Corbenic

by Brian Edward Rise

In the Vulgate Cycle, the mysterious, magical castle where the Fisher King keeps the Grail. It is here that Galahad rejoins the broken sword in the Queste del Saint Graal. In Malory, Lancelot and Bors travel to Corbenic but the Grail is not fully revealed to them.

The name may be derived from cor benoit or "blessed body," a reference to the transubstantiation of the body of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus' body from the cross and is said to have borne the Grail to Britain. This miraculous body is also said to inhabit the Grail.

❧