Grail Metaphors
It seems obviously more appropriate, though, to interpret the
The
sword is therefore a symbol or representative, so to speak, of its owner, and
since the knight has the task of coming to terms with the outer world and
overcoming it, the sword can be compared with certain functions of the
ego
personality to whom this task belongs. TGL 79
Only
after he has realized through direct contemplation those unconscious contents
symbolized by the Grail can Perceval restore the sword to wholeness again.
TGL 81
The
(glass) bridge could therefore be conceived of as a human construction that
causes the
transcendent function to become a consciously realized and continually
helpful attitude which takes that function into lasting consideration and makes
a practical use of it. This is also indicated in the
priesthood of the pontifex. TGL 279
The
mountain is almost a parallel to the Hill of Calvary and symbolizes the anguish
of becoming conscious.
Tying the horse to the pillar accords with a painful binding and
restriction of the animal soul, which is subjugated and bound to the centre,
the Self.
In so far as the horse represents the instinct that carries
consciousness, it means that
instinct, by being
bound to the pillar, is concentrated on
the individuation process and robbed of its free roaming motion.
The pillar was set up by
Merlin; therefore his
figure and that of his daughter acquire an ever more profound significance; they
seem to personify the
principium
individuationis par excellence. TGL 285