NIGHTBRINGER | The Arthurian Encyclopedia

Fisher King’s Table


Like other tables of the age, it was in pieces, reassembled before each meal. The top was a single broad length of ivory. The trestles were chony, proof against rot or fire. When set up, the table was spread with a cloth spread whiter than any the Pope himself ever ate off.

Since the Fisher King (who is not, in Chrétien’s version, the one served by the Grail) and his guest Percivale dined on peppered venison, good wine, fruits, spices, and electuaries set before them on this table. I venture to guess that Chrétien describes it and the formality of assembling it merely as an example of the Fisher King’s wealth and courtliness, rather than as a thing imbued with mystical properties of its own.


See also
Fisher King’s Candlesticks | The Legend of King Arthur
Fisher King’s Carving Dish | The Legend of King Arthur