First so used (1951) by Alan Freed, Cleveland disc jockey,

taken from the song "My Baby Rocks Me with a Steady Roll". The use of

rock, roll, rock and roll, etc., with reference to sexual intercourse, is

traditional in blues, a form of popular music that evolved in the 1950's

from rhythm and blues, characterized by the use of electric guitars,

 a strong rhythm with an accent on the offbeat, and youth-oriented lyrics.

The Knights Templar

In July 1099, the city of Jerusalem was attacked and stormed; the entire population murdered in a holocaust that lasted three days. 70,000 people died at the hands of the slaughterous heathens and the Knights Templar came into existence after this massAcre.

Originally known as the Order of Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon, they were a group of pious soldiers (many of whom were French) who decided to protect pilgrims on the dangerous roads between Jaffa (the place at which they landed in Palestine) and Jerusalem. This volunteer police force actually turned out to be comprised of noblemen like Hughes de Payens and Godefroi de Saint-Omer, men who wished to live a life of chastity. In return for providing protection to pilgrims, the church would offer them the remission of their sins.

There are many myths surrounding the Knights Templar, particularly relating to the Temple of Solomon and the Holy Grail. They did indeed inhabit the temple at one time, when King Baldwin offered them temporary residence, but beyond this is there much truth in the stories that surround them? Was there a Templar treasure, as so many authors claim? How did they manage to become the world's most wealthiest and powerful organisation and what caused their downfall?

Wolfram von Eschenback wrote a poem called Parzifal which related the tale of the Holy Grail and of the Knights Templar. At the time, in 1220, the Templars were still around and were probably a famous group of men and Eschenback was trying to tell us that they guarded the precious object. Indeed, if they had guarded pilgrims travelling to the Holy City, why shouldn't they take it upon themselves to look after the grail as well.

By 1314 the Templars had transformed themselves into a body of men who were loathed by the church and certainly not admired for their heroic actions. On 18 March, Jacques Molay, the last Grand Master of the Order, Godffroi de Charney, the head of the Order in Normandy, and a third man were burned to death in Paris. It was claimed that they were devil worshippers - a rumour which seems to be untrue and which was almost certainly created to accentuate the charges of heresey brought against them. The simple facts were that they owned large tracts of valuable land which other people wanted to get their hands on! The Pope dissolved their order and warned that anyone thinking of joining would be excommunicated and charged as a heretic.

The "Rubant Document" claims that the Templars were very advanced for their time, thanks to secret knowledge they had obtained from books. Somehow, the Knights had managed to find a sort of "complete and absolute knowledge", a secret wisdom that was only known to the initiated. Raoul de Presle, a lawyer from the time, said that there was a strict secret held within the Order, the nature of which was so sensational that men would prefer to have their heads chopped off rather than divulge it! What on earth was this secret? Jacques de Molay had told the Inquisition just before his death that he would like to tell them "certain things" but they weren't authorised to hear them. Did this involve the secret doctrine of the Templars, something that might threaten the very foundations of normal Christianity, or did it merely involve the guarding of an object?
 
 

 

The Holy Grail

Nobody knows whether the grail still exits or whether it existed at the time of the Knights Templar? According to the legend, it was the cup used by Christ at the last supper, and subsequently given to Joseph of Arimathea after the crucifixion. According to some stories, Joseph then sailed to England where he created a christian church at Glastonbury, while others believe that he arrived somewhere in South-western Europe and travelled no further.

When Joseph arrived in Europe he organised the building of a temple on Muntsalvach, the mountain of salvation, where the holy vessel would be kept and protected. the grail Knights took part in a sAcred festival which also involved the grail Keeper or King. If you prefer to believe the Glastonbury version, then the grail was housed in the church and used as a chalice at a special mass held there called the "Mass of the grail". In both versions it becomes apparent that the Grail was a revered object, a great relic that needed to be housed properly.

So where is the grail today? Did it really exist or is it just a legend? If the latter were true it surely must be the finest example of creative imagination ever. A cup, used by Christ, guarded by mysterious Knights and possessing powers of healing and eternal life. The same cup that has captured the imagination of generations of treasure seekers for hundreds of years. Personally, I think that there's no smoke without fire here.

The main links between the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail are the facts that some knights did attend the cup and that the Templars are supposed to have guarded a great treasure which has never been found. I believe that the Knights were actually descended from the Merovingian kings of France (who lived in the area around Rennes-le-Chateau). They were enigmatic, long-haired characters who all shared the same birthmark - a red cross on their shoulder - which also appears on the white tunics of the Templars. Rumours of hidden "treasure" surround them and the Languedoc region of France which is home to several possible sites for the Mountain of Salvation. The Templars were not just restricted to France. By the fourteenth century there were Orders in other European countries. In Scotland, Robert Bruce was fighting the English crown and, having no real forces of his own, he communicated that all Templars would be welcome to join him. When the Scots fought the English at Bannockburn they comprised an army of foot soldiers who were armed with inneffective pikes and bowmen. The battle raged all day and the scots appeared to be losing when suddenly, a "fresh force" of soldiers appeared, causing the English to panic and run. Was this fresh force a group of Templar Knights who would have been an impressive sight on the battlefield and enough to scare the English? Did the same group link up with the Sinclair family of Rosslyn Chapel before fleeing to North America with their "treasure" which they had already protected from the Pope. A map featuring Nova Scotia (New Scotland!) from the fifteenth century shows a crowned knight standing on the land. Could that be a Templar Knight? And of course we shouldn't forget that Nova Scotia is home to a unique mystery of its own - the Money Pit at Oak Island - where an unknown treasure remains hidden.