Boars and Moors: The Hunt's Function in the Poema de Fernán González

This article examines the boar hunt in the medieval Poema de Fernán González. It demonstrates that as a narrative frame it draws attention to the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza and characterizes Fernán González as brave yet reckless, which may destabilize the poem's efforts to argue that feudal autonomy is compatible with Castilian loyalty. However, the medieval symbolism and folklore associated with boars (the devil, pagan enemies, psychopomps) help bolster the hero's idealization. The boar also leads Fernán to the monk Pelayo, whose name alludes to a patron saint of holy war. The connection the boar forges between Fernán, Pelayo, and the monastery largely facilitates the hero's goal for a politically independent Castile, while making the monastery attractive to pilgrims seeking Fernán's relics and the home of a saintly monk.