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| | Digenis Akritas |
 | | Based on a historical character who died about 788, the epic, a blend of Greek, Byzantine, and Oriental motifs, originated in the 10th century and was popularized by itinerant folksingers; it was recorded in several versions from the 12th to the 17th century, the oldest being a linguistic mixture of popular and literary language. |
| | Digenis Akritas, the ideal medieval Greek hero, is a bold warrior of the Euphrates frontier, the son of a Saracen emir converted to Christianity by the daughter of a Byzantine general; he was a proficient warrior by the age of three and spent the rest of his life defending the Byzantine Empire from frontier invaders. |
| | The feeling for nature and strong family affections that permeate the epic anticipate the great Cretan national romance, Erotókritos (mid-17th century) by Vitzéntzos Kornáros, and much modern Greek popular poetry. |
| www.studentorg.umd.edu /digenis/digenis_akritas.html (173 words) |
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