Parzival comes across a lady and, misinterpreting his mother’s advice, he steals her ring, a kiss, and the clasp on her garment. This advice haunts him throughout the romance, because Parzival is both naïve and literal. His mother gives him advice before he leaves: only cross the river in places where the water is clear, greet everyone politely, listen to the advice of wise men without anger, and if you woo a maiden and she gives you her ring and a kiss, you will be strong and bold. They tell him about the glory of King Arthur’s court, and Parzival resolves to go. Not knowing what they are, he thinks they are gods. One day, the boy sees three knights in a clearing. Queen Herzeleide raises Parzival in the wilderness to keep him ignorant of knighthood. He wins the love of Queen Herzeleide, marries her, and is murdered in Alexandria before Parzival is born. Gamuret gets tired of the quiet life and abandons his family to return to Seville. He has a son named Feirefis by her, a boy whose skin is mottled black-and-white, denoting his parents’ interracial marriage. The knight ventures to the Middle East, where he saves the Moorish Queen Belakane, marries her, and becomes king.

|a Perceval |c (Legendary character) |0 |v Legends.

|a A retelling of the Arthurian legend in which Parzival, unaware of his noble birth, comes of age through his quest for the Holy Grail. |a 'From the thirteenth-century epic poem by Wolfram von Eschenbach. |a Parzival : |b the quest of the Grail Knight / |c retold by Katherine Paterson.

Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach