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In Arthurian legends, the Fisher King, also known as the Wounded King or Maimed King, is the last in a long line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. Versions of the original story vary widely, but he is always wounded in the legs or groin and incapable of standing. All he is able to do is fish in a small boat on the river near his castle, Corbenic, and wait for some noble who might be able to heal him by asking a certain question. In later versions knights travel from many lands to try to heal the Fisher King, but only the chosen can accomplish the feat. This is Percival alone in the earlier stories; in later versions, he is joined by Galahad and Bors. Versions of the original story vary widely, but he is always wounded in the legs or groin and incapable of standing. All he is able to do is fish in a small boat on the river near his castle, Corbenic, and wait for some noble who might be able to heal him by asking a certain question. In later versions knights travel from many lands to try to heal the Fisher King, but only the chosen can accomplish the feat. This is Percival alone in the earlier stories; in later versions, he is joined by Galahad and Bors.

Further reading[]

  • Bran the Blessed in Arthurian Romance by Helaine Newstead pub. Columbia University Press 1939.
  • The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol by Roger Sherman Loomis ISBN 0-691-02075-2
  • Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends by Ronan Coghlan
  • From Ritual to Romance by Jessie Weston (available online at From Ritual To Romance Index)
  • King Eahlstan the Fisher (Character in "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" by Tad Williams)
  • Lanval, The Lais of Marie de France, translators Glynn S. Burgess and Keith Busby, Penguin Books, 1999.
  • He by Robert A. Johnson (psychotherapist) ISBN 978-0060551780
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