3 - The Old Counselors in the Roncesvals Matière and the Spanish Epic

Summary

Turpins de Reins en est levet del rene,

e dist al rei: “Laisez ester voz Francs.

En cest pais avez ester set anz:

mult unt oüd e peines e ahans.”

(Chanson de Roland, ed. Riquer, ll. 264–7)

Then from their ranks arose Turpin of Rheims;

He tells the King: “Leave your French lords at ease;

Full sev’n long years in this land have you been,

Much have they suffered of perils and fatigue.”

(The Song of Roland, trans. Sayers, p. 61)

E duró esta guerra entre aquellos hermanos bien siete anos en vida aun de su padre el rey don Ferrando …

(The Division of the Kingdoms by Fernando I. “Crónica de veinte reyes (Ms. N),” fol. 88r)

And this war among those brothers lasted seven long years, even while their father, King don Fernando, was alive …

FROM the late eleventh century to the high days of the Spanish Golden Age and, to a lesser extent, even up to today, Carolingian narratives centered on the deeds of Charlemagne, Roland, and the Peers of the Franks enjoyed immense popularity in the Iberian peninsula at all levels of society. Francisco Rico believes that the Romance epic is largely the history of the French epic, and that both follow tenaciously the steps of the Chanson de Roland (ChR). Basically this affirmation seems correct, though I think that the Iberian epic, specifically, follows persistently, and more precisely, the songs of the disaster at Roncesvals.

Many critics have analyzed in detail the evident influences of the ChR on the Cantar de Mio Cid, Mocedades de Rodrigo, Siete infantes de Salas (or Lara) and other Castilian epic songs. I have studied its connection with the Sancho II (The Division of the Kingdoms by Fernando I), particularly the motif of the quartering of the traitors, Ganelon and Vellido Dolfos, at the end of their respective “cantares de gesta.” There is no doubt that all those affiliations are valid. The common structure is there: family quarrel, insult, retaliation, treason, revenge, and counter revenge. The same or similar characters, shared motifs and similar formulas appear. However, in spite of the multiple parallels between these stories, it is clear that none of them was copied from any of the others.