The History of the Holy Grail was added to the Vulgate Cycle after the events described in The Quest of the Holy Grail were already an established part of the Arthurian story. It relates the story of the Grail from its first appearance at the Crucifixion up to the point where it is placed by Alain, the Fisher King, in the castle of Corbenic. Many points in the narrative are designed to foreshadow or to explain the later adventures connected with the Grail.
