Biblical Symbolism In The Song Of Roland

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The Song of Roland was formally recorded around the 12th century, near the beginning of the Crusade period. As the Crusades developed within European Christendom, The Song of Roland inspired christian soldiers and justified the purpose of the Crusades: to promote Christianity, by force, and reclaim the Christian lands. In other words, the mission of crusaders was to rid the lands of “Pagans,”similar to the Saracens of The Song of Roland. It is in no way surprising that this epic would contain much biblical symbolism. Some overt symbolism involves visits from angels and miracles as enacted by God. Deeper, however, these symbols hold an even greater significance than their surface level appearance. One overt use of biblical syntax comes during the final battle of The Song of …show more content…

He believes he can defeat them all if only it would stay light. He asks God to allow time to freeze so Charlemagne may complete his revenge. At that moment an angel comes to Charlemagne’s side to say “Ride on, Charles, for the light shall not desert you.” While the biblical allusion of an angelic visit needs no explanation, its significance is not as clear. The angel coming to Charlemagne’s side again shows God’s support of Charlemagne’s cause. Another interesting aspect of this proclaimation is the significance of God’s promise of light. In Genesis, while God is creating the universe he creates light on the first day. To which it is said “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” Not only did God stop time for Charlemagne, he gave him more light, creating a clear divide that Charlemagne’s cause was holy. Since light is good and darkness is the antithesis, this is figurative of the Holy Christian cause compared to the corrupt Saracen

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