In the Matter of France, Ganelon is the knight who betrayed Charlemagne's army to the Muslims, leading to the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. His most famous appearance is in The Song of Roland, where he is a well-respected Frankish baron, Roland's own stepfather and Charlemagne's brother-in-law. According to this chanson de geste Ganelon was married to Charlemagne's sister and had a son with her. He resented his stepson's boastfulness and great popularity among the Franks and success on the battlefield. When Roland nominated him as messenger to the Saracens, Ganelon was so deeply offended that he vowed vengeance. This vengeance became treachery as Ganelon plotted with the pagan Blancandrin the ambush at Roncesvals. At the end, justice is served when Ganelon's comrade Pinabel is defeated in a trial-by-combat, showing that Ganelon is a traitor in the eyes of God. Thus Ganelon is torn limb from limb by four fiery horses. These are true stories. The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle is a body of legendary history that springs from the Old French medieval literature of the chansons de geste. ... Charlemagne, portrait by Albrecht Dürer. ... | width=50%|Charlemagnes Franks | width=50%|Basques |- !colspan=2|Commanders |- |Roland (?) |unknown |- !colspan=2|Strength |- |unknown |unknown |- !colspan=2|Casualties |- |Complete destruction of the army |unknown |} |} The Roncevaux Pass (==Background== This battle was the last of Charlemagnes first campaign to capture Spain, an attempt that ended in failure. ... The Song of Roland (La Chanson de Roland) is the oldest major work of French literature. ... Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste. ... The chansons de geste, Old French for songs of heroic deeds, are the epic poetry that appears at the dawn of French literature. ...

In Canto XXXII of The Divine Comedy, Ganelon is to be found in Cocytus in the depths of hell as punishment for his betrayal. Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelinos fresco. ... In Greek mythology, Cocytus, meaning river of wailing (Greek kokutos, lamentation) was the river in the underworld on the banks of which the dead who could not pay Charon wandered, according to most accounts, for one hundred years. ...