Parzival

Raised in sheltered ignorance by a mother determined to keep him from a knight's dangerous life, Parzival nonetheless leaves for King Arthur's court, where he's judged too raw and untutored to be knighted. Taken in hand by the old knight Gurnemanz, he learns chivalry's forms — including the counsel to never ask too many questions — before rescuing and marrying the besieged Queen Condwiramurs.

Parzival's path brings him to the castle of the wounded Fisher King, where he witnesses the mysterious Grail procession but, remembering Gurnemanz's advice too well, fails to ask the healing question that would end the King's suffering. Cursed for his failure, Parzival wanders in disgrace until a hermit teaches him true understanding, and he returns at last to the Grail castle — this time asking the right question, and earning his place as its keeper. Wolfram von Eschenbach's 13th-century epic is a foundational work of Arthurian Grail literature.