Preface
Primary Chief Bard am I, and my country is the Region of the Summer Stars. I am old, I am young, I am Universal. There is no marvel in the Cosmos I cannot reveal, but I do not vouchsafe my secrets to cowards, fools, or the uninitiated. Whoever shall read these my books shall obtain the wisdom of the ages.
Here begins the most worshipful Graal, the secrets of which no man should tell in verse or prose to those who have not been initiated. For it has been written that to do so would bring grief unto all the World, for these are secrets no unenlightened man should know.
Therefore I make this sacred charge: if you who read this have been duly initiated into the Mysteries and have been entrusted with these sacred texts, you shall have sanctuary in Annwn. But if you are not of the Faith and would profane these works, then may the sky break and fall upon you, the earth open and swallow you, and may the sea rise and consume you. So charge I.
The Grail is the Cosmic Cauldron in which roll the waves of the Seas. It is the great Bowl of the Heavens, set with the jewels of the Stars. It is the silvery cup of the Moon, the golden platter of the Sun. It is the Eye of the Sacred Well, the Mist of the Holy Vale. It is the gemstone Heart of the Great Dragon. The Grail is everywhere and everywhen. It is the very embodiment of all that is Divine.
In the beginning was the Grail, and of the Grail, there was the Lord and the Lady. And together They created the Worlds, of the Grail and for the Grail.
Of the Grail, They first created the elements, Fire and Water, Earth and Air, and of these were all things created in harmony. In the heavens, there were placed the Stars, the Planets, the Sun, and the Moon. From the Seas rose the Lands, standing of their own strength and not lightly moved.
To the skies were added the clouds, so that they might furnish sudden showers to make the fruits of the trees and of the ground grow with their gentle sprinkling. With the help of the Sun, the clouds are filled like water skins by a hidden law. Rising through the upper air, they pour out the water they have taken up, driven by the force of the winds. From then come rainstorms, snow, and hail.
The Lord and the Lady created the Seas, with furnish us with many good things. They produce salt in abundance, and bear back and forth ships carrying out commerce. They make fertile the neighboring soil and nourish the fishes. These the Lord and Lady distinguished according to their species, and to different ones gave each a nature, whence through the ages they were to become admirable and healthful to the sick.
From the Seas, the Lord and Lady added many realms among the waves, which men now inhabit and which are renowned for the fertility which the Earth produces from its fruitful soil. Upon the Earth were placed all manner of beings, birds, and beasts. So too did the Lord and Lady create people, both man and woman, equally.
The Otherworld Annwn They created, where dwell the Lord and His Wild Hunt. The Lord is known by many names, but we call Him the Merlin of the Isles. This shadowy Otherworld is home to fallen great warriors, who daily hunt and play at war, and by night they carouse in great joy.
In Annwn was placed the Isle of Avalon, the home of the Lady and Her Sisterhood. The Lady is known by many names, but we know Her as the Lady of the Lake, or simply as Morgana. To the Sacred Isle of Apples we took the wounded Arthur after the Battle of Camlan. And Morgana received us with fitting honor, placing the King upon a silver bed, and with Her own hand She uncovered his wound and stared at it for a long time. At length She said that health could be restored to him if he stayed with Her a long time. It is said that Arthur reigns as a King in Annwn, recovering of his wounds and awaiting the time of his Return.
And there are many, many other worlds, for their number is infinite, as is the number of the names of the Gods.
For the Divine is Infinite, and to limit the Divine to a finite image is the gravest of sins -- do not do it.
When They saw the Worlds were set in motion, the Lord and Lady set about planting a beautiful Island in the Great Sea. Some say this place was called Atlantis, and that it sank into the Sea under the weight of its own greatness. But some say such an island never was, that it was merely a tale told by teachers to their students. If Atlantis ever was, it was surely lost to the Seas long ago, and no man may truly say what of that civilization survived.
But the Island of which I speak is said to be the foremost and the best, for it bears crops which throughout the year give noble gifts to all, and it has woods and glades with honey dripping in them, and lofty mountains and broad green fields, fountains and rivers, fishes, cattle, and wild beasts, fruit trees, gems, precious metals, and whatever Nature is in the habit of producing.
This was the Universe created of the Grail. Let us each gives thanks to the Lord and the Lady for all They have done, for all They are doing, and all They have yet to do.
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