Song of Roland Religion Quotes

In the very first stanza, the poet bungles his theology. He gets Mohammed right since the Saracens are all meant to be Muslim. But why is Apollo, the ancient Greek sun god, in the same category? 12th-century Christian Europe had a very foggy understanding of Islam, lumping what they knew of Mohammed and the Koran with everything else that was non-Christian.

The Saracens are just as religious as the Franks but have the misfortune of belonging to the wrong and evil religion instead of the true and good one. Marsile lets his religion guide him and clearly thinks that swearing on his holy scriptures will make his oath stronger. The poet doesn't criticize the Spanish for being irreligious but for being wrongly religious. (By the way, no one knows the origin of Tervagant).

It's no surprise that the pagans think their god is superior to the Christian one (although they're soon whistling a different tune). What is interesting here is how this statement is basically a mirror image of the Frankish philosophy that Saint Peter is better. You could switch "Mohammed" and "Saint Peter of Rome" and have a perfectly accurate sentence for a Frankish knight to say.

Remember how the Saracens believe in both Mohammed and Apollo? Here they're also linked with the Christian devil. It's as if this poet knows they're wicked but can't figure out precisely how.

Archbishop comforts Oliver and Roland by promising them that their dead bodies won't rot on the field, unmourned. Interestingly, it's not enough to just die a martyr; you must also be buried in holy ground that's been blessed by a priest. As far as salvation is concerned, how you're buried is as important as how you die.

Turpin tries to draw a division between religious and knightly service but it's unclear here what his tone is. Does "one of those monasteries" imply a touch of contempt for all the religious people who don't fight for God with swords? Or does he think that both callings are different but equally worthy.

And yet here religious and knightly service are combined, so it is possible to serve God with your sword. That is the Frankish motto: spread Christianity by force and conquering.

The radness of Roland's sword derives in part from the holy things it carries in the hilt: saints' relics. This also means that it would be a calamity if any non-Christian tried to wield it, but it's unclear how. Would the sword cease to be powerful? Or would Roland just be really sad about someone wicked owning his favorite toy?

Once Marsile's army is destroyed by the Franks, they realize that their gods are useless. This plays right into the hands of the victorious Franks, who make forced conversions part of their conquering program. Of course, we're getting this story from a very Christian poet, so it's no surprise that this conclusion, O, the Frankish armies are better than our armies = this conclusion, the Frankish gods are better than our gods. Charlemagne and God both kick butt.

Part of being a true knight is being knowledgeable about religion, for the pagans as well as the Christians. Do we sense some admiration in our poet's tone?

There is no room for friendship or kindness or love or even peace between Christians and non-Christians. A Christian's duty is to hate pagans and, if you're a knight, to conquer and convert them. Charlemagne's declaration here sheds light on just how treacherous Ganelon's friendship with Blancandrin is.

Religiously motivated destruction and pillage is followed by forced conversion. This is how Christianity conquers the world. Primer for the Crusades?

The poet describes Bramimonde's conversion as being willing and out of conviction, in contrast to the forced conversions of the other Saracens. Is this an attempt to make the process of conversion more palatable? Also, notice that baptism isn't enough to erase her past life; she also has to receive a whole new name, symbolizing her birth into a new identity.