The Quest for the Holy Grail

The Sanct Grael first appears in an epic romance featuring the Arthurian Knight Perceval by French poet Chrétien de Troyes from 1190. A century or so later, French poet Robert de Boron transformed the vessel into the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, in which Joseph collected his blood from the crucifixion. The mythology evolved up to the 15th century, when Le Morte d’ Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory solidified the tale, anointing Sir Galahad as the most pure and holy knight who achieves the quest. The grail continue to be a source of wonder, inspiration and reinvention, with modern cultural contributions as varied as The Da Vinci Code and Indiana Jones. To start the new year with an auspicious offering, I endeavored to choose wisely.

Three years ago on the blog, I began the new year with a legendary adventure, Excalibur by English artist Philip Black, which I considered one of the most exciting puzzles of that year. I also tried to create a blog post using ChatGPT, and the results were amusing, if underwhelming. This year afforded the opportunity to start out with another legendary adventure, which is in fact the sequel to Excalibur and continues the beloved Arthurian tale of the Knights of the Round Table. I suspect that Chat could have done an impressive job at it by now, so out of sheer fear of being made redundant I didn’t toy with it this time!

Philip’s Quest was something he had in mind after making Excalibur, a way to continue the adventure and push the ideas he developed with that piece even further. The result is an amazingly dynamic and immersive experience that is hard to describe well without giving away too many surprises. But I shall do my best! Philip is truly a master of 3D printing, and spares no detail in developing his ideas into exactly what he envisions. Holy Grail is a lengthy journey, in the spirit of the myth, and will lead you on a path that winds in and out of, and around, the many secret quests this book contains, ere you find what you are seeking. The heart of the puzzle is the mystical book, a phenomenal piece of engineering that defies all expectations. Any brave but skeptical knight who may not be enticed to embark on the quest based on the striking outward appearance of the book, which is locked securely in an imposing cage, won’t be able to resist once the book is opened. Of course, said knight will need to unlock the secrets of the cage first, no easy task in its own right. The cage has a very unusual way of revealing certain hints to its solution, as it selects those truly worthy of the honor to join King Arthur again in search of the grail …

Philip kindly shared some of the story behind his newest adventure. The description reveals a bit about a surprise that happens once you get further into the puzzle experience (but not how to solve anything), so if you prefer not to know, skip to the next paragraph. “I was sitting idly playing with an infinity fidget cube, the kind that keeps folding in on itself, perpetually turning inside out in a loop, and I thought it would be really cool if it didn't have to be a cube, if some other shape could work. And the first move of the cube is a bit like opening a book, so I thought maybe I could make a book that you could turn inside out perpetually. So I made a little infinity book! But a book has to have a story inside, so I thought it would be interesting to follow on from the Excalibur journey and have the book be a journey of discovery for King Arthur searching for the Holy Grail.”

The details on this 3D printed work of art are exquisite. Philip spent a lot of time perfecting each element. “I started work in June 2022 and over three years went through 301 versions of the book. The whole puzzle is made from 3D printed parts, about 360 individual pieces which takes about 130 hours to print. Then it takes a couple of days to assemble. There are tens of tiny magnets and springs incorporated into the puzzle. I worked really hard to make the book look as authentically like a book as possible. So the covers look like old worked leather, with gold inlay writing and the spine is curved and it all looks and feels like a proper old tome from an ancient library. It took me ages to mix the right combination of filament colours and layers to produce the leather look of the covers. Making the curved spine look so authentic, be printable and still function as a lock in itself was particularly tricky. I thought that such a valuable book should be protected in some way, so the idea of enclosing it in a locked cage made sense and the main spiked lock on the front of the cage came to me in a dream.”

If you have seen the Excalibur puzzle or a solution video, you will know about the clever mechanism Philip created to immerse you into the storyline and experience. You become King Arthur, and literally guide him through the obstacles, challenges and secrets hidden within the landscape of the puzzle. It’s undeniably fun and heightens the overall emotional connection that develops as you conquer each step. He revisits the concept in the Holy Grail. “Once I'd decided on the [central] book concept and the journey for the figure to follow I was committed to making individual puzzles to solve on the journey in each of the eight sections of the book. There's such limited space in each section that the mechanisms became incredibly intricate and small - very difficult to engineer into the limited space available.”

Philip is an equally good puzzle designer, and the many mysteries that await will test your mind and mettle, your powers of observation, deduction and creativity, and provide you your just reward. There may even be a secret ending, for the truly pious and persistent. One quest on the journey is particularly challenging, requiring precision and dexterity, and although there is a subtle method to the madness, it might help to pray - the challenge is set in a cathedral, after all. Philip never said the quest would be easy! “Patience is everything; and good eyesight, and good tools. I certainly learnt going forward from making Excalibur that good design and precise, well engineered solutions have a massive impact on the effort needed to construct the box and on the quality and feel of the end product for the user.” I had the great pleasure to embark on the adventure along with many friends last year at the international puzzle party, which made the amazing experience even more memorable. We may well see another themed “journey based puzzle, perhaps for King Arthur or another ancient character” from Philip some day, and in the meantime if you get the chance to take the Quest for the Grail this year, let valor and chivalry guide your path.

Holy Grail cocktail — Holy Grail by Eddie Boyd

I’ll raise my humble chalice in honor of the knightly quest with a toast for good fortune in this new year of 2026 AD. I searched the land high and low, although perhaps not as extensively or for as long as the exhausted noble knights of the grail quest. Many false cups were found in the tangled info web, as there does not appear to be any one definitive grail cocktail, but rather, so many. Yet one glowing goblet stood out in the darkness, beckoning to me.

Holy Grail cocktail recipe — not your average holy water

Against all odds, I chose a tropical, tiki style elixir unusual for its choice of base spirit. The drink, found on Kindred Cocktails, and attributed to Eddie Boyd, is based on Amaro Montenegro, one of the more approachable and popular Italian amaros. Montenegro is mildly bitter and full of sweet citrus and vanilla flavors which blend well with the pineapple and lime juice. A small portion of mezcal adds weight and balance, and a delightful touch of smokiness. A hint of orgeat firmly establishes this as a tiki drink. I can’t quite picture the Knights of the Round Table tipping one of these back in a tankard, but had they, they certainly would have imagined they had tasted of the divine. Here’s to a new year full of pleasant adventures. Cheers!

The Quest for the Holy Grail puzzle by Philip Black and The Holy Grail cocktail — Holy’s Hit!

The Holy Grail by Eddie Boyd

1 ½ oz Amaro Montenegro

½ oz mezcal

¾ oz pineapple

½ oz lime

¼ oz orgeat

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Recommended garnish is pineapple wedge and fronds.

explore more:

World Cup

The Quest for the Holy Grail

Starstruck