The
Lucasfilm Archives Photos
Lucasfilm Published 14 photos of the Grail Diary
in the book "The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives"
(See Sources) Here are high resolution scans of
all those photos, and beside them, a comment with
the text in those pages. Text in Brown
comes directly from the diary. Next to the set number
is the name that has been given to these pages.
The
Venice stained glass window: This is an important
page for the plot. We can see Henry copying it at
his 1912 house from a manuscript. At the left page
we see a drawing of a crusader in a stained glass
window. The text says in the upper corner: part
of stained glass window in venice 14th C.
It is probable that this note was added later as
Henry knew of the window in 1912 and started to
suspect about Venice in 1938. At the left of the
window it says a part of the
Franciscan friar's manuscript mentions the knight
of the Grail... possible link? opposite to
it, near the shield, note
the crosses on the shield and at the bottom,
with an arrow, words in latin.
note fig 7...marker?
In the next page we see some roman numerals, a stone
lion, a knight, and a detail of the shield. The
text near the 3 (III)
says Part of a decorative
scroll in a 14th Cent. Manuscript with a note beside
this particular number 3. Next to
the 7 (VII): in
another section of the same manuscript, this number
7 is marked and before the 10 (X):
in stone. Between the
X and the lion are the words 12th
Cen.?? and below the lion: upper
floor supported by stone lions above the
shield are the words On a
window in Venice This night appears with shield
quartered showing the Cross. Again
we have an anachronistic note. There is a possibility
that the whole room was depicted in the manuscript
Henry was copying from in 1912, and that this note
was also added later.
The
Venice Library: As Indy Said, X marks the spot!
This double page image shows the whole room in venice,
with the window and the X. I can't understand how
Indy had so much trouble in finding the third number!
The vertical text at the left seems to have been
copied and modified from Matthews: For
here we have all the elements of the Grail story.
The stained glass window is the final key to the
mistery The numerals must be the clue which we have
long searched for in vane. Below the first
set of columns is The
stained glass window that requires further research.
and pointing to the last stone lion, The
lions refered to by the Knights This
is quite a strange note, and although it is known
that the movie prop had absolutely no order, if
the pages were to be placed following a logical,
chronological order, this page will be probably
near the end of the diary, I even think Henry drew
this page at Venice, just before sending the diary
to Indy, perhaps to give him some clues on where
to find the catacombs. This would explain all the
notes in this page where Henry talks about "we"
and gives information on what to research.
Lycurgus
& Falling Rocks: The first
page contains some quotes from Matthews, pg 74&75:
The path of the Grail is inextricably
bound up with sacrifice: the blood of the victim
contained in the cup, wich becomes the means of
healing. Lycurgus, in a fit of madness, killed his
son Dryas, whom he mistook for a vine stock, and
his country became barren in mourning. It was only
when Lycurgus when lycurgus what? This paragraph
is from Matthews' book (Quest for the Eternal) the
book says: "It was only when Lycurgus himself
was brought to his death that the land flowered
again" Henry seems to have a very bad mind,
bad enough to leave a sentence incomplete and start
writting in the next paragraph about a different
thing, also from Matthews, pg. 75 "The
theme of sacrifice is shown (the book says
shadowed) by that of spiritual
attainment, whether through inbibing blood or the
sacred drink of Eleusis from the Kernos. Each of
its 8 cups contained one of the elements
of the divine draught. At the next page,
there is a drawing of a canyon and temple, and the
text above the drawing says: Drawing
I made before passing through the rock obstacle
at the far end of the valley. You can go ten or
eleven paces. There are some rocks
rolling down the cliff face. At the bottom, Henry
quotes Matthews' book (pg. 68) The
grail had many precursors and takes many forms before
it becomes identified with a chalice. Some
people suggest that this and all the following "rock
obstacles" pages are connected and that "He
might be measuring the breadth of the pass. As for
the picture... why would they need to breach the
wall of rock if a temple of some sort is standing
right there? Perhaps this is a concept of what he
expects to find on the other side of the rock obstacle."
