Digenis Acrites (
Greek: Διγενῆς Ἀκρίτης), known in
folksongs as Διγενῆς Ἀκρίτας, is the
mediaeval Greek hero of the most famous
epic poem or, according to Roderick Beaton, a "proto-romance", that emerged out of the
12th century Byzantine Empire, following the
Acritic tradition. The
Arab incursions into Byzantine territory are the context within which the first part of the tale unfolds, the events in the part of the narrative concerning the family history of the central hero seem to be located beyond a climate of conflict. The reconciliation of the two peoples through the marriage of the leading figures of the tale and the triumph of
Christianity over
Islam, achieved through the conversion and reception of the emir and his people into Byzantine society, is the key theme of the first part. Their son is given the
Christian name Basil (Βασίλειος) but goes by the
epithet Digenes/Digenis, translated as "Twyborn", because of his mixed Greek & Syrian lineage, and Acrites/Acritas because he lives on the border (ἄκρα). The rest of the story is of his adventures, central to which is his abduction of "the Girl" (who is never named) and unfolds against a background of generally peaceful coexistence of the two peoples. Written in early
Modern Greek by an anonymous author, it marks together with the other acritic poems the beginnings of
Greek vernacular literature.
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