Song of Armouris
Encyclopedia
The Song of Armouris or Armoures is a heroic Byzantine
ballad
, and probably one of the oldest surviving acritic songs
, dating from the 11th century. Its plot is based on the Byzantine-Arab conflict (7th–12th centuries) and describes in political verse
the efforts of a young Byzantine
akrite
warrior to rescue his father from captivity.
, and consists of 197 lines. There are two surviving manuscripts of the ballad, one in St. Petersburg dating to the 15th or 16th century, and one in the Topkapi Palace
collection in Istanbul
dated 1461. Thus far, only the St. Petersburg text has been published in full. The texts of the two manuscripts are remarkably similar to each other, ruling out a provenance from a contemporary oral tradition, but it is clear that the text derives from earlier oral sources. From its linguistic features and content the poem probably dates from the 11th century, making it one of the oldest surviving Byzantine heroic poems and one of the earliest evidences for the modern Greek vernacular.
with the aid of an angel, he fights an army of Saracen
s (Arabs) single-handed, "for a day and a night". He is victorious, but gets unhorsed and loses his mace in an ambush. He pursues the Saracen who captured the horse into Syria
. Upon reaching him, Armouris cuts off his arm and orders him to go to his emir
and announce his arrival. When Armouris' father, who is being held captive by the Saracens, sees the horse, he recognizes it and assumes that his son is dead.
The Saracen emir, whose chivalry
is exemplary, reassures the father and orders a search to be made for the missing son. The father writes to him to cease slaughtering Saracens, so that he will be treated with mercy, but Armouris refuses unless his father is freed, and threatens to rampage across Syria. The Emir, alarmed, finally agrees to let Armouris' father go and offers him his daughter in marriage in order to secure peace.
. Along with the better-known epic romance Digenis Akritas, the Song of Armouris ranks among the most important and oldest of these works. Various hypotheses have been made on the origin of the main character's name and the events that inspired the original poem. The Byzantinist Henri Grégoire
, who dated the work to the 9th century, proposed that the poem reflects the aftermath of the Arab sack of Amorion in 838, and that Armouris is Michael III
(r. 842–867), during whose reign the Arab raids into Anatolia
were decisively beaten back (at the Battle of Lalakaon in 863). According to Grégoire's interpretation, the one-armed Saracen of the song is Umar al-Aqta
("Umar the one-handed"), the emir of Melitene who was defeated and killed at Lalakaon. G. Veloudis on the other hand equated Armouris with Umar himself, believing that tales of him survived in Byzantine folk legend, and that in subsequent times, when the exact circumstances were no longer known, the emir, whose title was rendered as amiras in Greek, became Armouris.
Although Armouris' plot is complex, the narrative is fast-moving and lively. And while the style is plain it has considerable descriptive power. The poem contains much of the formulaic texture of oral poetry. According to its style, the original composition of the Song of Armouris may well date to an earlier period than Digenis Akritas, since features of oral epic composition and a certain archaic poetical economy found there are more marked.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, and probably one of the oldest surviving acritic songs
Acritic songs
The Acritic songs are the heroic or epic poetry that emerged in the Byzantine Empire probably in the 9th century. The songs celebrated the exploits of the Akrites, the frontier guards defending the eastern borders of the Byzantine Empire. The historical background was the almost...
, dating from the 11th century. Its plot is based on the Byzantine-Arab conflict (7th–12th centuries) and describes in political verse
Political verse
Political verse , also known as Decapentasyllabic verse is a metric form in Modern Greek poetry. It is an iambic verse of fifteen syllables and has been the main meter of traditional popular and folk poetry since the Byzantine period...
the efforts of a young Byzantine
Byzantine Greeks
Byzantine Greeks or Byzantines is a conventional term used by modern historians to refer to the medieval Greek or Hellenised citizens of the Byzantine Empire, centered mainly in Constantinople, the southern Balkans, the Greek islands, Asia Minor , Cyprus and the large urban centres of the Near East...
akrite
Akrites
Akrites is a former municipality in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,109 . The seat of the municipality is in Dipotamia....
warrior to rescue his father from captivity.
