Cid, Cantar de Mío

a Spanish epic poem composed about 1140 by an unknown minstrel and preserved in an incomplete copy dating from 1307.

The poem is faithful to historical facts and accurately recreates the figure of Rodrigo Díaz de Bivar (born between 1026 and 1043; died 1099), the nobleman who won glory for his feats in the Reconquista and was nicknamed Campeador (warrior) and Cid (Arabic said,”lord”). The common people viewed the Cid, who is idealized by the author, as a vassal devoted to the king, a fighter for the liberation of the country from the Moors, and, at the same time, as an enemy of the feudal nobility. The poem has traits of epic poetry; it is also marked by irony, vivid language, and descriptive skill. It had an immense influence on the development of Spanish literature, and the figure of the Cid was reflected in works of P. Corneille and J. G. Herder.