Gemstone of Paradise

The story of the Grail, usually identified as some kind of mystical vessel, has gripped the imgainations of millions since it first appeared in several medieval romances. Of these Wolfram von Eschenbach's Middle High German P arzival (c. 1200) is generally recognized as the most complex and beautiful. The entire story of Parzival, Murphy believes, was intended as an argument against continued efforts by Latin Christians to regain the Holy Land by force. Remarkably, Murphy believes he has discovered the very altar stone that inspired Wolfram's work, preserved to the present day in the Paradise Altar in the diocesan museum of the German city of Bamberg.