Kreuzzug gegen den Gral

A great melancholy hangs over the history of Languedoc and Provence. In this region, there once thrived a people who did not sink into medieval escapism, but instead joyfully and carefree celebrated music, poetry, and courtly love. However, this people did not serve the Church, but rather a European myth - the Grail. Thus, they were swept up in crusades and drowned in a sea of blood and hatred. The vivacious Albigensians or Cathars were burned and annihilated if they refused to recant. Yet their heroism and culture were never completely erased from European consciousness; their traces can still be found in abundance by interested travelers today. These traces are not just stone ruins, but full of spiritual life - Otto Rahn pursued these and highlights them in his work. He vividly describes the myth of the Cathar fortress Montségur, the ancient tradition of the Holy Grail, and the uniqueness of the landscape and its people in moving words that almost compel the reader to experience this part of Europe for themselves. It is Otto Rahn's crusade against the Grail that takes us back to the roots of the tradition and ensured that the search for the Grail was resumed.