Where is the Holy Grail?

There's no shortage of final resting places for this magical cup!
Will the real Holy Grail please stand up?
Glastonbury, England: The Chalice Well
According to legends circulating in southwestern England, Joseph of Arimathea collected blood from the crucifixion in a cup from the Last Supper, then brought the cup to Glastonbury Tor, also known as the Isle of Avalon. Did Joseph bury the Grail on the site of the Tor’s Chalice Well? Is that why the well’s water is tinted red?
Nanteos House, South Wales: The Nanteos Cup
When Henry VIII ordered all Catholic monasteries in Britain disbanded, a group of Glastonbury monks fled to South Wales. Did they take the Grail with them and later entrust it to a Welsh landowner? A wooden cup rested in Nanteos House for centuries, drawing pilgrims and miracle seekers. In 1952, it was sold at auction to a private collector. Where is it now? Presumably in an unknown bank vault.
Hawkstone Park, Shropshire, England: The Marian Chalice
One legend claims it was Mary Magdalene, not Joseph of Arimathea, who collected Christ’s blood in the Grail. The Marian Chalice was supposedly hidden in Jesus’s tomb until its discovery in the 4th century. Eventually, it turned up in England under the protection of the great knight Percival. After many moves, it was hidden in Hawkstone Park, Shropshire. An ancient white onyx cup was discovered there in 1934. Could it be “the” Holy Grail?
Chapel of Roslin, Lothian, Scotland: The Roslin Grail
This theory claims the Holy Grail was hidden in Jerusalem with the treasures of Solomon’s Temple. During a 13th century Crusade, the Knights Templar unearthed the cache. The Knights’ Grand Master later entrusted the Grail to his wife's uncle, Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney. In 1446, the Grail was hidden inside an ornate pillar in a chapel in Roslin Castle, Scotland. Is it there today?
Castle Aaaarrgghh, England: The Grail of the Taunting Frenchmen
The British comedy troupe Monty Python relates what is perhaps the most dubious Grail legend. In the 1975 movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” King Arthur and his knights conquer a killer rabbit and discover the last words of Joseph of Arimathea: “You may find the Holy Grail in Aaaarrgghh…” King Arthur braves the taunting French soldiers of Castle Aaaarrgghh, but ultimately, like so many other intrepid souls, he is unable to put his hands on the prize.
So which one the “real” Holy Grail? Perhaps it’s better we don’t know. The true magic of the Grail lies in its pursuit.
© Copyright 2017 by Joy Nash. All Rights Reserved.