Subbetica
THE SWORD OF EL CID THE CHAMPION
Walking up Calle Mayor, mounted on a column, we find the Tizona, El Cid’s sword, which commemorates the great victory he won at the ‘Battle of Cabra’. This feat apparently earned him the name ‘Campeador’ (warrior) and is recounted at the beginning of *The Song of El Cid*:
“The King of Granada and his noblemen paid no heed to El Cid’s letters, and they all set out in great force and laid waste to the King of Seville’s lands all the way to the castle of Cabra” “When Ruy Díaz heard this, he thought it would not be right not to attack them, so he went against them and fought them in the field; and the pitched battle lasted from the third hour until midday, and there was great slaughter there of Moors and Christians on the side of the King of Granada; and El Cid defeated them and put them to flight from the field. And in this battle, El Cid took Count García Ordóñez prisoner and tore a tuft from his beard, along with many other knights and countless foot soldiers. And El Cid held them captive for three days, and then released them all.”