"The Ancient Staff of Wisdom" is partly inspired by the legends of the "Holy Grail", the Knights Templar and other quasi-historic people and events of antiquity. The quest for the Holy Grail is most often associated with King Arthur and was satirized quite effectively by the comedy team Monty Python, but the basic legend has taken many different forms over the centuries.
Some historians have traced the origin of the legend to the Orient, while others point to the similarities between the Grail stories and Celtic myth. Somewhere along the line the Grail became associated with Jesus Christ and is frequently thought to be a cup from the last supper and/or a container which Joseph of Arimathea used to catch the blood of Jesus while He was on the cross. More recent theories imply that the Grail was not a physical object, but a great secret that needed to be carefully guarded. Whatever the slant of the Grail legend one thing is fairly constant…the power of the Grail.
It is interesting to note how many different cultures of the world have some kind of myth or legend pertaining to a special relic or artifact which seems to have the power of fertility and the ability to protect the land from invaders. In most of the stories someone has been entrusted with the care of the artifact and has either failed in their charge or is so secretive about its hiding place that others seek to retrieve it.
Occasionally the artifact is a token of a god or spirit, sometimes (particularly in Templar legend) it's a severed head or head statute. The "Shroud of Turin" has also been linked to this type of legend.
"The Ancient Staff of Wisdom" is a pure fabrication. I am not aware of any legend associated with such an item. The story is not intended to be a celebration of pagan ritual or a direct reference to any particular religious artifact. Since I often try to write musicals with very "universal" themes, I thought that concept of a "lost relic" would be a good jumping off point. From there, my story takes quite a few twists and turns and incorporates little bits and pieces of detail that are vaguely reminiscent of numerous medieval legends, secret societies and chivalric orders. However, I must emphasize that it is not an attempt to represent any specific group, personage or theory.
Because there are obvious religious overtones in the work the musical is bound to be a bit controversial. Because my attitude towards some of the characters and situations in the story is on the cynical side, it may even offend some people who try to "read" too much into it. All I ask is that people bear in mind that the story is set in a fictional land in an indeterminate time period. Perhaps it even takes place on another planet!
These are some of the themes that I have tried to explore in this musical: 1) What happens to someone who has dedicated their life to a single-minded pursuit which is suddenly rendered useless? 2) What happens when an object of "faith" suddenly appears in a tangible form? 3) How much do the "ends justify the means?" and 4) Is love a completely intangible concept or an "acquired taste?"
There are many more levels of thought and theory at work in the piece, but at no time did I set out to "prove" anything or draw any specific conclusions. It's definitely a work designed to raise more questions than it answers and definitely sets this work apart from my other "quasi-medieval" musical "Crusade" which is much more of a morality play. However, like "Crusade", it takes a "fairytale" approach to the surface story which I hope will be entertaining in its own right. For those who wish to dig a little deeper and search for a more "esoteric" meaning I trust that this musical will provide fertile ground for their endeavors but I wanted to publicly state that there is no intentionally "subversive" message implied.