The Damsel of the Sanct Grael
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Oil on canvas, 1874
Who is DINDRAINE?
In Arthurian legend, Dindraine is Perceval’s sister and the only female with the title of “quester of the Grail”. She received a vision of the Grail before it initially arrived in Camelot, when its possession became an overriding objective of the Round Table fellowship.
Little is known of her early life, but near the final days of the Grail quest, she joined her brother Percevel, along with Galahad and Bors, on the journey aboard the Ship of Solomon to the enchanted Isle of Sarras. According to Thomas Malory in his great book Le Morte d’Arthur, Sarras was where they would find the Holy Grail.
Dindraine, however, died on the journey from trying to heal a leprous woman they met along the way with her own blood. Her body was set adrift in a small boat, as was the tradition, and the three knights continued on without her. To their surprise, when they arrived on Sarras, the boat containing her body was already there. They then buried her on this sacred land. Dindraine’s sacrifice, similar to that the of wounded Fisher King, explains her hallowed role in the quest for the Holy Grail.
Dindraine holds a unique place in the Grail Legends. Throughout the many stories it is typical for the female characters to appear at the side of roads, in forest clearings, or in old castles that travelling knights come across in their travels. They are the lovers, wives, mothers, and grandmothers of the male questers, and their role is to wait for their men to return. These women tend to fall into four categories: maidens, mothers, crones, and goddesses.
Dindraine stands apart, as she was an actual Grail quester in her own right. She didn’t wait, she instigated. She was responsible for gathering the three knights: her brother Perceval, Galahad, and Bors, together, leading them to the ship and directing them to the Holy Grail. On the ship, they found the “Sword of Strange Hangings” which was meant for Galahad to wield, but they discovered that the scabbard couldn’t hold the sword’s weight. When Dindraine saw this, she cut off her hair and used it to fashion a new girdle with threads of gold and silk. She was the one who figured out how to solve the problem and continue on the quest. She was the catalyst. She was highly regarded by the knights, who were indebted to her for her profound wisdom, knowledge, and dedication.
When I considered what my website would be named, Dindraine called to me as one who would help me steer the ship, find the clues, overcome the obstacles, and inspire me to remain committed to the quest.
How Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Percival were Fed with the Sanc Grael;
But Sir Percival's Sister Died by the Way
Oil on Canvas
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1864