Chalice (cup)
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A chalice (from Latin 'calix', cup) is a goblet intended to hold drink. In general religious terms, it is a goblet intended for drinking some beverage during a ceremony.
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[edit] Religious use
[edit] Christian
In Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Lutheranism and some other Christian denominatons, a chalice is a wine cup used during the Eucharist, also called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion. Chalices are often made of precious metal, and they are sometimes richly jewelled. They have been used since ancient times. In Roman Catholicism, priests will often receive chalices from members of their families when first ordained.
The Holy Grail is sometimes thought to have been a chalice.
[edit] Unitarian Universalism
The symbol of Unitarian Universalism is a flaming chalice.[1]
[edit] Wiccan
As a feminine principle, a chalice is often used in combination with the Athame, as male principle, evoking the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity. This is a symbol of the Great Rite in Wiccan rituals.
[edit] Poisoned Chalice
The term "poisoned chalice" is applied to a thing or situation which appears to be good when it is received or experienced by someone, but then becomes or is found to be bad.
[edit] Chalices in Fiction
The novel, The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, suggests that a chalice is in fact a word for a woman. It says that the word chalice represents the womb of a woman. It should also be noted that The Da Vinci Code is not itself a scholarly work.
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