Defend that which is precious to you.
Definition/Summary:
From “The Song of Roland”
Baligant
- He is the Emir of Babylon who tries to aid the defense of Zaragoza from Charlemagne
- Sometimes described as a man from ancient times and is killed in the ensuing battle
- He comes to the aid of his vassal King Marsile (a.k.a. “Marsillion”) and brings an immense army to fight Charlemagne
- Often seen as the parallel of Charlemagne, both being old, handsome and skillful with a sword
- He carried a sword named Précieuse
- Some say they were equals, except that Charlemagne had the help of Saint Gabriel.
The Song of Roland
- An epic poem based on the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778, during the reign of Charlemagne
- The poem is the first of the great French heroic poems known as “chansons de geste.”
- The Song of Roland, or, in French, La Chanson de Roland, is the best known of the Old French epics
- The author of the chanson, clearly set out to immortalize the hero Roland and the so-called Twelve Peers, in similar fashion that later medieval poets immortalize King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.