Citation: S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies, V5 N1 (2026)
Abstract This essay argues that there is a discernible use of Grail imagery in Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke (1997)—the Quest, the Grail Hero, the Wounded King, the Grail Question, and the Marriage with the Land—that enhances the narrative. To this traditional narrative, I suggest, is added the motif of the Heroine’s Journey as outlined by Maureen Murdock and other feminist scholars. The Grail legend is one of the many mythic and legendary sources of Myazaki’s syncretic imagination as manifested in the film, testifying to the broad influence of the Grail Legend in world culture. The addition of the heroine’s journey attests to its emergence as a cultural template that deserves further investigation.
Keywords Princess Mononoke, Hayao Miyazaki, Anime, Holy Grail, Sacred Marriage, Heroine’s Journey