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Bailey Maholm
Professor Bortoli
COMPSTD 3606
10 October 2017
The Religious Quest

The quest is a motif that has been presented throughout literature since the beginning of

time, and it truly began with the religious quest. Although religion has been so prevalent in texts

from the beginning of time, there are many differences in how the religious quest is approached,

due to the influences of culture. From the epic of Gilgamesh to Bram Stoker’s horror tale of

Dracula, religion can be identified, compared, and contrasted throughout the quest.

The quest motif was originally defined and studied by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with

a Thousand Faces. In chapter three of his work titled “The Hero and the God” Campbell begins

to explain the role of God within the quest. He explains that a large part of the quest revolves

around the powers of a world beyond the mortal one we inhabit. He says, “As we soon shall see,

whether presented in the vast, almost oceanic images of the Orient, in the vigorous narratives of

the Greeks, or the majestic legends of the Bible, the adventure of the hero normally follows the

pattern of the nuclear unit above described: a separation from the world, a penetration to some

source of power, and a life-enhancing return.” (33) This means the hero must leave his normal

life to experience an out-of-this-world force, and eventually return home as a better man.

Campbell goes on to summarize the role of the god in the quest when he says “The cosmogenic

cycle is presented with astonishing in the sacred writing of all continents and it gives to the

adventures of the hero a new and interesting turn; for now it appears that the perilous journey

was a labor not of attainment but of retainment, not discovery but rediscover. The godly powers
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sought and dangerously won are revealed to have been within the heart of the hero the whole

time. He is “the king’s son” who has come to know who he is and therewith has entered into the

exercise of his proper power-“God’s son”, who has learned to know how much that title means.

From this point of view the hero is symbolical of that divine creative and redemptive image

which is hidden within us all, only waiting to be known and rendered into life.” (36) Thanks to

Campbell we are able to unpack the stories of heroes and their quests, and see how religion plays

a significant role in their journeys.

One of the very first stories involving the quest is the epic of Gilgamesh. To understand

the story, and the purpose of his quest, it is important to have background on the ancient

Sumerian religion. The Sumerians were polytheistic, which means they worshiped more than one

god. They believed that their gods influenced every aspect of the world, and explained

everything from day to day life to life changing phenomenon. They believed the gods had a hand

in life and death, and blamed them for draught, famine, and other world catastrophes. The

Sumerians viewed the world as a dome that was surrounded by water. Beneath the dome was

earth, and below earth was the underworld, ruled by the goddess Ki. The Sumerians’ lives

revolved around their religion and their worship of the gods, therefore their stories also revolved

around religion.

Gilgamesh was born part human, and part god; he is described as being one-third human

and two-thirds divine. It says in the epic’s text “Gilgamesh’s body was formed of clay and

designed by the great mother goddess, Ninhursag, creator of humankind. He was born the son of

Lugalbanda and Ninsun the great cow goddess.” (Chapter 1) From the start we see that the

polytheistic view of the Sumerian culture was the main influence on literature and storytelling of

the time. References to the gods continue when Gilgamesh is taking advantage of the women he
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rules over, and is putting everyone else through back-breaking labor. The people he rules over

fall to their knees, begging the gods for deliverance. So, the gods intervene and send the “anti-

Gilgamesh”, Enkidu, to help change the heart of the demi-god. Thus begins Gilgamesh’s quest to

find himself. He goes through all the steps defined by Campbell starting with Departure, then

Initiation, and Return. This can be broken even farther down into The Call for Adventure

(Gilgamesh has dreams about the future and his mother Ninsun tells him the meanings of his

dreams), Refusal of the Call (Gilgamesh is afraid of the things Ninsun tells him and denies the

quest), Supernatural Aid (Enkidu and Gilgamesh receive help from the god Shamash to destroy

Humbaba), The Crossing of the First Threshold (Gilgamesh and Enkidu pass the leagues to the

Green Mountain), The Belly of the Whale (They begin their fight with Humbaba), The Road of

Trials (They succeed in killing Humbaba, and also the bull of the gods), Meeting with the

Goddess (The gods, infuriated by Gilgamesh destroying their bull, kill Enkidu, causing

