Roldán and Oliveros share many attributes. Both were 2 knights of the elite order of 12 paladins of the king of the Franks, Charlemagne .
History locates these heroes in the second half of AD 700 and time has lifted their lives to the legendary status of similar characters such as Lancelot of the Lake and knights of the round table of the King Arthur .
Eight scenes of the Cantar de Roldán, that speaks of the death of Roldán and Oliveros.
The exploits of Roland and Roland are found in the epic poems called"The Songs of the Gesta"of the Carolingian cycle of French literature of the Middle Ages.
The stories tell of central conflicts in the Christian kingdom of Charlemagne with his Frankish vassals, as well as clashes with British forces in the north of France and the Saracens in Spain invaded by Muslims.
From Rolando we have collections written in the biographies of Charlemagne that show his existence as a real character in Frank history. Oliveros has no record of his having existed and, given the fantastic and magical nature of the Frankish epic, his figure has more cultural force as a fictional character.
These deeds were written between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries and are part of the Matter of France. Within the many stories where Rolando and Oliveros participate are The Song of Gerard of Vienne Which recounts the first meeting of the heroes and the beginning of their strong friendship, Rolando de Zaragoza.
The best known is The Song of Roland or Roland's Song Where the heroic death of the knights is narrated in the bridge battle of Roncesvalles.
Common Attributes of Rolando and Oliveros
Change a Rolando by an Oliveros
The popular expression in English"To give a Roland for an Oliver"traces its origin to the time when the epic deeds of the Middle Ages Circulated as stories common among the inhabitants of Europe.
The expression means to give something for something else, similar to the Latin"quid pro quo", that is to say, an exchange where each part leaves winning equally. For this to happen satisfactorily, both"things"must have the same value or be important enough for each stakeholder.
In this sense Roland and Oliveros were characters who represented equally the typical cavalry values of the Middle Ages: religion and service to God (and the Christian church), military duty or honor in war (and his king or lord ), And respectful love for the damsels (or his wife).
Roland and Oliveros incarnate in their most romantic splendor the Code of the knight . Both were equally brave in the face of danger and very skilled in combat. They did not retreat before any enemy and always endeavored to keep their lord's honor high.
Loyalty to God and to his king and his companions was unquestionable and unshakable, only equaled by the loyalty and respect one had to one another. Cultivating the"science"or art of gallantry and poetry was equally important to their feudal and military duties.
They were tenacious defenders of the weak and considered themselves champions of right, good and fair always fighting injustice and evil. They especially defended the church of the infidels and it consecrated them both as sacred paladins.
In moments of combat both fought hand in hand, both to protect their backs and to kill as many enemies as possible, always matched in prowess and courage.
Brothers in arms
In The singing of Gerardo , The narration exalts the attributes that make them worthy the same of each other. After a long siege of seven weeks or seven months to the castle of Gerard of Vienne by a"misunderstanding", King Carlomagno is advised to resolve this trivial matter by facing a champion on each side.
The king accepts and opts for his nephew Roland to represent him. From Vienne, Oliveros is chosen as champion. Both initiate the combat in their horses without no one could knock the other with lances.
Then they decide to dismount and continue the fight with sword and shield. For hours they wielded their sharp blades cut after cut, lunge after lunge; Metal and shield collided without either truce or weakness.
Oliveros breaks his sword and his shield, but without being prepared to give him the victory he raises his fists. Rolling to see the resolution of his fighter is admired and allows him to choose another sword and another shield. The fight continued with a similar result: his bravery and ability were exactly the same.
Rolando's sword was buried with great force in the shield of Oliveros and this, tired of fighting so much, could not take it out; While the sword of Oliveros again broke. Both disarmed, they decide to continue the fight with the hands and they rammed to try to lie to each other.
It is said that an angel came down from the clouds and begged them to stop fighting. His last action was to try to remove the helmet from one another. It was at that moment that, seeing themselves clearly in the eyes, they recognized themselves as brothers in arms and swore loyalty forever.
The difference that led to death
As described in the poems, Rolando is reckless and vain, Oliveros is wise and wise, perfectly complementing his companion. His relation of friends places to Oliveros many times like some sort of older brother of Rolando, always protecting it of its own pride.
In The Singing of Roland , His imprudence makes him make the worst mistake causing the fall of the heroes. This folly makes them die at the hands of Saracen soldiers on the bridge of Roncesvalles. Oliveros, being imminently surrounded by the Muslim troops, demands Roland to blow the horn to ask for assistance to the king's company.
Rolando refuses to ask for help ensuring that his squad could defeat the enemy. Certainly Oliveros was right, but in Roland's vanity he condemned his men and the 12 elite knights. One by one they died in battle to the last breath.
Oliveros was the penultimate, but not before telling Rolando that they were all condemned to witness his feat. Certainly Roland fought tirelessly in the midst of multiple enemies.
He did not die from his wounds, his lungs exploded when he finally blew the horn. After hearing this, Charlemagne rushed to try to save them, but it was too late.
With this, Rolando accepts its error before perishing, but allows its king to launch a campaign to avenge its deaths. This battle immortalized the heroes forever, being an example of courage and courage for the rest of France.
References
- Tim Trott (2013). Roland and Oliver. Retrieved from timtrott.co.uk.
- The Baldwin Project. Roland for and Oliver. Retrieved from mainlesson.com.
- Spark Notes Editors. Song of Roland. Retrieved from sparknotes.com.
- Shmoop Editorial Team (2008). Roland in the Song of Roland. Retrieved from shmoop.com.
- Medieval Spell. The Medieval Code of Chivalry. Recovered from medieval-spell.com.
- Myths Encyclopedia. Roland. Retrieved from mythencyclopedia.com.
- Jimmy Joe (2006). Twelve Peers. Timeless Myths. Retrieved from timelessmyths.com.