They appear in texts like the Vulgate Cycle, Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval, and Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, symbolizing spiritual and cosmic powers. These hallows parallel the Celtic treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann
“The five changes are as follows: spear, cup, stone, dish, child. The spear is that which pierced the side of Christ; the dish is that upon which the head of John the Baptist is carried; the stone is the lapis exilis or philosopher’s stone mentioned by Wolfram, and which to the alchemists was the symbol of divine alteration; and the child is the divine other, the living sacrifice who changes itself into the forms of bread and wine. The cup is the vessel of offering from which all who truly seek may drink and partake of the higher mystery. Five is a significant number, and in the symbolism of the Grail it is reflected in the rosary (five decades of beads for each mystery), the five wounds of Christ, and the five great knights and what they represent—Perceval (youth), Gawain (manhood), Bors (maturity), Lancelot (worldliness), and Galahad (spirituality). ”
- Arthurian Magic, John Matthews, Virginia Chandler
“There are five specific “houses” or castles in the Arthurian world: the Castle of Marvels, the Castle of Adventure, the Castle of Camelot, Lancelot’s Castle of Joyous Garde, and the Castle of Corbenic. In each of these rests one of the hallows, the symbolic references of the Grail. One scenario in which some of this may be worked out is as follows: -Arthurian Magic, John Matthews, Virginia Chandler
“In the Castle of Marvels the holy dish dispenses wider and deepening awareness, which preludes the first mystery—that of the spear, which must be sought in the castle at the heart of the Lands Adventurous. At Camelot lies the stone, from which the sword of the spirit is drawn. At Joyous Garde, the home of Lancelot, the feminine cup of love, human and divine, is kept hidden in a secret place beneath the altar in the chapel. At Corbenic, the fruit of the marriage of spear and cup, the child, Galahad himself as Christ, manifest in the womb of the virgin vessel, awaits the coming of the acts of the Grail”
- Arthurian Magic, John Matthews, Virginia Chandler
Castle - Hallow
- Marvels - Dish
- Adventure - Spear
- Camelot - Stone
- Joyous Garde - Cup
- Corbenic - Child
The Four Hallows and Their Roles:
- Cup (The Holy Grail):
- Description: The Grail, often a cup or chalice, is the central relic, identified as the vessel used by Jesus at the Last Supper or to collect his blood at the Crucifixion.
- Role: In the Grail Quest (Queste del Saint Graal), it appears at Camelot during Pentecost, sparking the knights’ quest. Only the purest (Galahad, Percival, Bors) achieve its vision in Sarras.
- Significance: Represents divine grace, spiritual nourishment, and gnosis. In Celtic roots, it echoes the Cauldron of Dagda, a vessel of abundance and rebirth.
- Spear (The Bleeding Lance):
- Description: The Spear of Longinus, which pierced Christ’s side, often depicted as bleeding in the Grail Castle.
- Role: In Chrétien’s Perceval, it appears alongside the Grail, linked to the Dolorous Stroke that wounds the Fisher King, causing the Wasteland. Its healing is tied to the Grail’s success.
- Significance: Symbolizes sacrifice, suffering, and redemption; in Celtic tradition, it recalls the Spear of Lugh, a weapon of divine power.
- Stone (The Stone of Destiny or Sword in the Stone):
- Description: Often the stone from which Arthur pulls the sword to prove his kingship, or a sacred stone in the Grail Castle.
- Role: In Geoffrey of Monmouth and Malory, the Sword in the Stone establishes Arthur’s legitimacy. In some Grail texts, a stone holds the Grail or other relics.
- Significance: Represents sovereignty, divine right, and stability; echoes the Celtic Lia Fáil, the coronation stone of Irish kings.
- Sword (Excalibur or the Broken Sword):
- Description: Excalibur, given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake, or the Broken Sword in the Grail Castle, which must be mended.
- Role: Excalibur signifies Arthur’s power and divine favor. In Perceval, the Broken Sword symbolizes the Fisher King’s wound, repaired only by a worthy knight.
- Significance: Embodies justice, spiritual strength, and transformation; aligns with the Celtic Sword of Nuada, a symbol of victory.
Significance in Arthurian and Grail Mythos:
- Celtic Origins: The Four Hallows derive from the treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann (Cauldron, Spear, Stone, Sword), symbolizing abundance, power, sovereignty, and victory, adapted into Christian relics in Arthurian tales.
- Grail Quest Connection: The Hallows appear in the Grail Castle, testing knights’ worthiness. The Cup (Grail) and Spear are central to the quest’s spiritual climax, while the Stone and Sword frame Arthur’s reign and the quest’s trials.
- Esoteric Meaning: The Hallows represent the four elements (Cup: water, Spear: fire, Stone: earth, Sword: air) and stages of spiritual transformation—purification (Cup), sacrifice (Spear), grounding (Stone), and mastery (Sword). They guide the seeker toward divine union.
- Christian Symbolism: The Cup and Spear tie directly to Christ’s Passion, with the Grail as the vessel of his blood and the Spear as the instrument of his sacrifice, infusing the Celtic treasures with Christian redemption themes.
“This work culminated in a large-scale ritual in 1987 intended to bring about the Restoration of the Courts of Joy, the deeply magical place in which the four hallows of the Grail myth—Cup, Spear, Stone, and Sword—were set once more at power points in the body of Logres, there to work actively for the healing of the land and those who dwell upon it.”
- From “Arthurian Magic”, by John Matthews, Caitlin Matthews, Virginia Chandler, and Gareth Knight