Gilgamesh to become depressed), Temptation (During Gilgamesh’s search for immortality the

god Siduri tells him it is impossible and to cease his journey), Atonement with the Hero’s Father

(Gilgamesh asks Utnapishtum for eternal life), Peace before the Hero’s Return (Gilgamesh

accepts that he will never be immortal, and accepts that the journey was not about eternal life),

The Ultimate Boon (Gilgamesh goes to find the flower of immortality), Refusal of the Return

(Gilgamesh fails the test to stay awake for 7 days and nights, but wants to continue journeying),

The Magic Flight (Gilgamesh finds the flower of immortality), Rescue from Without (Gilgamesh

looses the flower and decided to return home), Return (Gilgmesh returns to his kingdom of Uruk

after realizing the gods will not grand him immortality), Master of Two Worlds (After his

journey, Gilgamesh realizes that he will never be immortal but must rule over his kingdom

justly), and Freedom to Live (Gilgamesh faces death after a peaceful rule over Uruk). Every step
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of Gilgamesh’s quest is influenced by the gods, and their control over his life. This illustrates the

fact that Sumerian culture was so greatly led by their devotion to religion, and the worship of the

gods.

Sumerian culture, although heavily influenced by religion, is not the only time in which

the idea of a supernatural power held weight over literature. During the medieval period, the

religion of Catholicism was a strong influence on culture. This meant that almost all writings

from the period were based on Catholic teaching, because the church regulated everything that

was published. In the year 1129 the Knights Templar Order received papal recognition, and from

there, many knights began their quests. In the religion of Catholicism, it is taught that Jesus

Christ drank out of a chalice during the last supper after turning the wine into his blood. The

knights believed the chalice, which they called The Holy Grail, to be hidden somewhere, and this

journey to find it became known as The Quest for the Holy Grail. The quest began with Sir

Galahad being knighted by King Arthur during a meeting of the round table, and the image of the

Holy Grail appearing above the table, signaling the king and his men to begin the quest for the

grail. Many romance tales were written around the story for the quest for the Holy Grail, but the

most well-known and beloved of all stories is Perceval- The Story of the Grail by Chrétien de

Troyes .

In the story of Perceval, the young and naïve boy leaves his mother and goes on a quest

to become a knight. He begins his quest as all heroes do according to Campbell’s model, and

departs from home in an attempt to obtain glory. Along the way however, Perceval discovers the

quest for the Holy Grail and ventures forth on his more clearly defined path for glory and

recognition. It ends up being Sir Galahad who find the Holy Grail, but this particular story ends

with Sir Gawain, abruptly ends without an obvious conclusion. Most stories of the medieval
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period end without a clear and defined ending, and most stories have either been lost or were

unfinished. The question we are faced with is- how does religion fit into the story of the quest

other than the fact that they are searching for the Holy Grail, a strong symbol of the Catholic

faith?

The most notable Christian influence on the story, is the knights and their dedication to

service of the Church. There was a standard for knights called The Code of Chivalry. The Code

of Chivalry was a set of rules and guidelines created during the Crusades, that helped knights

overcome the influence of the secular world. The code upheld several values that included:

Prowess, Justice, Loyalty, Defense, Courage, Humility, Dignity, Compassion, Generosity, and

Duty. These values were a way for knights to believe they were doing good for the church, even

though they were killing people, which is going against the ten commandments. Because of this,

knights came up with their own version of the ten commandments: (1) Thou shalt believe all that

the Church teaches and thou shalt observe all tis directions. (2) Thou shalt defend the Church. (3)

Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them. (4) Thou

shalt love the country in which thou wast born. (6) Thou shalt make war against the infidel

without cessation and without mercy. (7) Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if

they be not contrary to the laws of God. (8) Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy

pledged word. (9) Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone. (10) thou shalt be

everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil. These

commandments are based off the original Christian ten, with the influence of knighthood

bending the rules to suit their call to duty. We can see the effect of this code on Perceval and

Gawain’s quests. One of the pivotal moments of religious impact in the story of the Grail is when

Perceval is chastised for bearing arms on Good Friday, and after conversing with the Hermit who
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tells him that his mother has died due to grief from Perceval’s departure, he agrees to undergo

penance and take holy communion. This is a good example of the knight’s commandments 1, 3,

and 7.

