The Song of Roland. Saga of the Knight and His Feats

Roland is the hero of the world-famous French epic poem, a model of the Christian knight. "The Song of Roland" is a classic example of an epic celebrating knightly valor, devotion to God and king, which embodied the state. The work narrates the events during the war of Charlemagne against the Spanish Saracens. It was written several centuries after the battle that took place in 778. The traitor Count Ganelon proposes to the king of Saragossa, Marsilion, to attack the rearguard of Charlemagne's army, organizing an ambush in the Roncesvalles Pass. As a result of this treachery, a detachment of Franks led by the Breton Count Roland is cut off from Charlemagne's army and is forced to engage in battle with vastly superior enemy forces. In the retelling by Alexander Chudinov. "The Saga of the Volsungs" is the most famous of the "Sagas of Ancient Times," telling the legendary history of Scandinavia. It describes the rise and fall of the Volsung lineage (Sigmund and Sigurd), including the story of Brunhild and the destruction of the Burgundian house. The saga is based on epic poetry. "The Saga of the Volsungs" repeats the plot events found in the "Poetic Edda," but, unlike the "Poetic Edda," the events here are structured into a unified narrative. In the retelling by Boris Yarkho.