The Poem of the Cid is the oldest Spanish epic poem preserved, which was composed around 1200. The actions take place during the Spanish Reconquest, a historical and legendary period of the country. The poem is considered the first known extensive narrative work of the Spanish literature written in the Romance language.
The narration is based on the true story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid. One might get confused in the diversity of the hero’s names. The explanation, though, is quite clear: the Moors would call him El Cid, which meant the Lord, and the Christians – El Campeador, which stood for “An outstanding Warrior” or “The one who stands out in the battlefield”.
Banished from Christian Spain by the King of Castile, with a company of his sixty vassals he enters on series of heroic exploits against the Moors, basically designed to impress the king and cause him to revoke the edict of banishment. During the battles, El Cid, as the perfect and exact image of the Spanish epic hero, demonstrates his highlight traits and does his best to hold the status of the sure winner. All this is conditioned by his qualities, such as bravery, courage, nobility, and riskiness:
Roy Diaz entered Burgos with sixty pennons strong, And forth to look upon him did the men and women throng. And with their wives the townsmen at the windows stood hard by, And they wept in lamentation, their grief was risen so high. As with one mouth, together they spoke with one accord: "God, what a noble vassal, and he had a worthy lord”.
It is noteworthy and peculiar that the hero has not only a variety of names but also multiple fixed laudatory epithetical phrases, the most repeating one is ‘who in good hour was born’. By using it, the author is willing to show up the true personality and nature of their character, as well as the fact that luck would always accompany him:
And the Cid who in good hour was born, hereunto answered he: "My thanks to thee, don Sancho, I am content with thee. For myself and for my vassals provision will I make.
El Cid never forgot about the family, his dedication to the wife and the daughters, at the first blush, is never to go together with his militancy and severity. One now may consider the hero a unique, many-sided man with high ethical and moral values.
In addition, El Campeador was told to be a real patriot respecting the honour of his suzerain, although sometimes he displayed even more wisdom and justice than Alfonso did:
By San lsidro of Leon, I swear it by his grace Is no nobleman so mighty our whole country o'er." My lord Cid on the charger came then the King before, And of his lord Alfonso there has he kissed the hand.
Then said the King: "No pleasure would I have therein indeed. If I took him, then less glorious were the master of the steed. But a horse like this befitted too well a man like thee.
Sources:
https://www.enotes.com/topics/cantar-de-el-cid/characters
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantar_de_Mio_Cid
http://www.russianplanet.ru/filolog/epos/cid/characters1.htm
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