The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch was a weapon in Brother Maynard's keeping. According to the Book of Armaments, chapter two, verses nine through twenty-one, it was consecrated by Saint Attila.
The scriptural account read by Brother Maynard's Brother (played by Michael Palin) in the Book of Armaments:
"And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, 'O Lord, bless this thy hand grenade, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits.' And the Lord did grin. And the people did feast upon the lambs, and sloths, and carp, and anchovies, and orangutans, and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats...
(At this point, Brother Maynard's Brother is interrupted by Maynard himself, who tells him "Skip a bit, Brother." Maynard's Brother continues.)
"And the Lord spake, saying, ''First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.'
"
King Arthur had the Holy Hand Grenade brought out during the battle against the Rabbit of Caerbannog.
The likeness of the hand grenade is a parody of the Globus Cruciger, a Christian symbol of authority often used in the regalia of monarchs. For example, the Sovereign's Orb, a component of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, is a Globus Cruciger and served as the model and inspiration for the Holy Hand Grenade.