There, one day, he read on the rim of the cup, that his wound was destined to be healed by a guileless fool, who would accidentally climb the mountain and, moved by sympathy, would inquire the cause of his suffering and thereby make it cease.
We have already mentioned the fact that Parzival was a great-grandson of Titurel; his mother, fearing he would die young, like his father, were he to become a knight, brought him up in seclusion, telling him nothing about knights, fighting, or the world.

Straying in the forest one day this youth encountered a couple of knights, whom he mistook for angels, owing to their bright array, and offered to worship.

The knights, however, refused his homage, and good-naturedly advised him to hasten to Arthur's court and learn to become a knight too.
Parzival now left his mother,--who died of grief,--went to court (meeting sundry adventures on the way), and there asked to be knighted.

He was told, however, he must first procure a horse and armor, whereupon he followed and slew an insolent knight who defied King Arthur.

But Parzival did not know how to remove the armor from his dead foe, until a passing knight obligingly showed him how it was done.
Parzival now spent a time of apprenticeship at court where he learned among other things, that a knight should never be unduly inquisitive, then went to the rescue of a persecuted and virtuous queen, whom he wooed and married.