Much of Parzival revolves around the quest for the Grail. Though the Holy Grail has a prominent place in modern culture and literature, the Grail of Parzival is markedly different. In Parzival, the Grail is not a cup. The Grail is a magical stone that was entrusted to humanity by an order of angels who refused to take sides during Lucifer’s rebellion against God. The origins of the Grail imbue the stone with a symbolic form of transcendence: The Grail comes from a world beyond the scope of human comprehension.

This symbolic power is demonstrated in the way the Grail traps Anfortas. As part of a lineage of Grail Lords, Anfortas has failed to act in a moral manner. Despite the warnings, he fought in the name of women and, as a result, he was punished. Anfortas is mortally wounded and spends his life in immense pain, waiting for a knight to ask him a specific question to relieve him of his duties. His life becomes as transcendent as the Grail, demonstrating how the stone has the power to defeat death and punish transgression simultaneously.

This symbolic association between the spiritual world of the Grail and the religious world of man is emphasized during the Grail ceremony.