Song of Roland essentially functions as folklore, which lionizes and creates legends of the works and characters of Charlemagne the Great and his men. The author of this epic poem is unknown, as is the exact date in which it was written. It is commonly believed to have been written in the 12th century. The poem's central action utilizes elements of the history of Charlemagne and his Muslim enemies quite loosely. It takes certain historical events and effectively distorts them for the author's own purpose, which is linked to the encouragement of the spread of Christianity. However, many of the major events depicted within this work actually took place. How and why they did, as well as the intimacy of details that poem supplies by effectively flushing out those particulars, is largely fictional and merely helps to spread the legend of Charlemagne, his men, and the perceived greatness of Christianity....
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