We are also constantly inundated with the clout of God on the characters in the story

whenever they speak. For instance, when Perceval encounters the ragged maiden on the

famished palfrey, the interaction between the two of them is directed towards the heavens-

“’God, may You never be pleased that I live longer in this condition!’ she exclaimed. ‘Too long

have I been wretched, too much misfortune have I endured, and all without cause. God, since

You well know I have deserved none of this send me if You will someone to release me from

this pain, or else deliver me Yourself from the one who forces me into such a shameful life. I

find no mercy in him. I cannot escape him with my life, and yet he will not kill me. I don’t know

why he wants the companionship of a wretch like me unless he cherishes my disgrace and my

misfortune. If he was certain that I deserved it, even if I was not at all pleasing to him, he should

have mercy, for so dearly have I paid him. But certainly he has no love for me when he forces

me to drag after him in such a harsh life, and cares not.’ Then Perceval, who had reached her,

said to her: ‘God save you, fair lady.’” This exchange is just one minor example of how strong of

an influence God and religion have on their conversations. Almost every time the characters

speak to one another, God is mentioned. They almost always begin their sentences with “In

God’s name.” An example of this is when Sir Gawain sees a squire approaching, and as

unimpressed as he is, says “So help me the Lord God, sir, I do not know who the squire is, but I

would rather give you seven charges, if I had them here on my right, than his horse, whoever he

may be.” Even in a seemingly insignificant sentence, God holds weight over the conversation.
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The authority of God over the story of the Grail is significant, but how does it

differ from the authority of the gods in the story of Gilgamesh? The most glaring difference

between the two stories is that in the ancient Sumerian religion depicted in Gilgamesh, there are

multiple gods that have different purposes and powers, and in The Holy Grail the knights

practice Catholicism which has one God. Another major difference between the two stories is the

influence of morality on the characters. In Gilgamesh, the characters are driven by sex, power,

wealth in treasure, and glory for themselves. In Perceval however, we see the characters driven

by chivalry, brotherhood, wealth in religious artifacts, and glory for the kingdom of God. The

characters in Gilgamesh, although having more than one god, seem to be more selfishly focused

than the knights in Perceval. For example, Gilgamesh takes advantage of the women in the city,

and rules over them through constant sexual intercourse, which is considered evil and immoral.

However, Enkidu is made tame through the sexual encounter with the priestess Shamat. This

event is a good and sacred act in the ancient Sumerian culture, whereas in the case of Perceval

and Gawain any sexual acts would have been considered acts of sin, and any advances would be

pursued through courtly love, where there would never be any physically sexual encounters.

The themes of sexual tension and discourse have also been extremely prevalent

throughout literature, even in the context of the religious quest. One novel contrasts the Catholic

influences that are evident in Perceval, but still includes themes of Catholicism and sexuality-

this is the story of Dracula by Bram Stoker. As most people know, the historical context of

vampires involves many Catholic details. The number one reference to the Catholic faiths, is the

ways in which you kill or ward off a vampire. In the faith, many Catholics have a crucifix in

their homes as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice of death on the cross for the salvation of sinners.

In the novel Dracula we are introduced to the crucifix in the first few pages of the book, as a
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symbol that has the power to ward off evil. “’It is the eve of St. George’s Day. Do you not know

that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evils things in the world will have full

sway. Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?’, She then rose and dried

her eyes, and taking a crucifix from her neck offered it to me. I did not know what to do, for, as

an English Churchman, I have been taught to regard such things as in some measure idolatrous,

and yet it seemed so ungracious to reuse an old lady meaning so well and in such a state of mind.

She saw, I supposed, the doubt in my face, for she put the rosary round my neck, and said, ‘For

your mother’s sake”, and went out of the room. I am writing up this part of the diary whilst I am

waiting for the coach, which is, of course, late; and the crucifix is till round my neck.” (4)

Although there aren’t many more references to Catholicism in the story, it still holds power in

the vampire narrative.

