Nanteos Cup
The Nanteos Cup, photographed in 2016
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| Material | Hardwood (wych elm) |
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| Size | ⌀ 12 cm |
| Created | 14th–15th century |
| Discovered | c.1878 Strata Florida Abbey, Ceredigion, Wales 52°16′30″N 3°50′22″W / 52.275104°N 3.839376°W |
| Present location | National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth |
The Nanteos Cup (Welsh: Cwpan Nanteos) is a medieval wood mazer bowl, held for many years at Nanteos Mansion, Rhydyfelin, near Aberystwyth in Wales.
Since at least the late 19th century, it has been attributed with a supernatural ability to heal those who drink from it and traditionally believed to be fashioned from a piece of the True Cross. By the early 20th century, it had become a candidate – one of at least 200 in Europe – for the Holy Grail. Juliette Wood, a folklorist specialising in medieval folklore and Celtic mythology, has stated that there is "no credible reference" to the cup prior to the end of the 19th century and "no mention of possible connections to the Grail until 1905."
In 1977, the cup was displayed at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, as part of the "Aberystwyth 1277–1977" celebrations marking the 700th anniversary of the granting of the town's charter by Edward I. Specialists from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales used the opportunity to examine the cup and concluded that it dated from the Late Middle Ages and was carved from wych elm. In July 2014, it was reported that the cup had been stolen from a house in Weston under Penyard while the occupant to whom it had been loaned was in hospital. It was recovered in June 2015. Following the recovery of the Cup, the owners placed it in the care of the National Library of Wales, where it went on permanent public display in June 2016
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Wikipedia