This will probably be the last medieval epic I recommend for a while, but you need to read it. Like Beowulf and The Song of Roland, The Song of the Cid is a centuries-old tale of manhood, bravery, heroism, and martial prowess that should inspire the weak men of the modern-day to regain their fighting spirit and become strong once again.
The Song of the Cid is about a Castilian noble who lived sometime around the 12th century. Forced into exile because of suspicious he pilfered tribute meant for King Afonso, he travelled with a band of warriors to Moorish lands (Spain was still divided between Christian and Muslim lands at the time of his life) and pillaged the Moor territories. He slew countless Moors, took castle after castle, and attracted a massive following of warriors fighting alongside him to earn gold and glory. Then, once back in the king’s good graces, he fights against the cowardly son-in-laws that betray him.
It’s written far more beautifully than that short summary, of course, but that’s the basic story. It’s the story of a warrior, a marauder, just the sort of man idealized in The Bronze Age Mindset.
Throughout The Song of the Cid, the Cid is fighting for self-preservation. At first, he must succeed or die; his small band of warriors would have left had he not led them to victory. After his stunning early successes, he’s forced to fight again and again against ever larger Muslim armies. They besiege him in his recently taken castles, fight him in the field, and always lose despite their stunning numbers.
But only about half the book deals with his triumphs over the barbaric Moors. The second half is about his personal conflict with his sons-in-law, cowardly men that can’t stand up and fight the Moors in battle but do beat and humiliate the Cid’s daughters. He gives them just what they have coming…
Both parts of the book are important for men to read, albeit for different reasons.
The first half shows what the warrior spirit is; the Cid fights like a demon when in battle, rules justly over his conquered subjects in times of piece, and always leads his men from the front. He might be aging, but he always charges into the hordes of Moors, battling against fearful odds, striking them with his lance and slaying them with his sword as his loyal followers charge alongside him. Nothing gives him pause or causes him to tremble with fear; whatever the challenge is, he has a stoic demeanor and fights with courage. That’s the warrior spirit and is what modern men must reclaim.
The second half of The Song of the Cid is a must-read for a different reason; it shows the consequences of cowardice. His sons-in-law, after being humiliated by an escaped lion and unable to fight with bravery in battle, decide to return home and kill their wives, the Cid’s daughters. They couldn’t fight armored men, but, as the narrator points out, those cowards have no problem with savagely beating unprotected women. That is the psyche of a coward, something Jordan Petersen discusses in many of his videos; brave men don’t act with such cruelty, only weak, sniveling cowards do.
Our society has been feminized and weakened. Men sip their lattes, wear skinny jeans, and refuse to fight. They don’t protect women, don’t protect their homeland, and care little for glory. Such is the plague of modernism. Reading tales of heroism, conquest, and glory like The Song of the Cid is the cure for that plague. Fight and conquer. Put your name in the history books.
By: Gen Z Conservative. Follow me on Parler, Gab, and Facebook
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