Crusade Against the Grail - Rennes-le-Chateau Research and ...

THE GRAIL
The empire of love is open,
The fable starts to unfold.
NOVALIS
THE INVISIBLE Amor-Eros extended his protecting hand over the world of the
Occitan Minne. He was no longer the winged boy depicted in antiquity; now he
appeared as an adult male. Troubadour Peire Vidal believed that he met him in
flesh and blood as he headed one day from Castlenaudary to Muret and the court
of Raimundo V of Toulouse:
It was in the springtime, when the bushes begin to take on color, flowers
bloom on the fields, and the birds trill jubilantly. An elegant and strong knight
approached on horseback. Blond hair fell on his bronzed face, and his clear
eyes glistened. The smile of his mouth revealed mother-of-pearl teeth. The
shoe on one of his feet was adorned with sapphires and emeralds; the other
foot was bare.
The knight's cape was covered with violets and roses, and he wore a
crown of marigolds on his head. Half of his horse was as black as night, and
the other half, white like ivory. The forepart of the horse was jasper, and the
stirrups were of agate. On the harness shone two diamonds, as beautiful and
precious as any possessed by the Persian king Darius. On the bridle, a stone
shone as splendor-ous as the sun. . . .
Alongside the knight rode a lady a thousand times more
43