La imagen de Polonia y de los polacos en los libros de caballerías españoles
The image of Poland and Poles in Spanish chivalric romances

Summary/Abstract: The geography of the world presented in Spanish chivalric romances combines real spaces or areas inspired by them with others, completely made-up, purely born in the author’s imagination. As a rule, toponyms used in the chronicles of adventures of knights-errant are not meant to inform the reader about the characteristics of the place in which the action unfolds. Wherever the adventure happens: a sinking ship, a battlefield, a duel location or a magical trial, the focus point is the protagonist, not the place. However, authors of chivalric romances use numerous toponyms and do not refrain from mentioning countries that are less familiar to their readers in order to introduce a certain diversity and make their work stand out in the swarm of other publications. In this way, the toponym “Poland” appears in the stories of knights-errant, sometimes as the location of the adventure, but most often as the homeland of warriors who are frequently becoming friends with the main character. This article analyses the image of Poland and Poles as outlined by the authors of chivalric romances, both where the area performs a purely episodic function and when it becomes one of the most important places in the geography of the fictional world. The author also hypothesises about the possible sources of inspiration for describing the territory of Poland and her inhabitants.

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