El Cid? The Lord?

[caffeine_fubar]

In my class, we are doing a report on ancient medieval legends. El Cid, from spain, was one of these legends. I have looked up endless pages and can never find any information on this person... sure i get a bunch of spanish names and such, but what was he famous for, and where did his life start? Can anyone post ANY information regarding el cid?

 

[mhallex]

I had to read ELCid for a spanish litaerature class I took a bit back. Intresting stuff, althought a bit dry.

El Cid is the spanish equivalent of Roland, really. He is the archetypical medieval chivalric hero, loved by those he helps, respected and feared by his enemies and so on.

Now, Im gonna try this from memory, so I might be a wee bit vague on some points.

The Catholic Encyclopedia has a decent article on him(one of the first things that pops up when one uses google. Id recommend it for the future)

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03769a.htm

 

[Thersites]

He's probably best known through Racine's play Le Cid. Several English translations.
A recent book: In quest of the Cid by Richard Fletcher