Thomas's language difficulties in Gascony were real enough. The aristocracy there, as in England, used French, but the common folk had a variety of local languages, chiefly Occitan, from which the modern Languedoc comes. Languedoc simply means the language of oc', because oc was the word for yes, and it is closely related to Catalan, the language spoken just across the Pyrenees in northern Spain. The French, conquering the territory to their south, tried to suppress the language, but it is still spoken and is now enjoying something of a revival.
As for the Grail? Long gone, I suspect. Some say it was the cup Christ used at the Last Supper, and others that it was the bowl used to catch his blood from the dolorous blow', the lance wound given to his side during the crucifixion. Whatever it was, it has never been found, though rumours persist and some say it is hidden in Scotland. It was, nevertheless, the most prized relic of medieval Christendom, perhaps because it was so mysterious, or else because, when the Arthurian tales received their final form, all the old Celtic tales of magic cauldrons became confused with the Grail. It has also been a golden thread through centuries of stories, and will go on being that, which is why it is probably best if it remains undiscovered.
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The Grail Quest 3 - Heretic tgq-3 Page 35
