What Is The Theme Of The Song Of Roland - 1747 Words

The Song of Roland is the foundation of the French literary tradition. One of the earliest poems written in French, it describes the process by which France left behind its Germanic past as a loose confederation of powerful families and accepted its future as a Christian nation united by loyalties to king and country. This story is told as a clash of powerful personalities who are together engaged in a holy war against the Muslims in Spain. Unfortunately, the role of ignorance and jealousy combining to breed fear and hatred is a recurring theme in history ultimately exhibiting itself in the form of prejudice, and is a theme found in this story. The song of Roland which was, at the time of the First Crusade, established many of the†¦show more content†¦The Saracens (this was the medieval European term for Arabs, and, by extension, all Muslims) are portrayed as the mirror-image of the Christians—both the same and reversed. Their society is identical to Christendom in fo rm, but opposite in content. One of the prime areas of discrepancy is in the constant references to the pagan trinity -- Apollo, Muhammad, and Tervagen (Roland 3490-3491 et al). The first pillar of belief for the Muslims states that there is no God but Allah. Muhammad was a prophet, nothing more. For instance, the Saracens of The Song of Roland worship a trinity—formally, this is identical to Christian practice—but this trinity is composed of Mohammed, Termagant, and Apollo. Medieval Christians did not understand that Muslims respect Mohammed as a prophet, but emphatically do not worship him as a god. Termagant was an overbearing female deity having absolutely no existence outside of medieval Christian perceptions of Islam. Apollo is the ancient Greek god of poetry and music; nowhere but in The Song of Roland are Muslims said to worship him. It seems that he is included in the Muslim trinity here for his general odor of archaic paganism. So we see here that while the Saracens have a sort of trinity, it is composed of figures that medieval Christians would see as nothing but nasty and ridiculous little idols. And because theirShow MoreRelatedThe Theme of Father/Son Relationships in Beowulf the Song of Roland1680 Words   |  7 PagesThe Theme of Father/Son Relationships in Beowulf The Song of Roland Thomas Lazzaro Professor Fisher Literary Patterns of European Development Paper #1 2/6/97 The representation of father-son type relationships in early Medieval literary works is a key theme early authors used to give their works more depth and meaning. Two works that use the theme of father-son relationships are Beowulf and The Song of Roland. In Beowulf, the relationship between Hrothgar and Beowulf is one in which thereRead MoreReligious Conflicts in The Song of Roland1326 Words   |  5 PagesThe French epic, The Song of Roland, relates the conflicts between Christians and Muslims in 778 A.D. 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