(Indy Magnoli)
Set
4 (Map of the mountain road): In the left page,
Henry talks about the story of Taliesin, connected
to the Mystery religions. It is interesting to note
that the Computer Game Diary mentions Taliesin in
an entrie when Henry is in the middle of an excursion
in Wales. This page could be easily connected with
that on the Computer Game Diary as Henry, in the
opposite page mentions some kind of excursion and
again this "we" (In the Computer Game
Diary is Marcus Brody) The text in this page is:
top of left page, in diagonal: It
is possible to see behind the story of Taliesin
echoes of a mystery religion in which a sacred vessel
played an important part--- After that, in
normal, horizontal text: Perhaps
like the ritual depicted on the walls of the Villa
of the Mysteries at Pompeii (second century
AD) The words "second century AD" are
underlined 5 or 6 times. After that, where
the initiate was offered a cup prior to undergoing
tests wich, if succesfully completed, would impart
to him the tenets of the inner life.
And
then, the last paragraph says: Possibly
an alternative feast echoing that pertaken of by
the Grail Knigths. ie Kernos. All
this text is copied with some modifications from
Matthews' book, pg. 10. The opposite page
also supports Indiana Magnoli's theory that there
seems to have been some sort of excursion where
Henry, presumably along with some others (as he
always refers to "we"), maps out their progress.
In
this map of the mountain
road Henry and his team reach the stone
wall. In the middle of the page, between two arrows,
Henry notes that the Depth
of the rock here is almost unpassable and
at the bottom, wall of rock
that confronted us during our progress up the mountain
road beyond the first overnight stop. This
is also the page where Hitler signed the autograph
at the Berlin scene in the movie, although the signature
is not vissible in this photo, probably this prop
was not used in that scene.
Set
5 (1899 Dollar set): In the left page, copied
from Matthews' book, page 29, Henry is talking about
the earthly home of the Grail, the Grail Castle.
Following the chronological order that I have been
mentioned: what better place
than this spiritual no-man's-land, between this
world and the next, at a slight remove from reality
but still 'historically' attested to, for the earthly
home of the grail, sometimes called lapis exulis,
which has been interpreted as the wish for Paradise?
It is precisely here that Wolfram places it, by
inference if not in actuality, by making the eventual
guardian of the Grail Prestor John * said
to be 562 years old! The next page's text
is also taken from John Matthews' book, this time
from page 67, and it has been repeated several times
throughout the diary: The
grail is flooded with spiritual light and shines
out of those who seek it. The next paragraph
is from page 64 of the book: The
true and proper home of the Grail is Paradise, the
perfect realm of the spirit where the Priest King
John, its last guardian reigns benignly from
his castle within the garden of Earthly Delights.
The rest of the text is covered by a 1899 silver
dollar cerificate used to mark Indy's birthday,
but it can be easily reconstrcted to be One
of the meanings attributed to the words Lapsit exillas,
used by Wolfram Von Eschenbach to describe the Grail
is the "stone of exile" (from Paradise) and by extension
the "wish for paradise" . We have a photo
of this dollar in the inserts section. An interesting
note about this page, is that in the movie order,
this page comes just after the Takt-i-Taqdis
map set. This is a very funny coincidence because
the two pages could be easily connected. The takt-map
set is just a drawing of the Takt-i-Taqdis, and
the text in it is unknown, but however, it is surely
talking about the Takt. So, after Henry has talked
about the takt, he notes "what better place
than this [The Takt] spiritual no-man's-land..."
the text in Matthews does not talk about the Takt,
but of Prestor John's Kingdom. However, this text
would fit in the Takt background quite well.
Set
6 (Dead Sea map): The text in the left page
is the same as in set 3 (The story of Lycurgus)
In vertical text, "The path
of the grail is inextricably bound up with sacrifice.