What makes this book different from the first two in relation to the religious quest, is its

absence of religion. The story of Dracula is driven heavily by the influence of science in

comparison to the stereotypical religious quest. You could look at science and sexual prowess as

the “religion” depicted by Stoker. The quest is driven by blood and ambition rather than a need

to impress or be accepted by a higher power. We see Jonathan Harker and Dr. Van Helsing on a

quest to achieve knowledge in the search for truth about vampires and the disease that has taken

hold over the women in their lives- the weak characters of Lucy and Mina. These characters are

also heavily driven by the power of sex in their lives, just like the characters in Gilgamesh and

Perceval, but it is manifested in a very different way.

Although it has been noted that the readers in the Victorian era would not have inherently

picked up on the representation of sexuality in Dracula, we notice today that the power it has

over the novel is strong and apparent, and ultimately what contributed to the fear of those
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reading the novel. The most obvious display of sexual fear in the home of Dracula is his room

with the three vampire women. In chapter 3 of the novel, Jonathan Harker happens upon a room

where at first he thinks he is alone, but then he documents “In the moonlight opposite me were

three young women, ladies by their dress and manner. I thought at the time that I must be

dreaming when I saw them, they threw no shadow on the floor. They came close to me, and

looked at me for some time, and then whispered together. /There was something about them that

made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear. I felt in my heart a

wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is not good to note this

down, lest some day it should meet Mina's eyes and cause her pain, but it is the truth.” (31-32)

Immediately we are drawn towards the strong sexual power of these three women, which strikes

fear into the heart of Harker. This novel is glaringly different in its approach towards sexual

behavior than that of Gilgamesh or Perceval. In Gilgamesh, sexual acts are holy and reverent

and as a to achieve a connectedness with the gods. In Perceval, sexual acts are hardly even

mentioned, and when they are it is more of an allusion to the idea of sex, or the implications of

sin, than anything else. In Dracula it is dark, steamy, and has an almost thick feeling to it that

causes us to be afraid. “The girl went on her knees, and bent over me, simply gloating. There was

a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck

she actually licked her lips like an animal, till I could see in the moonlight the moisture shining

on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth. Lower and lower went

her head as the lips went below the range of my mouth and chin and seemed to fasten on my

throat. Then she paused, and I could hear the churning sound of her tongue as it licked her teeth

and lips, and I could feel the hot breath on my neck. Then the skin of my throat began to tingle as

one's flesh does when the hand that is to tickle it approaches nearer, nearer. I could feel the soft,
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shivering touch of the lips on the super sensitive skin of my throat, and the hard dents of two

sharp teeth, just touching and pausing there. I closed my eyes in languorous ecstasy and waited,

waited with beating heart.” (32) These actions strike fear into the heart of Harker, and the reader.

This is because the people of the Victorian era were deathly afraid of sex and the power it had

over people, and because of their strong roots in the Catholic or Christian faith, they believed sex

to be something inherently evil (like the characters in Perceval), which makes the slightly

ambiguous, yet terribly sensory words in Dracula, so terrifying. These themes continue

throughout the novel, and are visible into the quest for glory through finding out who and what

has made Lucy ill. These diseases can be linked to the sexual diseases, like syphilis, that scared

wits out of Victorians. The connection between disease and sex is one that many religions try

and blame on sin and destruction, which also influences the heavy fear associated with Dracula,

Gilgamesh, and even Perceval.

In conclusion, religion has played a significant role in the quest in literature throughout

the centuries. Even when the book is not based in a certain religious practice, aspects of a

religion or way of life are always going to be apparent in the hero’s quest. Stories like Gilgamesh

allow us to take a journey with a hero through a polytheistic belief system of gods and goddesses

and the illustrious power of the demigod hero and his relationship with religion. Stories like

Perceval and the Quest for the Holy Grail allow us to take a journey with a hero through a

monotheistic belief system of one holy and perfect God that influences every single step that the

hero takes, and is involved in his words and his actions. Stories like Dracula allow us to se how

the absence of religion can twist a hero into a villain-like character, and how we can take a

journey with multiple different heroes on their quests for glory. The impact of religion on the
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quest motif has been essential, and will continue to be an essential part of our understanding of

the hero throughout history, and into the future.