Two great narrative themes, which link the sacred and the secular, have been passed down to us from the Dark Ages. These are the stories of the heroic, godlike Arthur and a mystic object of quest, the Holy Grail. In this book, noed Arthurian specialist John Matthews has created an easily understood survey of the origins and merging of these epic themes and stories. It is a richly woven tapestry of myth and legend, and of love and desire - both sacred amd profame. It covers city and temple, knights and monks, and ranges far and wide, from Camelot to Carbonek. In gathering together the strands that make up the stories, the author has examined many of the hundred or so extant texts. He has selected from these - some still untranslated and obscure - to show how the two great themes changed and developed down the centuries as they became inextricably joined. With a wealth of illustration and specially created colour plate, this book provides a fascinating survey as well as including five of the traditional stories, with a full summary of all sources and an extensive bibliography...