The blood of the victim contained in the cup wich
becomes the means of healing" above the shield,
which has the cruciform sword in it, the story of
Lycurgus continues from "Lycurgus,
in a fit of madness killed his son Dryas when he
mistook" In the sword, the text reads: GOD
IS LOVE. Next to the shield, there is an
arrow pointing to it and the words Shield
from south trancept. Then, below the sword,
the text continues as in set 3:
The theme of sacrifice is
shown by that of spiritual attainment, whether through
imbibing blood or the sacred drink of Eluesis from
the Kernos. Each of its 8 cups contained
one of the elements of the divine draught.
The map in the next page is of the southern region
of Judah situated around the Dead Sea, located about
1300 feet below the Mediterranean Sea. The top of
this map would be pointed roughly NorthWest (in
other words, a compass rose would be pointing toward
the upper right corner if situated in the center
of the map). Several place names are given: Maderah,
Weljeib, Buseireh,
Jebal and a Roman
Road is situated in the eastern portions
of the map. A couple of the place names are illegible,
one of them running right into the binding of the
book. Again we have a quote in the Computer Game
Diary where Henry's traveling to the Holy Land is
mentioned. This page could be placed there if following
a logical order. Click here to go to the written
work page and read more about this.
Set
7 (The Three Trials): These are very important
pages for the plot, and probably this is the reason
why they are the best seen pages in the film. Heny
also gives importance to them, and he bookmarks
them with one of the two Los
Angeles Railyard Tickets contained in the diary.
They give the clues about the three trials that
protect the Grail. On the first page is written:
Tres numero erunt probationes
(the challenges will number three)
First, the breath of god - only the penitent man
will pass
Secunda, verbum Dei (second, the word of God) only
in the footsteps of God will he proceed...
The text continues the text on the next page. This
is one of the few pages in which the left page has
something to do with the right one. The text in
it is: Tertia, semita Dei
(Third, the path of God) Only in the leap from the
lion head will he prove his worth. Then,
there is the drawing of a cup and below it, the
words Poculum Lignarii (The
cup of a carpenter)
"It is interesting to note that two of the
three trials are written in Latin and English, but
the first trial is only in English. Breath in Latin
is usually written "anima", which is literally "soul".
So if the prop man had written "Anima Dei" it would
not have been translated "Breath of God" but as
"Soul of God", which doesn't give a good representation
of the booby trap." Indiana Magnoli
Set
8 (Obstacle & Cruciform Scrap): This is
another of the "rock obstacles" pages
in which Henry continues his trip, although some
of Henry's words seem to imply that this was the
start of his excursion. In the first page Henry
has drawn a topographical map of a valley with a
narrow pathway leading to some structure near the
center. At the top he notes: This
very quick sketch map was made by me during the
last days of the month. He points out near
the pathway: many obstacles
are apparent here and he gives his thoughts
at the end of the entry: I
suspect a lake or dam will protect the entrance
to the final pathway but this will only be evident
when the stone wall has been breached
On the next page, There is a sketch of a piece of
paper. At the top, This fragment
is kept with many papers and maps. In vertical
text, This sketch is the
same size. Next is the following paragraph:
I found this fragment in one
of the books and amongst the papers and maps in
the old trunk. I'm sure there is a connection with
my previous discoveries which could well be a key.
Then, there is a Note
I could say the design is repeated. What about the
base??? So Henry, In one of
his excursions, finds an old trunk in which there
are many papers and maps and where he finds a scrap
with the cruciform sword. It is interesting that,
as Henry sais, "the design is repeated",
and he wonders what happened with the base. Could
this be a clue left by someone that had seen the
Grail Tablet and wondered what happened with the
top? It seems more than a coincidence that the scrap
finishes more or less where the Grail Tablet also
finishes.
