Prepared By : Movina Anbumaniam

&
Priyadhaarshini
Magendran
 Definition
 A long poem that tells the deeds and
adventures of heroic or legendary figures, or
the history of a nation.
 The hero is usually the representative of the
values of a certain culture, race, nation or a
religious group on whose victor of failure the
destiny of the whole nation or group depends.

 An epic usually starts with an invocation to

muse, but then picks up the threads of the story
from the middle and moves on to the end.
Characteristics of Epic Poem

 Epics are written as long, narrative poems or use

lofty, poetic language.
 Heroes in the story have qualities that the
culture as a whole values.
 Heroes in the story are important people of
high standing in society.
 The setting is vast: heroes go on a journey.
 There are gods or supernatural forces involved
in the story.
 The epic is based on stories that were told as
part of a culture’s oral tradition.

 The Hero is often a god or son of a god.

 The story is often about the founding of a

nation.

 The story often involves a war or battles

against monsters.
 Examples of Epics
 The Iliad and Odyssey (Ancient Greek)
 The Aeneid (Ancient Roman)
 Gilgamesh (Ancient Mesopotamian)
 The Ramayana (Ancient Indian)
 Beowulf (Medieval English)
 The Edda(Medieval Icelandic)
 Jewang Ungi (Medieval Korean)
 Journey to the West (Medieval Chinese)
 The Tale of the Heike (Medieval Japanese)
 Difference Between An Epic and A Ballad
A ballad is shorter in length than an epic, while it is
composed to be
sung on some occasions, and not narrated.
Most of the ballads have unknown origin and source and
usually pass on
orally from generations to generations.
An epic poem tells a story, but about the heroic ideals of a
specific
society.
The actual difference between the two is the length and
the fact that
one is usually meant to be sung, while the other is to be