Romancero

The Romancero constitutes the most significant and enduring manifestation of folk poetry in the Spanish language. Originating in the Middle Ages to be sung and shared by the community—which preserved them in memory and transmitted them orally from generation to generation—these ballads have survived almost to the present day, undergoing constant and fruitful reworking over the centuries. Their distinctive metrical structure and narrative style encompass a virtually inexhaustible variety of themes: heroic and chivalric episodes, romantic encounters and tribulations, tales inspired by the Bible and classical antiquity, subjects steeped in wonder or mystery, and factual accounts from a distant past.