Set
9 (Grail Mass & Omphalos): The first of
these two pages contain a print of what looks like
a stained glass window, which is, as of yet, unidentified,
although it seems it is a depiction of Ecclessia,
a women symbolizing the Christian Church. For more
on this click here. The
text besides it comes from The Grail: Quest for
the Eternal, page 14: In the
Quest del Saint Graal at the moment when Galahad
enters Sarras with the Grail, the text refers to
the Mass of the Mother... a few other words
can be seen in the archives photo. By using the
original text the entry can be reconstructed: ...of
God being sung in the cathedral. Specifically to
"Mystery of the Grail." Possibility of a Marian
Grail cult at Glastonbury connot thus be ruled out.
The insert accompanying this page contains a light
pencil sketch of a land feature, similar to the
canyon on the "map with no names", and a half drawn
Brotherhood cross. To find out more about this insert,
please head to the Inserts
page.
The opposite page is copied directly from Matthews
(p31). The picture is a drawing done by L.I. Ringbom
in 1951, an anachorinistic image in this diary,
as the quest was completed in 1938. It seems that
the drawing was photocopied and enlarged, into the
book. The text is easily read as: The
Omphalos in Jerusalem. Representing the centre
of the Christian world as a vessel containing a
stone.
For a digital reconstruction of what this page may
look without the insert, go here.
Set
10 (Stag & Top of window): In the first
page, there is a drawing of a low relief stone sculpture
copied by hand from Matthews' book, pg. 65. The
text is also from that page. On the top-left corner,
Sketch made on site.
and on the right corner, Stone
Relief, Italy 9th 10th Cent. AD Near the
drawing of the stag is Inscription,
although there is not an inscription in the original
carving, and below it, are the words The
Grail is the Spring of life, the vessel containing
the promise of immortality. From it drinks the stag
- simbol of the soul's thirst for god. On
the next page, there is a sketch of a stained glass
picture of Christ which seems to belong from the
same Venice Stained Glass window. It belongs to
the top of the window, a part which is not very
well seen in the film. Above the drawing is written
14th Century Windows, the
same date given to other representations of the
window. Below is text from John Matthews'
book (p16): Christ redeemed
the sin of Adam; new light and life is contained
by the "Grail-as-Chalice" image
Set
11 (Knights of the quest): On these two pages
are drawn a few knights who quested for the Grail.
On the first page is a stained glass window (origin
unknown) of two knights with a sword between them.
In the upper corner is written: Window
detail detail from the Nave, suggesting that
this window was found in a church. A little lower
is written: the two Knights
appear opposite each other. Above the heads
of the knights are scrolls with writing that is
illegible in the diary. At that bottom of the window
is: Corpus Christi
(Body of Christ). Written at the bottom is
text from John Matthews' book (p29), modified to
fit with the drawing: Once
again we see the habit of following the Eastern
sources and rituals by placing the two knights in
a Christianized framework.
On the opposite page appears a typical medieval
representation of a knight. Above is a shield with
a cross circled and labeled Maltese
symbol, and beside the shield is noted the
Turkish Crescent. Below
the shield is more Matthews text (p7): Only
three succeed in finding the Grail. To which
is added: This is one of the
participants. The "three" refered to by Matthews
are Galahad, Perceval and Bors. Above the knight's
right shoulder is a note:
design of breast plates, besides a depiction
of some sort of rod is: Defender
of the Faith, and below this is: Probably
15th Century
Set
12 (Takt-i-Taqdis & Sainte Chapelle): These
pages contain some information on the architecture
of the Grail Temple. The first page shows the three
orders of Greco-Roman columns, Doric, Ionic and
Corinthian. On the left of the page is written:
The particular types of columns
invented by the Greeks and Romans together with
the lintels, caps and bases over them. Beside
the Corinthian columns is written: Drawn
by me at the temple of Takt-i-Taqdis; and
below them text from Matthews (p82) slightly changed
to: As long as it remained
on earth, the Grail required a home and because
of its spiritual nature that place was naturally
a temple. Below the columns is a lightly
drawn floor plan of a typical medieval church. This
is supposed to represent the legendary Dome of the
Grail and the historic Takt-i-Taqdis, both discussed
in Quest for the Eternal. The floor plan for Takt-i-Taqdis
is circular and looks nothing like what is depicted
here. In the bottom-left corner is: Note
Takt-i-Taqdis with its numerous arches laid out
in a particular order. And to the right is:
The Dome of the Grail ground
plan. The date given to the plan is 18th
C. probably from the elevation and ground
plan by Sulpice Boisseree in that century.
