Origins
The original legend of Bernardo del Carpio was sung by the jongleurs of the Kingdom of León. Later, the Castilian poet Pero Ferrús (fl. 1380) mentions Bernardo del Carpio in one of his cantigas, which combines the theme of the good life in Castile with a series of loores, or lyric paeans, to a series of Greek, Roman, Biblical, chivalric, and Arab heroes.
In 1624 Bernardo de Balbuena published El Bernardo, an account of Bernardo's exploits. It is considered one of the masterpieces of Spanish literature.
In the opening of Don Quixote, Cervantes has the protagonist especially admiring Bernardo because he crushed Roland with his arms alone, although the context is clear that Don Quixote is placing too much credence in the fantastic stories of romance.
Read more about this topic: Bernardo Del Carpio
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