Titurel

Titurel is, also according to the Titurel fragment preserved by Wolfram von Eschenbach, the progenitor of the guardians of the Grail, but already at the beginning of the narrative he hands over the rule of the Grail to his son Frimutel and then does not appear again. Wolfram's fragments tell the love story of Sigune and Schionatulander in stanza form, the tragic end of which can then be found in Wolfram's Parzival. The "Younger Titurel", written around 1270 by Albrecht von Scharfenberg, with over 6300 seven-line stanzas ("Titurelstrophe"), brings an extensive expansion of the theme and already links it to the Lohengrin saga and Prester John, the legendary Christian patriarch, presbyter, and king. Albrecht wrote the epic in Wolfram's mask and only reveals himself as "Albrecht" in the 5883rd stanza.

According to Rudolf Steiner, Titurel was a high initiate and also inspired the legend of Floris and Blancheflour, which is significant for the Rosicrucian initiation. The spiritual disciples initiated by Titurel were all called "Parzival" in a certain sense.

„The saga of the Holy Grail says that the bowl with the collected blood of Golgotha is brought to Europe by Angels. Titurel receives this bowl. He receives it floating above the European lands, and only after centuries did Titurel descend with it from spiritual heights to earth and found the mystery site of the Holy Grail on the Mountain of Salvation (Montsalvat). He could only do this after some people were ripe to receive the secret of the Grail. Anyone who was ready for this initiation was called a Parzival.

Charlemagne, who came from the Orient - he was the re-embodiment of a high Indian adept - was an instrument of the spiritual individuality symbolised by the name Titurel. Floris and Blancheflur, called Rose and Lily, are called Charlemagne's parents in spiritual relation. They stood acting above this mystery.

A "Parzival" had purified his soul of all earthly desires and self-seeking by long meditations and concentrations. He was a Cathar and as such came to King Titurel. By exerting all the powers he had acquired through the long exercises, he succeeded in bringing out his higher self. He stood face to face with himself.“ (Lit.:GA 266a, p. 506f)

„Titurel, it was said, had brought him down from the clouds, where the angels held him suspended - while Arabism and purely external factual narratives prevailed -, Titurel had brought him down, the Holy Grail, to the terrestrial sphere. But the materialistic age did not begin to ask for it. Lonely people, isolated people, people in "dullness", not exactly in wisdom, like Parzival, were the ones who set out on paths to the Holy Grail, but they basically did not understand how to ask the appropriate question either. And the spiritual path of materialism, which began in the first third of the 14th century, was preceded by the other path of materialism, which was basically already turning towards the East, towards the physical Jerusalem. And this tragedy was experienced by modern humanity, which had to and still has to go through this tragedy in order to grasp itself inwardly in this tragedy and become a real questioner. Modern humanity has had to experience this tragedy, that the light which once came to it from the East was not recognised as spiritual light, that the spiritual light was pushed back and instead the physical land, the physical materiality of the Orient was sought. The physical Orient began to be sought in the Middle Ages, after the spiritual Orient had been put aside at the end of antiquity.

This is the European situation, and our present situation is still in this European situation. For we are still, if we understand the true innermost call of humanity, seekers after the Holy Grail, and should be, seekers after the Holy Grail.“ (Lit.:GA 204, p. 90)

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: Perspektiven der Menschheitsentwickelung, GA 204 (1979), ISBN 3-7274-2040-5 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Aus den Inhalten der esoterischen Stunden, Band I: 1904 – 1909, GA 266/1 (1995), ISBN 3-7274-2661-6 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated. Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com. Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English. Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA) Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.