On the opposite page appears a drawing from a medieval
engraving of the Great Shrine used to house the
Crown of Thorns at the Sainte Chapelle in Paris.
Some of the background of this picture has a purple
tint to it. The text to the right of the sketch
is from Matthews (p67) For an original picture of
the engraving, head to the related
pics page: The Grail is
flooded with spiritual light and shines
out to those who seek it. However like
the treasure at the base of the rainbow, it remains
beyond mans grasp. The note reads: Decoration
of the top of this dwelling (not?) seen
(elsewhere?). Lower text is from page 65: The
Grail is the spring of life, the vessel containing
the promise of immortality. Symbol of the soul's
thirst for God. A Cornocopia, the horn of plenty
and of physical renewal. On the far left
of this page is a partial text from Matthews that
has been cropped in such a way to leave the reader
with a wonder about Henry's train of thought at
the time. The text, as it appears in the diary is:
In Greek myth the star represents
Uranus because he was castrated. So? The
text was taken from Matthews (p67) and should read:
In Greek myth, the star represents Uranus because
when he was castrated, drops of blood formed themselves
into stars and were dissipated into rivers and streams.
It seems henry had a very bad memory, as he has
left unfinished sentences throughout the diary.
Set
13 (Wilderness of the Wanderings): On this page
is shown the very bottom of the stained glass window,
although different Roman numberals are used: XVIII,
X and XXXII.
Above the XVIII is written The
number must have some reason of time or space
and below This is 18.
Next to the V: could easily
have a sing (singular or single?) particular
reference Below the XXXII is simply 32.
This page also shows Henry attempting to work out
the mystery of the Roman numerals; in the upper
right corner he adds 18, 5 and 32. After writing
55, he crosses it out.
The next page seems to be another of the "rock
obstacle" pages which talks about Henry's excursion.
There is a map, labeled This
Wilderness of the Wanderings, supposed to
be an old map found by Henry. He has copied it into
his diary as a reference: On
coming in from Alexandria. This old map may be of
help- topography could have altered. He points
out by a dotted line: This
could be an obstacle. Is this the rock wall?
A path is also shown leading past some steps into
a smaller pathway. Beside another dotted line Henry
writes: Route taken at the
last attempt. Could this mean that the map
had come in handy and this was the route the used
during this excursion?
Set
14 (Kinght with cup & Melchizadek): On the
left page, we see another knight, shown beside a
ciborium of some sort covered in low relief scenes.
In the upper left corner is text from Matthews (p13):
The only really significant
medieval texts to succeed Wolfram were the anonymous
Perlesvaus C1225 and in the upper right corner
continues more from the same page: In
particular there is the statement (mysterious) that
the Grail undergoes five (5) changes in shapes of
which only the fifth a chalice is named.
The text continues: Malory,
who is the last of the true medieval romancers wrote
what is probably the most famous Arthurian work;
but his concerns were very different from those
of his predecessors. Written to the left
of the knight is: Note: the
same style of chalice on the knights shield as the
one found in the temple by me.
On the next page, we see a picture from the window
in venice, this time of a woman holding a book,
although the text accompaining this drawing talks
about melchizadek, who was not a woman. At the base
of the drawing there is a number (VXI)
with no sense, as it means 5 before 11 which is
6 and could easily have been written as VI. This
is probably a mistake of the prop man. The text
is: Window Melchizadek foreshadows
Christ in his offering wine as the token of his
peoples blood. He, like the guardian of the Grail,
is a priest and a King. St. Paul says of him that
he is without father or mother or even genealogy
and had neither beginning of days nor end of life
(from Matthews' book, pg 69)
