romancero, collective body of Spanish folk ballads (romances), which constitute a unique tradition of European balladry. They resemble epic poetry in their heroic, aristocratic tone, their themes of battle and honour, and their pretense to historicity; but they are, nevertheless, ballads, compressed dramatic narratives sung to a tune.
It was once thought that they were the source of such 12th-century Spanish epics as El cantar de mío Cid (“The Song of the Cid”). Now they are believed to be the successors of the epic tradition; the earliest known date from the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Some ballads are brief dramatizations of episodes from known epics. They frequently deal with conflicts or amours between Spaniards and Moors or with the Arthurian or Charlemagne legends. Unlike the folk poetry of England, Scandinavia, or Germany, which followed a tradition independent of the national literatures, the ballads form a continuous link in the chain of tradition from the earliest Spanish vernacular literature to the literature of the 20th century. As the sourcebook of national history and national character of Spaniards of all classes, they lie at the heart of the national consciousness. They inspired many of the poems, dramas, and novels by the masters of Spanish literature and remain the chosen medium for popular narrative verse.