head. The two front paws were also severed, but they remained stuck on his shield.

Once again the queens, maidens and the ferryman rejoiced at Gawain's prowess and survival. Igern announced that Gawain was their new lord, ruling the castle and the surrounding land. She also proclaimed that the knight could either marry her daughter or granddaughter, not realising that the hero was her own grandson. Nor did Gawain wished to disclose his identity to them. Gawain asked them she would not reveal his name until twelve days from then.

The next part of the story was like the 1st continuation of Chretien's Grail romance and Wolfram's Parzival. Gawain encountered a knight and lord named Giremelanz, who was a neighbour to the Castle of Maidens. Giremelanz was in love with Klarisanz, but hated her brother, Gawain. Gawain agreed to send a ring from Giremelanz to his sister, but when he revealed his name, Giremelanz challenged him to a duel. Gawain agreed to the duel in twelve days. But the duel never took place when Arthur arrived. Gawain revealed his identity to Igern, his mother and sister, and they were happily reunited with Arthur. Giremelanz ended his hostility to Gawain when he was married off to Klarisanz.

The biggest difference with Gawain's adventure at the Castle of Maidens was the absence of Haughty Maid of Logres from Conte du Graal, and known as Orgeluse in Parzival.

As you can see, much of Gawain's adventures were derived from several different sources, eg. Conte du Graal, 1st Continuation, and Parzival, though Heinrich von Türlin made some clever changes, here and there. But essentially, it is the same adventures told by Chretien and Wolfram.

In the next part of the story, Gawain supplanted Perceval/Parzival as the hero of the Grail Quest, so the ending was quite different and unexpected.

The Goddess and the Grail

At first, Gawain travelled with his companions - Keii (Kay), Lanzelet (Lancelot) and Kalocreant (Calogrenant), but when the road divided, each companion took a different route from his friends.

Travelling alone, Gawain travelled until he experienced a number of strange phenomena. Fire sprung out of the ground, forcing him to move in one direction. The fire herded Gawain towards a new country before the flames vanished. In this country, he saw a splendid castle.

Gawain came upon a castle that was populated with beautiful ladies and maidens. Among the group of women was a goddess who greeted the hero warmly. She provided him with hospitality and information about his forthcoming journey. She told the hero that if he were to meet her again with her five companions, Gawain would have to ask a question if he should see the Grail. She warned him not to take any drink in the Grail castle or else he would fall into a drugged sleep. Gawain had to remain awake to ask the question.

Gawain then left the castle and headed in the direction the goddess had given him. During that journey, he encountered several strange events and creatures.

One day he came upon another great castle, at which he saw a troop of warriors ride in. Gawain followed the warriors and entered the castle. What he found was that castle was deserted. He could not find a single living person, no matter where he looked. Even the warriors had vanished. Strangely enough, he found a great bed and a hall filled with splendid food and drink. Gawain ate an evening meal and stayed for the night. In the morning, he woke and found that the castle was still empty of people, yet fresh food had been placed on the table in the hall. So Gawain broke his fast before he set out from the castle. The moment he left the castle, the drawbridge raised and he heard a maiden telling him that he should trust his lady who given him hospitality. But when Gawain looked, he saw no maiden on the battlements.

For a month, he suffered from great hardship because there was no shelter on the road he travelled and very little food was to be found in the wilderness. Then suddenly, he found himself in a new country where there was plenty of food growing from the trees that he was able to recover from his hunger.

It wasn't long before he was reunited with two of his companions, Lanzelet and Kalocreant. Keii was being held in prison for trying to damage a statue. They decided to travel together towards the castle they could see. They were met by a squire who invited the tired knights to his castle, on behalf of his lord.

In this castle, they were warmly greeted by the lord. Gawain spent quite some time talking with the old lord before the evening meal was served. Neither the lord nor Gawain ate or drank any of the delicious meal. Gawain recalled the goddess' warning about the drugged drink. Gawain had warned his companions earlier, but his advice was ignored. After the meal, Lanzelet and Kalocreant fell promptly asleep. Gawain declined both food and drink, so he remained awake.

Suddenly, Gawain saw a long procession of stewards who served in the hall. Then two highborn maidens entered the hall, both bearing two-bejewelled candlesticks. Then he saw two squires following the damsels, bearing a magnificent spear. Following the squires were another two noble maidens carrying a large gold bowl.

Then Gawain saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, walk into the hall. She was splendidly dressed and wore a gold crown on her head. She carried in her hand a reliquary. Another maiden appeared, following the woman with crown, weeping. The lord and the other people bowed to the woman. Gawain recognised the woman with the crown as the goddess he had met over a month ago. Gawain also recognised the other five noble maidens.

Then the maidens placed the golden bowl on the table, while the squires leaned the spear against the table, with the spearhead placed just above the bowl. Then Gawain witnessed an occurrence that he thought was not possible: three drops of blood fell from the spear into the bowl. When this happened, the goddess placed the reliquary on the table. Within the reliquary was a single loaf of bread. The old lord broke part of the bread and ate it.

Gawain couldn't contain his silence any longer, and asked the lord to explain the miracle that he had witnessed. Everyone in the hall, whether they were knights or ladies, loudly rejoiced of their deliverance.

The old lord answered, but only explaining the curse that had bound him. He said nothing of the secret of the Grail itself. Parzival (Perceval) himself had left the castle in shame, because he had not asked a question about what he had witnessed. Had he done so, the curse would have lifted and Parzival would have been given the secret of the Grail.

The curse began because one of Parzival's uncles had wickedly murdered his own brother so that he could take his brother's land. God had punished this usurper for fratricide. Many people living in the castle were killed, including the murderer and his family. Yet many of the dead, who were innocent, continued to live in this castle, as they had done so while they were alive. Only with the asking of a question about the miracle of the Grail, could the dead finally find peace.

Everyone in the hall, including the old lord himself, was dead, except for the goddess and her five noble companions. After rewarding Gawain with a most splendid broadsword, the lord and his retinue vanished because the curse had ended, and now the living could cease their mourning. The Grail, spear and candlesticks vanished too.

Only the goddess, her five noble maidens and Gawain's two sleeping companions remained in the hall. The goddess and the maidens joyfully thanked Gawain for successfully completing his quest.

Gawain and his companions then returned to Arthur's court in Karidol (Cardueil), after they rescued Keii.