Examples of Song of Gesta

Song of Gesta

The sing of deed it's a narrative genre in verse that had its peak in the Middle Ages. They are narratives based on the epic, characterized by being transmitted by word of mouth, especially by minstrels. For example: Song of Mío Cid, Song of the Nibelungs and Song of Roldán.

Like the epics, the songs of deed narrate the exploits of heroic characters who embody the values ​​of a population. Anonymously authored, this genre was very popular in Europe between the 11th and 12th centuries, especially in France and Spain.

Characteristics of the chants of deed

Examples of singing deed

1. Song of Roldán

It was written in Old French towards the end of the 11th century and its authorship is attributed to a Norman monk named Turoldo (this name appears in the last verse of the work). It is written in decasyllable verses and its rhyme is assonance, despite the fact that it is made up of runs of unequal lengths.

The work, which intersperses true facts, narrates the battle in Hispanic lands that led to the defeat of Charlemagne. The main reason for this defeat was that Galleon, one of the nobles who made up his army, betrayed him. This defeat cost Charlemagne the loss of a good part of the military chiefs, including his nephew Roldán and the entire rear.

1. The Song of Beowulf

This Anglo-Saxon work is composed of 3182 verses and was written in Old English. Not only its author is unknown, but also the date it was written. Although it narrates events that occurred at the beginning of the 6th century, experts estimate that the work would have been written between the 8th and 12th centuries.

The song is divided into two parts. The first focuses on the youth of the hero, Beowulf, who must face the fearsome monster called Grendel. After killing him, the young man must face his mother.

In the second part of the play, the hero is already an adult and becomes the king of the geese and must face a terrible dragon until his death.

The poem is made up of four songs. The first two address the confrontation with the monster and his mother, and the last two focus on the old age and death of the protagonist.

1. The Song of the Nibelungs

This German poem, written during the 13th century, mixes mythological elements with historical facts. It narrates the exploits of the dragon hunter Siegfried, from his childhood to his murder. Her wife, Princess Krimilda, decides to avenge the death of her husband, resulting in the extermination of the Nibelungs at the court of the Huns.

In 2009 this work was included in the Unesco Memory of the World Register for its historical significance.

1. Song of Mio Cid

This anonymous poem, written in Old Spanish, is estimated to have been written around 1200. The work has 3,735 verses of variable expansion, although those of 14 to 16 metric syllables predominate.

With certain freedoms on the part of its author, the poem narrates the exploits of the last years of life of the knight of Castilla Rodrigo Díaz, known as the Campeador.

The work narrates the heroic deeds of the last years of the knight's life from his first exile, in 1081, until his death in 1099.

The poem presents two great themes. On the one hand, the exile and the attempts of the Campeador to obtain real forgiveness and regain the lost social status. On the other hand, the honor of the Cid and his family, which end up enhanced at the end and thus, the protagonist's daughters manage to marry the princes of Navarra and Aragon.