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An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants.
The defining characteristics of the genre are mostly derived from its roots in ancient poetry (epic poems such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey). An epic is not limited to the traditional medium of oral poetry, but has expanded to include modern mediums including film, theater, television shows, novels, and video games. [1]
Mu'allaqat, Arabic poems written by seven poets in Classical Arabic, these poems are very similar to epic poems and specially the poem of Antarah ibn Shaddad; Parsifal by Richard Wagner (opera, composed 1880–1882) Pasyón, Filipino religious epic, of which the 1703 and 1814 versions are popular; Popol Vuh, history of the K'iche' people
The locus classicus for oral-formulaic poetry, however, was established by the work of Parry and his student Lord, not on oral recitation of Homer (which no longer was practiced), but on the (similar) Albanian, Bosnian and Serbian oral epic poetry in the Balkans, where oral-formulaic composition could be observed and recorded ethnographically.
Ancient Greek ἐπύλλιον (epyllion) is the diminutive of ἔπος (epos) in that word's senses of "verse" or "epic poem"; Liddell and Scott's Greek–English Lexicon thus defines ἐπύλλιον as a "versicle, scrap of poetry" or "short epic poem", citing for the latter definition Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 2.68 (65a–b): [1]
A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks to or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with aspirations to independence or autonomy.
Shahnameh, the national epic of Greater Iran and world's longest epic poetry written by one poet; Mem and Zin, a Kurdish folk and love epic; Sirat Bani Hilal, an Arabic epic recounting the journeys and conquests of the Bani Hilal tribe; One Thousand and One Nights, also known as "the Arabian Nights", is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. [1] It includes both print and digital writing. [2] In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed.