El Cid y Diyenís: ？héroes de novela o de epopeya?

the archaizing versions of the history of digenis acritas (from the ms of trebizond) were the first to be edited, in 1875, and the íirst translation was made from the ms of grottaferrata, in 1956. both facts resulted in the poem being called a "novel". after stilianos alexiu published in 1985 nis critical edition of the ms of el escorial, the close relation of the text to a popular epic could for the first time be studied. the doubts concerning the epic character of the digenis e have been similar to those which were set forth concerning the poema de mio cid. the epic features of both poems are analyzed nere as part of a longer researcn in which both the cid and digenis are considered heroes of an epic, not a novel.