The Influence of “The Song of Roland” on the Legendary Albanian “Songs of the Frontier Warriors”

Abstract

The epic poem The Song of Roland has had an immense influence on European literature over the centuries, including on the ancient legendary Albanian songs, The Songs of the Frontier Warriors. The relation between these two epics has only recently been studied, and hence, it represents an insufficiently explored field. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to enhance the research with new findings. Using a comparative method, in this study, we depicted the impact of The Song of Roland on The Songs of the Frontier Warriors using different layers. These included the abilities of the main hero, the fighting, the cult of the horse, the cult of the weapon, the threat that comes from the sea, the Moor who is the same as the Saracens of The Song of Roland, the figure of the sun, the dream, the lament, and the introduction of The Songs of the Frontier Warriors. By analyzing the influence of The Song of Roland on The Songs of the Frontier Warriors, the understanding of inter-European interactions that took place in the past, and subsequently the reciprocal relations between cultures, is improved. Keywords: The Song of Roland, The Songs of the Frontier Warriors, hero, horse, sword, sun.