Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons^™

Re-Inventing Alexander: From Christian Warrior To Pagan Saint, Martha Mary Daas

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

In this essay I examine the appropriation of the Alexander legend by the Spanish author of the Libro de Alexandre to determine to what degree the poet's creation of a new mythic hero successfully fulfills the ideal of the Christian medieval warrior. By examining the poet's attempt at Christianizing the great warrior, I prove that Alexander retains his standing as a mythic figure: one who cannot be contained within a single ideological interpretation.