Terms in this set (8)

Homer is a Greek epic poet, the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Ancient Greeks revered Homer and considered him the first and greatest of all epic poets.

It was the Greeks who first defined the protagonist known as an epic hero. An epic hero must be a man whose fortune is brought about by his own admired characteristics. Many of the famous Greek Epic Poems, such as The Odyssey and The Iliad, contain these larger-than-life heroes and their deeds.

• Trait 1: A Noble Birth.
• Trait 2: Capable of deeds of great strength and courage.
• Trait 3: Great Warrior.
• Trait 4: Travels Over a Vast Setting.
• Trait 5: National Heroism.
• Trait 6: Humility.
• Trait 7: Faces Supernatural Foes and/or Recieves Supernatural Help.
• Tragic Hero.

The eight elements of an Epic Hero Cycle are: (1) the main character has to be possessed of supernatural abilities; (2) the hero is charged with a quest; (3) the hero is tested, often to prove the worthiness of himself and his quest; (4) the presence of numerous mythical beings, magical and helpful animals, and human …

Characteristics

• The hero is outstanding.
• The setting is large.
• The action is made of deeds of great valour or requiring superhuman courage.
• Supernatural forces—gods, angels, demons—insert themselves in the action.
• It is written in a very special style (verse as opposed to prose).
• The poet tries to remain objective.

1. A long narrative poem on a great. and serious subject. 2. Narrated in an elevated style, and centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe, a nation, or the human race.

Epic, long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds, although the term has also been loosely used to describe novels, such as Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and motion pictures, such as Sergey Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible. In literary usage, the term encompasses both oral and written compositions.

Harry Potter has impacted hundreds of millions of lives worldwide, and this epic impact reflects the undeniable fact that it is, truly, epic literature.

Types of Epic. There are two main types of epic: folk and literary. Folk epic is an old form of epic poem that was originally told in oral form. In the literary epic, the poet invents the story, while the folk epic is bases on the mythology of the locality, like folklore for example.

noun. a prophecy, often obscure or allegorical, revealed through the medium of a priest or priestess at the shrine of a god. a shrine at which an oracular god is consulted. an agency through which a prophecy is transmitted. any person or thing believed to indicate future action with infallible authority.

The myth is based on a real king The real Gilgamesh was thought to have ruled the city of Uruk, in modern day Iraq, sometime between 2,800 and 2,500 B.C. Over hundreds of years, legends and myths were built up around his actual deeds, and these became the Epic of Gilgamesh!

Epic of Gilgamesh