The Song of Roland
E518538
The Song of Roland is an 11th-century Old French epic poem that recounts the heroic but doomed stand of Charlemagne’s knight Roland against the Saracens at Roncevaux Pass.
Observed surface forms (4)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Chanson de Roland | 1 |
| La Chanson de Roland | 1 |
| Song of Roland | 1 |
| The Song of Roland (Old French epic) | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Old French literary work
ⓘ
chanson de geste ⓘ epic poem ⓘ |
| antagonistGroup | Saracens NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| approximateCompositionCentury | 11th century ⓘ |
| associatedAuthor | Turoldus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| authorshipStatus | anonymous ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | France ⓘ |
| culturalSignificance |
foundational text of the chanson de geste tradition
ⓘ
one of the oldest major works of French literature ⓘ |
| earliestCompleteManuscript | Oxford manuscript ⓘ |
| earliestManuscriptCentury | 12th century ⓘ |
| genre |
chanson de geste
ⓘ
epic poetry ⓘ |
| historicalAccuracy | highly fictionalized account of the historical battle ⓘ |
| historicalBasis | 778 Battle of Roncevaux Pass NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| importantObject |
Durendal
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Roland’s oliphant NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influence |
later retellings of Charlemagne legends
ⓘ
medieval European epic tradition ⓘ |
| language | Old French NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| literaryTradition | Matter of France NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainCharacter |
Charlemagne
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ganelon NERFINISHED ⓘ Oliver NERFINISHED ⓘ Roland NERFINISHED ⓘ Turpin NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| manuscriptLocation | Bodleian Library NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| originalTitle | La Chanson de Roland NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| plotElement |
Charlemagne returns to avenge Roland
ⓘ
Ganelon betrays Roland and Charlemagne ⓘ Ganelon is tried and executed for treason ⓘ Roland dies facing Spain with his sword Durendal ⓘ Roland refuses to blow his oliphant until it is too late ⓘ |
| plotSummary | Roland leads the rear guard of Charlemagne’s army and is ambushed at Roncevaux Pass NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| religiousContext | Christian literature ⓘ |
| religiousElement | visions and miracles associated with Charlemagne ⓘ |
| rhymeScheme | assonance ⓘ |
| settingEvent | Battle of Roncevaux Pass NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| settingPeriod | reign of Charlemagne NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| settingPlace |
Pyrenees
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Roncevaux Pass NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| theme |
Christian–Muslim conflict
ⓘ
feudal loyalty ⓘ heroism ⓘ martyrdom ⓘ treason ⓘ |
| verseForm |
decasyllabic lines
ⓘ
laisses ⓘ |
Referenced by (6)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
The Song of Roland (Old French epic)
this entity surface form:
Song of Roland
this entity surface form:
Chanson de Roland
this entity surface form:
La Chanson de Roland