The Rudolf Steiner Archive

84. Parzival and Lohengrin

[ 1 ] Last Monday at the Gewerbehaus, Dr. Rud[olf] Steiner of Berlin spoke about Parzival and Lohengrin before a large audience at the invitation of the local Theos[ophical] Society (Adyar). The speaker made it clear that the powerful effect Richard Wagner’s works have on a large portion of humanity stems not only from the musical impressions they evoke, but also from the sense that they represent the deepest problems of the life of the soul.

[ 2 ] Wagner had a big heart that never found rest until it had plunged into the depths of human nature. He did not like to work with arbitrarily invented material; rather, he sought images for the highest tasks of existence in ancient legends, which he knew moved and penetrated the human heart. Exploring the myths of the Middle Ages, he found in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival a character who vividly depicts the struggle of the human soul. Only a deeper exploration of the human condition can fathom the meaning of the Grail legend, which—in an interpretation linked to the Bible—tells how Joseph of Arimathea caught the heart’s blood of the Crucified One in the Last Supper chalice and carried it to the West, where the chalice—now called the Holy Grail—was guarded by a band of knights loyal to a king. The chalice possessed the power to grant eight days of blissful life to anyone who gazed upon it with a pure heart; every year on Good Friday, the relic was renewed with power by a dove that floated down. In another version, the legend says, during the battle between the good and evil princes, the cup was snatched from the hands of angels and demons and brought to Titurel, who founded an order to protect the relic, the leadership of which later passed to Parzival. Raised by his mother in the utmost seclusion from the world, yet driven out by his inherited knightly blood, he arrived after many wanderings at King Arthur’s court, where he was instructed in all the knightly virtues; in particular, however, his teacher Gurnemanz forbade him from asking too many questions. Behind this lies the restriction of intellectual freedom by boundaries once established by his ancestors (dogmas, creeds, tradition). As he continues his journey (development), adherence to this teaching proves to be his undoing, for in the Grail Castle—where it is customary to ask about everything—he causes offense and is expelled. Following Kundry’s accusations and believing in good faith that he had acted [in accordance with] his teachers’ instructions, he loses hope in justice and loses faith in a divine being. He is healed of his deepest world-weariness by the hermit, with whom he enters into the relationship of a mystical disciple to a mystical teacher. Only from a theosophical standpoint can one understand Wolfram von Eschenbach here—from the standpoint of spiritual research, the basic principles of which have been popularized by the Theosophical Society for several decades. The speaker cited Helen Keller as an example, who, though deaf, mute, and blind, attained a clarity and discernment regarding the conditions of her environment that could put anyone with normal senses to shame, and who provided proof that it is possible to attain knowledge of higher worlds. The Knights of the Grail were disciples who spread the teaching of purely spiritual love. It is only from love of blood or kinship that universal love for humanity develops, and with it, true Christianity will develop. That which in human beings is to open itself to the Divine is the Holy Grail, the vessel of the blood that must flow and be shed so that blood-based love may be overcome and universal love may awaken. In 1857, on Good Friday, as Wagner gazed upon the burgeoning nature, it became clear to him what had taken place in humanity through Christ Jesus. He understood the symbolism of Good Friday. – The piercing of the heart with the lance symbolizes the outpouring of blood. Parzival means “right through” (the heart). The Court of Arthur has bound humanity in chains; the Court of the Grail sought to create a compassionate, empathetic human being who asks and seeks out the needs of each individual. Klingsor’s enchanted castle embodies the old era, comparable to black magic—black because it seeks to preserve itself out of season. In Lohengrin, the Grail ideal of the aspiring individual is conveyed in the midst of the Middle Ages. Elsa of Brabant, too, seeks to break free from the old ways. Here lies the hint of a distant future, where love between human beings will reign, independent of all blood ties. The Chalice of the Holy Grail is the symbol of the future, new, perfected humanity. – The speaker received rich applause for his captivating remarks.