Underlying Myths in the WastelandThe underlying myths that Eliot uses to provide a framework for "The Wasteland" are those of the Fisher King and the quest for the Grail. These two myths come to Christian civilization through the ancient Gaelic tradition. Neither is found in the Bible, but both were important enough to Europeans that it was necessary to incorporate them into the new European mythology, and so the stories became focused on history of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Other examples of these myths can be found in Eschenbach's Parsifal, de Troyes' Grail Quest, and the various Grail Quest stories surrounding King Arthur and his knights. It is also described in works of anthropology, two of which Eliot recommends to readers: From Ritual to Romance by Jessie L. Weston and Golden Bough by Sir James Frazier. In the Fisher King stories, a traveler arrives in a barren land and discovers a wounded king whose injury has rendered the land barren. In some cases, the injuries inflicted on the king were sexual in nature. Because these ancient people believed that the king and the earth were one and reflected on each other, it was necessary to heal the king to heal the earth. The traveler must then undertake a quest (which fits the archetypal hero's journey model) to heal the wounded king and, through him, the land. In the Grail legends, which are frequently linked to the Fisher King legends, a seeker searches across the land for the Holy Grail, undergoing tests of purity, character, and dedication to the quest along the way. The nature of the Grail differs from one story to another: it is sometimes considered as a cup which collected the blood of Christ when he was pierced by a spear while hanging on the cross (which may be derived from Celtic legends describing the Grail). as a cauldron of rebirth which allowed resurrection to warriors killed in battle but did not allow them to speak of the experience of rebirth - a model into which the story of Lazarus roughly fits), and it is sometimes thought that it is a stone (in Eschenbach's Parsifal, the Grail is described as a precious stone struck from the crown of Lucifer when he was ejected from the sky).