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Our new translation of 'El Cantar del mío Cid’ is now available here. 

'El Cantar del mío Cid’, or ‘The Song of My Lord’ the oldest Castilian epic poem extant, and Spain’s national epic, exists in a single fourteenth century codex, but was composed earlier, in the twelfth century, or as late as the early thirteenth. It tells of Rodrigo (Ruy) Díaz de Vivar (c1043-1099AD), known as El Cid (Lord) and El Campeador (Master of the Battlefield). The poem is set in the eleventh century, an age of warfare amongst the northern Christian and the central and southern Muslim realms of Spain, marked by shifting alliances. Born in Vivar, near Burgos, Díaz served in the armies of both Christian and Muslim rulers, ultimately wresting the principality of Valencia from Muslim control, and ruling there until his death.

The relevant Spanish regions have created a superb set of cycling, walking, and vehicle routes, which connect the locations mentioned in the poem. The Way of El Cid (Camino del Cid) extends from Castilla in the north-west of Spain to the Mediterranean coast in the south-east. The Way traces the legacy of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, with the El Cantar de mío Cid providing the primary guide for the route. In order to assist readers interested in following the Camino del Cid, the initial occurrence of place names in each part of the translated text are linked to maps provided by OpenStreetMap - which clearly indicate the trail. Alternatively, you may view a map of all locations detailed in the text, provided by uMap. See the Introduction to Part I.