The Lay of El CidThe exciting story of an 11th century Castilian warrior, Rodrigo Diaz, handed down to us now through an early 13th century manuscript.
El Cid is still the Spanish ideal of a knight and warrior. The story opens with his exile from Castile, but shows him still loyal to the king to exiled him, winning prestige and riches for him as he fights his way through Valencia. The story comes to a triumphant end for El Cid. Unlike most other epics, there is little of the fantastic or supernatural in this poem. It focuses instead on El Cid's wisdom as a ruler and warrior, and the virtues of chivalry under stressful situations. There are also many romances (or ballads) based on the poem that developed later. |
LinksCantar de mio Cid
A wonderful resource for this epic poem. Includes facsimiles, transcriptions and translations for the entire poem, as well as recordings of it in the original language and in English. Great graphics as well. The Lay of the Cid A simpler resource, but includes |