Date and text
The Song of Armouris is written in unrhymed fifteen-syllable political versePolitical verse
Political verse , also known as Decapentasyllabic verse is a metric form in Modern Greek poetry. It is an iambic verse of fifteen syllables and has been the main meter of traditional popular and folk poetry since the Byzantine period...
, and consists of 197 lines. There are two surviving manuscripts of the ballad, one in St. Petersburg dating to the 15th or 16th century, and one in the Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign....
collection in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
dated 1461. Thus far, only the St. Petersburg text has been published in full. The texts of the two manuscripts are remarkably similar to each other, ruling out a provenance from a contemporary oral tradition, but it is clear that the text derives from earlier oral sources. From its linguistic features and content the poem probably dates from the 11th century, making it one of the oldest surviving Byzantine heroic poems and one of the earliest evidences for the modern Greek vernacular.
Plot summary
The plot describes the campaign of a young man, named Arestis or Armouris Armouropoulos ("son of Armouris"). Although under-age, he accomplishes feats of strength, required by his mother for him to ride on his father's stallion. Crossing the EuphratesEuphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
with the aid of an angel, he fights an army of Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
s (Arabs) single-handed, "for a day and a night". He is victorious, but gets unhorsed and loses his mace in an ambush. He pursues the Saracen who captured the horse into Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Upon reaching him, Armouris cuts off his arm and orders him to go to his emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
and announce his arrival. When Armouris' father, who is being held captive by the Saracens, sees the horse, he recognizes it and assumes that his son is dead.
The Saracen emir, whose chivalry
Chivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...
is exemplary, reassures the father and orders a search to be made for the missing son. The father writes to him to cease slaughtering Saracens, so that he will be treated with mercy, but Armouris refuses unless his father is freed, and threatens to rampage across Syria. The Emir, alarmed, finally agrees to let Armouris' father go and offers him his daughter in marriage in order to secure peace.
Contents and style
The Byzantine-Arab conflicts that lasted from the mid-7th to the early 11th century provide the context for Byzantine heroic ("acritic", from the akritai border guards) poetry, written in the vernacular Greek languageGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. Along with the better-known epic romance Digenis Akritas, the Song of Armouris ranks among the most important and oldest of these works. Various hypotheses have been made on the origin of the main character's name and the events that inspired the original poem. The Byzantinist Henri Grégoire
Henri Grégoire (historian)
Henri Grégoire was an eminent scholar of the Byzantine Empire, virtually the founder of Byzantine studies in Belgium.Grégoire spent most of his teaching career at the Université libre de Bruxelles...
, who dated the work to the 9th century, proposed that the poem reflects the aftermath of the Arab sack of Amorion in 838, and that Armouris is Michael III
Michael III
Michael III , , Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian-Phrygian Dynasty...
(r. 842–867), during whose reign the Arab raids into Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
were decisively beaten back (at the Battle of Lalakaon in 863). According to Grégoire's interpretation, the one-armed Saracen of the song is Umar al-Aqta
Umar al-Aqta
‘Umar ibn ‘Abdallah ibn Marwan , surnamed al-Aqta’, "the one-handed", and found as Amer or Ambros in Byzantine sources, was the Arab emir of Malatya from the 830s until his death in battle in 863...
("Umar the one-handed"), the emir of Melitene who was defeated and killed at Lalakaon. G. Veloudis on the other hand equated Armouris with Umar himself, believing that tales of him survived in Byzantine folk legend, and that in subsequent times, when the exact circumstances were no longer known, the emir, whose title was rendered as amiras in Greek, became Armouris.
Although Armouris' plot is complex, the narrative is fast-moving and lively. And while the style is plain it has considerable descriptive power. The poem contains much of the formulaic texture of oral poetry. According to its style, the original composition of the Song of Armouris may well date to an earlier period than Digenis Akritas, since features of oral epic composition and a certain archaic poetical economy found there are more marked.
External links
- Το άσμα του Αρμούρη. Original text of the poem.