Percivale

Also known as: Sir Percivale / The Pure · Family: Arthur's court · Role: knight · First appears: Lancelot and Elaine 8

At Arthur’s court, Percivale is a knight of fealty, counted among those stamped with the King’s image. He is linked with Ambrosius, who both loves and honours him as a friend and calls him brother. In The Holy Grail 1, Percivale abandons knightly life for prayer, fasting, praise, and alms, “leaving for the cowl / The helmet in an abbey far away”; not long after entering monastic life, he dies.

In The Holy Grail 2, Percivale swears with Galahad, Bors, Lancelot, Gawain, and other knights to seek the Holy Grail for a year and a day. With Galahad, he defeats many knights in the farewell tourney at Camelot before leaving through the Gate of the Three Queens to pursue the quest, despite Arthur’s warning that many may never return.

During the quest, Percivale is left alone and thirsty when visions of refuge, a welcoming woman, a house, and a dead babe collapse into dust. At a chapel, Galahad appears in silver armour and joins him in prayer, then tells him that he has seen the Holy Grail and must depart to be crowned king in the spiritual city; Percivale witnesses Galahad carry the Holy Vessel toward that city and recognizes the Grail. He later returns to Arthur’s wars, where a princess gives herself and all her wealth to him, but he flees after one night to preserve his vow. At the city he tells Ambrosius what he has seen and resolves to enter the quiet life, while Arthur declares, “Blessed are Bors, Lancelot and Percivale, / For these have seen according to their sight.”