Roger Sherman Loomis

Wales and the Arthurian Legend

Arthurian Tradition & Chrétien de Troyes

King Arthur was not an Englishman, but a Celtic warrior, according to Loomis, whose research into the background of the Arthurian legend reveals findings which are both illuminating and highly controversial. The author sees the vegetarian goddess as the prototype of many damsels in Arthurian romance, and Arthur's knights as the gods of sun and storm. If Loomis's arguments are accepted, where does this leave the historic Arthur?

Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance

Ruth Roberts

A Memorial Collection of Essays

Studies in Medieval Literature

A study of the literary art of Chretien de Troyes, a late 12th century French poet, in relation to the Arthurian cycle and its Celtic sources. Examines the Arthurian tradition before Troyes, and his contributions to the tale and its characters.

Roger Sherman Loomis ; Part II in Collaboration with Laura Hibbard Loomis

Arthurian Legends in Medieval Art

Masterly study examines the evolution of fiction surrounding the Arthurian legend — from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Le Morte d'Arthur.

The Development of Arthurian Romance

The medieval legend of the Grail, a tale about the search for supreme mystical experience, has never ceased to intrigue writers and scholars by its wildly variegated forms: the settings have ranged from Britain to the Punjab to the Temple of Zeus at Dodona; the Grail itself has been described as the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper, a stone with miraculous youth-preserving virtues, or a vessel containing a man's head swimming in blood. In his classic exploration of the major versions, Roger Sherman Loomis shows how the Grail, once a Celtic vessel of plenty, evolved into the Christian Grail with miraculous powers. Loomis bases his argument on historical examples involving the major motifs and characters in the legends, beginning with the Arthurian legend recounted in the 1180 French poem by Chrétien de Troyes. Loomis's book builds suspense as he proceeds from one puzzle to the next in revealing the meaning behind the legends.--From publisher description.

From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol

The Grail

Each of the 179 pictures in this handsome book is accompanied by indications of source and date, and often by explanatory and reference material. The portrayals of Chaucer, his friends and associates, the poets he admired, and the places he knew, are drawn mainly from the period 1340 to 1415. Originally published in 1965. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

A Mirror of Chaucer's World

Geoffrey Ashe: King Arthur's Avalon: The story of Glastonbury. New York 1957. [Review].

The medieval legend of the Grail, a tale about the search for supreme mystical experience, has never ceased to intrigue writers and scholars by its wildly variegated forms: the settings have ranged from Britain to the Punjab to the Temple of Zeus at Dodona; the Grail itself has been described as the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper, a stone with miraculous youth-preserving virtues, a vessel containing a man's head swimming in blood; the Grail has been kept in a castle by a beautiful damsel, seen floating through the air in Arthur's palace, and used as a talisman in the East to distinguish the chaste from the unchaste. In his classic exploration of the obscurities and contradictions in the major versions of this legend, Roger Sherman Loomis shows how the Grail, once a Celtic vessel of plenty, evolved into the Christian Grail with miraculous powers. Loomis bases his argument on historical examples involving the major motifs and characters in the legends, beginning with the Arthurian legend recounted in the 1180 French poem by Chrtien de Troyes. The principal texts fall into two classes: those that relate the adventures of the knights in King Arthur's time and those that account for the Grail's removal from the Holy Land to Britain. Written with verve and wit, Loomis's book builds suspense as he proceeds from one puzzle to the next in revealing the meaning behind the Grail and its legends.

Roger Sherman Loomis

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