A ''cantar de gesta'' is the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

equivalent of the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intellig ...

medieval ''

chanson de geste The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th c ...

'' or "songs of heroic deeds". The most important ''cantares de gesta'' of Castile were: * The '' Cantar de Mio Cid'', where the triumph of the true nobility, founded on effort, merit and optimism is narrated, as opposed to the blood nobility that the fictitious characters Infantes of Carrión represent. * The '' Poema de Fernán González'', which presents a mix of history and legend concerning the first

Count of Castile This is a list of counts of Castile. The County of Castile had its origin in a fortified march on the eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Asturias. The earliest counts were not hereditary, being appointed as representatives of the Asturian king. Fr ...

, Fernán González. * The '' Cantar de los Siete Infantes de Lara'', where a right revenge long delayed is narrated. * The '' Cantar de Bernardo del Carpio'', that narrates the tragic history of a bastard of noble origin attempting to procure the release from prison of his father, Count of Saldaña, jailed for having secretly married the King's sister; in his efforts to rehabilitate the family honor, he is unfairly treated by his king Alfonso the Chaste. * The ''

Mocedades de Rodrigo The ''Mocedades de Rodrigo'' is the name given to a late, anonymous Castilian ''cantar de gesta'', composed around 1360, that relates the origins and exploits of the youth of the legendary hero El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar). There are 1164 su ...

'' composed around 1360 is the latest epic cantar épico that is conserved. It is based on an earlier cantar of the youth of Rodrigo that dates from the second half of the 13th century. It narrates events in the youth of El Cid. Smaller importance had the ''Mainete'', the ''Cantar del Cerco de Zamora'' and others. However, only the ''Cantar de Mio Cid'', the ''Cantar de Rodrigo'' and a few verses of the ''Cantar de Roncesvalles'' have been preserved in written form. The philologues have reconstructed other passages of the lost Castilian epic from poorly prosificated fragments in chronicles, where they served as sources of information. The characteristics of the Spanish ''cantares de gesta'' are: * Irregular verses, mainly between 14 and 16 syllables, divided in two hemistiches and with assonant rhyme, as opposed to regular verses and consonant rhyme of French ''chansons de geste''. * Predominance of realism and historicity as opposed to the more legendary and less historical character of French ''chanson de geste''. * Use of expressions that demand the attention of the public. * Very abundant verbs, because the action predominates. * Suppression of formulas that introduce the direct dialogue with the purpose of making the narration more agile, perhaps because some passages of Spanish ''cantares de gesta'' were semi-enacted (thereof also its greater realism). * Use of brief descriptions, full of plasticity. * Use of epic names to characterize the individuals. * Use of the paragogic ''e''.

See also