ABSTRACT
An aid to success is the adept integration of ritualistic elements into the presentation. A further effective mode of narrative presentation is to depict the characters of the tale-gods or epic heroes especially, as themselves acting ritualistically In this mode the characters are on display, perceived and known through their actions, externally as performers, and they know each other in the same way. The skillful presenter then has the opportunity to devise a likeness between himself and his chief character or characters. In Spain, the effects described are best represented by the Poema del Cid , which, though largely fictional, takes on a persuasive aura of authentic history. The task here is to explore the means by which that effect of authority is achieved, as observable in the text itself. The Cid does contain a prophetic dream, in which the archangel Gabriel appears to the hero, praising him and predicting his success in war.
