The descent into Spain is rugged. The bright pastures of the sommets des pyrénées slip downslope, gradually at first, then furiously, precipitously, until they tumble into dense beech forests. Bob and I did likewise. Spattered by mud, decorated with leaves, and swathed in shadow, we experienced the contrast expressed in The Song of Roland.
"High were the peaks about them, and dark the vale and black,
Sombre the rocks around them, and terrible the track."*
Legend has it that Roland died somewhere in this landscape. The view demands more lines from Roland: “Over the peak Lord Olivier now hasted him to go. / Out and across the realm of Spain an eager look he threw. / And he beheld the Paynim (Pagan) host that there together drew. / And from their gold-wrought helmets a blazing light did dance / On shield and broidered hauberk, on pennant and on lance” (laisse 82).
The reader of this famous chanson de geste (“song of heroic deeds”) must be cautious with its presentation of Battle of Roncevaux Pass (AD 778). The bards polished the details for nearly three centuries. It has a high shine. Christian Basques turn into Muslims. A Frankish raid into Spain becomes a seven-year war. Numbers grow legs: hundreds of men become hundreds-of-thousands of men. Even after the Chanson de Roland was finally committed to paper and ink in the 11th century it continued to be shaped. Seven versions survive to this day. Kyle Glenn Cunningham put it like this: “Roland is an excellent example of how to understand secondary sources effectively; namely, it is a text that better reflects the time period in which it was written rather than the time period in which it is set.”**
I processed bits of this epic poem while walking the Camino Francés. That experience prompts three swipes here: first, the basic story that the Song of Roland tells; second, the manner of Roland’s death; and third, the relevance of the Song of Roland for Bible Land Explorers. Let me take first two of these immediately and save the third for another day.
Fresco from above the nave of All Saints Church, Claverley, Shropshire, England. The work is believed to date to the 13th c and may depict a scene from The Song of Roland. Source is here (accessed 9/7/2021).
For those unfamiliar with this classic from the back shelf of Western literature, recognize that the Song of Roland comes as a presentation of four scenes.
The first and last scenes mirror each other and focus on the treachery of Ganelon and his punishment. Ganelon (Surprise!—the name is connected to the Italian notion of “despicable fraud”) is a Frankish baron who betrays the army of Charlemagne to the Muslim enemy. Tragically caught in this scheme is Charlemagne’s rearguard under the command of our dear Roland (Italian: Orlando or “noble”). Eventually Ganelon gets what he deserves and is drawn and quartered in a satisfying—if not somewhat messy—finale.
The two middle scenes of the Song of Roland mirror each other as well. Two extended battles are presented. In the first, Roland and his men are ambushed in a mountain pass near Roncevaux. The knights fight bravely but cannot overcome the odds and are martyred. In the mirroring scene, Charlemagne exacts vengeance on Roland’s ambushers. The battle action is quite grisly; men are skewered all over the place like Lil’ Smokies on gameday. Despite the carnage, lovely lines emerge in English translations like “How ill-fated thou wert” or “Here they will find us stark and dead smitten” and “Forthwith let us fly!” Each of these may find everyday use if one looks for the right moment.
For a child of the 70s I must confess that reading Roland prompted flashbacks to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Sick, I know (for the sake of old times and good smiles, try this link).
This set of stained glass windows is found in the Real Colegiata de Santa María in Roncesvalles. It depicts Roland and his men in battle. The work was completed in 1909 by Jose Maumejean. See the full display here (accessed 9/7/2021).
Roland’s sword Durendal dispatches hordes of the heathen to hell.*** But it is not the daring swordplay that leads to his death. At his side is another prop, the ivory Olifant. This hunting horn is fashioned from either the tusk of an elephant or the horn of a unicorn (depending on the version). When his rearguard troop is ambushed, Roland is implored to sound Olifant and signal Charlemagne’s army to return and save them. Roland refuses, claiming to do so would be ignoble. He chooses instead to fight for God and king. This he does against overwhelming odds until the battle is too far gone. In the end, the Archbishop-warrior Turpin convinces Roland to sound the horn and bring Charlemagne. The appeal this time not for the sake of a rescue, but to avenge and bury the dead. Roland is finally convinced. It will be his last act.
Olifant is blown with such force and duration that Roland’s brains leak out his ears and blood sprays from his mouth (see laisse 136 and laisse 170). It is oddly reminiscent of something from a Maynard Ferguson gig (for the impoverished souls who don’t know what I’m talking about, try the flashback here). I can only assume that Roland’s legacy as a head-exploding horn-player is akin to the legacy of Pheidippides among marathon-runners (“hey, here’s a brill idea: let’s go sprint until we die!”).
Charlemagne hears Olifant from a distance and immediately recognizes the depth of the disaster. He wheels about. But it is too late for Roland and the rearguard. They have all been killed—martyrs glorious—with the blood of infidels on their swords and the praise of God on their lips.
Detail from Simon Marmion’s 15th century work Grandes Chroniques de France. Roland’s body twists under a tree. Beside him is Durendal and Olifant. Image from here.
Bob and I emerged from the forest and encountered a compound of stone buildings: Roncevaux! Inside is the 13th century Colegiata de Santa María. Adjacent to it is a hostel for tired pilgrims hiking the Camino de Santiago. We took our place in line and waited for bunk assignments.
¡Buen Camino!
Bob is alive after a hike best described in the words: “Here they will find us stark and dead smitten.” Welcome, Bob, to Roland’s Roncevaux.
*The Song of Roland (laisse 67). I draw my quotes from Leonard Bacon’s timeless 1914 English translation. An online version is available here. For a full critical introduction to the text, run to your local library and grab Gerard J. Brault’s The Song of Roland: An Analytical Introduction (University Park: Pennsylvania State, 1978).
**See the work here by Kyle Glenn Cunningham, “Historical Perspective and the Song of Roland,” page 1.
***Hidden in the pommel of the indestructible sword Durendal are four relics: a tooth of St Peter, blood from St Basil, hair from St Denis, and a scrap of garment from the Virgin Mary. These make for some powerful chemistry. See laisse 175.
Join Mark and Vicki for a Mediterranean experience May 25-June 5, 2022. We'll be cruising aboard the luxurious Celebrity Infinity. See the link here for details. Onboard lectures will provide focus for the group as we visit the ports of Olympia, Santorini, Ephesus, and Athens among others. Optional add-on visits to Venice or Rome are possible on either end of the trip. Contact me at markziese@gmail.com.