The Legend of the Knights of the Philippines is a popular literature from the Spanish colonial period, which combines European knight stories with Filipino poetry and is a product of colonial cultural contact. Throughout history, there have been varying evaluations of it, and it was once underestimated before gaining attention as popular literature. The binary opposition between written text and oral narration has influenced its evaluation, and written text is considered superior to oral tradition. From the perspective of literary writers, Knight Legend lacks excellent works and is not suitable as a representative of popular culture. However, its narrative mode, story content, and dissemination mechanism demonstrate a deep connection with folk literature. This article aims to explore the relationship between knightly legends and folk literature, clarify their literary historical positioning and research value.

1、 Research background: The distinction between "elegance and vulgarity" in knightly legends

The legend of knights originated in 12th century France and later spread to Spain, forming the Knight Literature Group. From the 16th to the 18th century, Spanish colonizers brought knightly novels into the Philippines, which together with religious literature formed the mainstream of Philippine literature. The Legend of the Philippine Knights is set against the backdrop of European courts and follows the tradition of Filipino rhymed literature, using two long poem genres: "Avit" and "Krido". After independence, Knight Legend became a subject of reflection and criticism, regarded as a fictional and unrealistic literature. Trinidad Pardo de Tawila criticized it for being disconnected from local history, deceptive, and not conducive to intellectual progress. Although the Legend of the Knights adopts local language and rhyme forms, the subject matter imitates European literature and cannot be regarded as Filipino literature itself.

2、 Oral transmission traces in written texts

The spread of knightly legends in the Philippines can take two forms: written texts and oral narratives. Spanish knightly novels and ballads are the source of Filipino knightly legends, but the popular form in the Philippines is the rhymed form of prosodic legends, which is related to knightly ballads and local oral literary traditions. The legend of the Philippine knights was spread through oral chanting or memorization before its appearance in print, and its narrative style is similar to epic poetry. Printed copies appeared in the late 18th century and reached their peak in the mid-19th century, with a formulaic expression and story structure that reflected the creative characteristics of Filipino epics in the pre colonial period. The programmatic features of the Philippine knight legend indicate its imitation and recording of biographical literature, which may have served as a substitute for epic poetry during the Spanish colonial period. The legend of Filipino knights inherits the creative rules of epic poetry, and its connection with epic poetry indicates that it has long existed in oral narration.

3、 Folk sources of story content

The Legend of the Philippine Knights combines myths and legends from around the world with local folklore in its story content. At the beginning of the 20th century, Fansler summarized seven types of knightly legends directly derived from European literature, including legends such as Charlemagne and King Arthur, as well as European myths such as the destruction of Troy. Among these works, "Bernardo Carpio", a compilation of Spanish ballads and plays with the same theme, and the legend of the twelve knights of Charlemagne in France are the most popular. In addition, the legend of Filipino knights also incorporates elements of local folklore, such as "The Life of the Lazy Juan, son of Fabio and Sofia of the Kingdom of Portugal", which features the lazy Juan as the protagonist. Lazy Juan is a witty character in Philippine folk literature, and his story genre is also common in Southeast Asian folk literature traditions. The borrowing of this story type is very obvious in the legend of the Philippine knights, such as "Juan and Maria, Brothers and Sisters of the Kingdom of Spain" and "The Tragic Experience of a Father and Son in the Kingdom of Spain: The Son Selling His Body to Bury His Father", which follow the creative conventions of the Philippine knight legend and are narrated according to the plot paradigm of local folk stories. Damiana Eugenio analyzed the plots of 50 Philippine knight legends in her book "Avit and Crido", listing and categorizing the themes involved in each work, showing the close relationship between local legends and their exotic origins or similar stories, and reflecting the changes experienced by these stories when they were rewritten in the Philippines. Although the Legend of the Philippine Knights directly selects many famous myths and legends as its themes, it also forms new plots based on the rich themes of folk literature, which not only has the characteristics of standardization and typification, but also reflects the diversity of story content.

4、 Towards Life: The Path of Spreading Knight Legends

The dissemination path of the legend of the Philippine knights is deeply influenced by folk literature, and its written texts have oral narrative characteristics, with the plot mostly derived from folk literature materials. However, the Legend of Knights is not just a written folk literature, it is also a product of 19th century Philippine print culture, including literary works by writers. As a representative of knightly legends, 'Florent and Lara' showcases the literary characteristics of the author. The author Baragetas emphasizes individuality and originality in the work, anticipating that the work will be widely circulated and hoping to protect its original meaning. The plot of this work is original, the rhetorical techniques are innovative, and it meets the needs of readers in emerging cultures. In the first half of the 19th century, the changing political and economic situation in the Philippines, the shift in Spanish colonial policies, and the prosperity of cultural institutions and commodities promoted the emergence of professional writers. Local artists such as Balagatas use printed versions of Knight Legends to innovate and help explore new social relationships. Although knight legendary works have literary characteristics of writers, their dissemination mechanism still reflects the function of folk literature. They are spread in daily life through oral recitation and theatrical performances, achieving social functions such as lyricism and preaching.

5、 Conclusion

By analyzing the folk literary origins of the legendary Philippine knights, it is proposed that their written textual attributes are not the criteria for judging literary works. Works such as Bernardo Capio demonstrate formulaic expression and story structure, inheriting the rules of epic creation in the pre colonial period of the Philippines. The Legend of the Philippine Knights absorbed world folk literature materials, including direct appropriation of European mythology and local folklore, as well as piecing together related but different types of stories. These works may be the author's records and re creations of folk oral literature. The transmission path of the legend of the Philippine knights indicates that it is not an elite culture, but a cultural product shared by people from all walks of life. In the 19th century, the colonial Philippines saw the emergence of a reader group and writer genre that pursued high art, but the improvement of the aesthetic quality of knightly legends did not establish new barriers between different audience groups. Even elegant works will return to the daily use of the public in the form of oral transmission. The legend of the Philippine knights combines the characteristics of both literary and folk literature, and its folk literary origins inspire us to abandon the inherent concept of "elegance and vulgarity" when evaluating it, and comprehensively grasp its creative characteristics. The connection between knight legends and folk literature in terms of narrative patterns and story content endows them with research value, bringing them into the field of world literary research. The real-life dissemination scenarios and practical social functions ensure the popularity and influence of the knight legend, providing important references for interpreting the popular culture of the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.