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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The myth of the Holy Grail as a Medieval ideology, May 22, 2001
This review is from: The Mystery of the Grail: Initiation and Magic in the Quest for the Spirit (Paperback)
Baron Julius Evola is an Italian philosopher of the first half of this century. He claims to belong to the Tradition, a kind of intuitive Initiation, as opposed to the rationalist, scientific approach of the contemporay world. His other major works include Revolt against the modern world and The Hermetic tradition. Evola's main idea is the promotion of the Medieval "Ghibelline" ideology, which is developed in this book (the original title is "the Mystery of the Grail and the Ghibelline Imperial idea"). Both the Ghibelline ideology and the history of the Grail are, according to Evola, based on ancient pagan North-European or Indo-Iranian myths (including the Hero-Warrior and the King of the World), which he opposes to the Semitic, "Guelf" ideology, which is represented by Christianity. Although Evola claimed not to support the contemporary fascist movement, it is difficult not to recognize some fascist themes in his theories (admittedly, some of those themes were very widespread in the later 19th century and early 20th). In any case, his exposition of the myth of the Holy Grail in Medieval literature, and of its links with ancient myths and Medieval ideologies is very enlightening, even if you can disagree with some of his conclusions. The last part of the book discusses the Ghibelline heritage through the Templar Knights, the Rosicrucians and the Free-Masons. Evola shows how the latter have lost the traditional hermetic spirit of their origins after the French Revolution when they adopted modern positivism and materialism.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another masterpiece by Evola, May 16, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Mystery of the Grail: Initiation and Magic in the Quest for the Spirit (Paperback)
It is a curious phenomenon of the Twentieth Century that first-rate, independent thinkers should emerge from obscurity only at its end. Many are the Evola titles which have only recently been translated and published for the first time in the English-speaking world. In "The Mystery of the Grail : Initiation and Magic in the Quest for the Spirit" Evola explains in his signature virile, scholarly, succinct, and yet accessible prose that the Holy Grail is far more than what we have been imparted by its Christianized versions. A remarkable book which throws open the doors of imagination, and restores the dignity and sacredness of the warrior.
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6 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More flash than substance, January 21, 2002
This review is from: The Mystery of the Grail: Initiation and Magic in the Quest for the Spirit (Paperback)
According to the forward, this work was originally an appendix to the first edition of Evola's masterpiece, Revolt Against the Modern World. Perhaps that explains the curiously disjointed nature of this book. Despite Evola's obvious erudition, I repeatedly found myself wondering what his point was. This book will be of value to advanced students of the grail legend. Beyond that, I would not recommend it to someone seeking an introduction to the subject.
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