Parzival's Spiritual Otherness

Previously I argued that Gahmuret appeared to be the ‘ideal hero’ or knight for a number of reasons page twenty establishes; he exhibits humility, does not give into boasting in order to reaffirm or validate his honor, is ‘free of loose desires,’ and is dictated by his ‘inmost’ desire to serve god. Yet, this last virtue others him within the story, and simultaneously, appears to elevate him spiritually above the others. Gahmurets associations with the ermine and the color green reinforce his transformation into a demi god, or better said, a ‘spiritual other.’ Page 62 establishes how Parzival can be seen as figuratively embodying his father, as well as inheriting this particular element, this spiritual elevation. In the second section of “Parzival,” there are many instances where we see Parzival coming into his own identity, that of a knight, and this godly quality he’s inherited from his father seems to evolve as well; it appears to be boundless at times, and threatens to push Parzival into the realm of the ‘monstrous.’

The presence of God is repeatedly invoked in this section, and I think purposely whenever Parzival is present, for his actions, like his father’s, seem to illustrate a need to serve god or a godly-force. If we are to compare the Parzival on page 110 who exhibits ‘restraint,’ with the Parzival that on page 77 ‘forced Jeschute’s mouth in his and crushed her breast to his,’ we discover a dramatic shift in the character. Parzival does not consummate his marriage to the Queen of Belrepeire until the third night. Prior to this, the queen had slipped into his room, and I thought it was curious how Parzival page 106 woken up by her ‘weeping,’ tells her she should be ‘kneeling’ to God. Before this, Parzival’s conception of God seemed uncertain or not yet solidified, for he equated God with the Knights. Page 106 clearly establishes his knew conception of God, and I think the restraint he exhibits isn’t only because he doesn’t want to taint the love he shares for Liaze (Condwiramurs), but because he does not want to stray off the ‘Christian path.’ The Queen soon disappears from the story, and Parzival’s fight to protect her kingdom is driven by his love for Liaze. Thus, one could argue that like his father who left Belacane, Parzival leaves the Queen of Belrepeire, in order to stay on the ‘right path,’ and stay true to his love; this love, in it’s constancy or fidelity, I think is suppose to reflect a kind of ‘Godly love,’ a love that’s has both a feminine and masculine principle. Do tell me if I’m reading too much into these elements though!

Chapter 5 seems to push Parzival into the realm of a ‘spiritual other,’ rather than a demi-god. Parzival is othered when he enters Wildenberg, an unknown country where ‘the merry sounds of dance or bohort’ have never been heard, and yet he seems to have been led there by some divine force; at the same time, he’s instilled with a divine purpose he’s unaware of, and has ‘chanced upon the gral.’ I believe he’s ‘spiritually othered,’ when Sigune states: ‘If an end has been put to his (Anfortas) agony, happy you for your Heaven-blest journey.’ ‘Heaven blest journey,’ seems to establish Parzival’s chance meeting with the Gral to be dictated or led by some Godly force. Yet, this is the only element that makes Parzival a spiritual other. On page 122, before joining Anfortas, ‘the host,’ and in response to ‘a man deft in speech,’ Parzival, “clenched his fist so hard that the blood shot through his nails and sleeve.’ Whether or not Parzival superhuman or supernatural strength come from a ‘God’ or perhaps his ‘fairy blood,’ can be debated, but I do think that both seem to be working here in order to distinguish Parzival from all of the other characters in the book, including his father, who never, if my memory serves me, never exhibited this kind of strength. In addition to this, on page 140 Parzival exhibits this super-human strength once again when he ‘gives Orilus such a hug that a rain of blood spurted through his visor.’ If Parzival can be seen as inheriting this kind of ‘spiritual elevation’ or ‘spiritual otherness' from his father, it does seem to be playing out at these particular points of the story.

One must keep in mind that Parzival is still coming into his own, and Gahmuret’s advice on abstaining from ‘questioning,’ seems to be reinforce this. I think Parzival hasn’t learned how to harness this kind of spirit or power he has, hence why this reaction and superhuman strength could be mistook for ‘monstrousness.’ Nonetheless, a monstrous quality can be found physically in Parzival for his reaction seems to consist of ‘rage,’ which we’ve seen as an intrinsic quality in the other monsters we’ve encountered in this class. Also, Parzival here still remains mortal, for he does bleed, but there’s a strange tension between his strength and mortality; his super-power doesn’t threaten his mortality, and this might hint to how he’s transformed into a spiritual other. Parzival’s spiritual inheritance, as well as how his beauty is equated with ‘God,’ reinforces this. In addition to these elements that strengthen this last argument, Parzival seems to be the only character that’s actually capable of saving Anfortas and the only one, outside of Wildenberg, that comes in contact with and can obtain the Gral. Yet he fails! But this is due to the fact that he’s still developing, emotionally, morally, spiritually, and even physically. The promise of redeeming himself is readily felt when the sorceress appears, and when he learns ‘shame.’ In light of all of this, Parzival does seem to be dictated by a godly force, and at this point of the story, he does not seem conscious of his desire to serve god. Yet, Parzival’s ‘fleeing and pursuing’ could be said to be a ‘heaven blest journey,’ or a ‘spiritual journey,’ leading him towards a godly love (Liaze) that contains a fine balance between a feminine and masculine principle, light and dark, heaven and hell, the polarities Wolfram is constantly invoking throughout the story; it is also a journey that’s leading and equipping him with the tools (spiritual and material) he’ll need to obtain the gral. Moreover, the goose, I think is also symbolic of this spiritual journey, for it is a bird of ‘heaven.' Parzival falls into a trance after seeing the goose's ‘three red tears’ that invoke the image of Condwiramurs (love), and suffers from a knight’s blows. These blows are necessary, and in enduring them Parzival experiences the ‘suffering’ that’s essential to 'repenting' for having wronged Jeschute. I think he grows spiritually after this; he becomes yet again a spiritual other as a result not only because he's the only one that suffers in this particular way, but because this 'suffering' speaks to a divine purpose.

Page 160 seems to solidify the fact that Parzival is a spiritual-other when it states, “But for a lack of wings Parzival bore the marks of an angel that had blossomed out on this earth.” Simultaneously he seems to have fallen from grace (lack of wings), and yet, appears as a spiritual entity equated with the heavens. Here, Parzival is illustrated as a ‘spiritual other,’ that walks the earth, and it will be interesting to see how he fully embodies this ‘spiritual otherness’ as the story continues; it will also be interesting to witness just how his spiritual inheritance plays out.