The document discusses the characteristics of epic poems and epic heroes. An epic is a long narrative poem that recounts the deeds of aristocratic heroes significant to a nation's development and passed down orally for generations. Epics feature a larger-than-life hero whose actions involve superhuman feats in a vast setting involving supernatural forces. The epic hero embodies the ideals of his people and his fate affects their destiny. Beowulf is provided as an example of the oldest known English epic poem.

1. Beowulf and the Epic Hero

2. Epic
 Long narrative poem
 Aristocratic persons involved in a series of actions
usually significant in the development of a nation
 Always germane (fitting/relevant) to the subject
 Larger than life hero unifies the action
 Passed by word of mouth from generation to
generation
 Viewed as early history of peoples
 Finally written down
 Cultural records of societies

3. Epic Form
 Hero has heroic and/or superhuman qualities
 Poetic lines, formal tone
 Supernatural forces such as gods, angels, and
demons are present—interest selves in the action
and intervene form time to time
 Setting is vast in scope, covering great nations, the
world or the universe (upper/lower worlds)

4. Epic Form
 Actions consists of deeds of great valor or
requiring superhuman courage
 Begins in media res
 Long time periods/journeys
 Life and death struggle between good and evil

5. Conventions of an Epic
 Opens with a theme
 Invokes a Muse for inspiration
 Catalogs of warriors and ships
 Style is sustained elevation and grand simplicity
 Epic poet recounts the deeds of heroes with
objectivity
 Extended speeches by epic hero

6. Examples
 Illiad
 Odyssey
 Song of Roland
 Aenid
 Divine Comedy

7. Literary Devices
 Epithet
 A word or brief phrase used to characterize a person,
place or thing
 Richard the Lionheart
 Gray-eyed Athena
 Gandolf the Gray
 Kenning
 A descriptive figure of speech that takes the place of a
common noun, especially in Norse/Anglo-Saxon poetry
 Sea=whale road
 King=ring-giver

8. Epic Hero
 Always male in traditional epics
 High social status
 Fate affects his people’s destiny
 Rarely modest, boasting common
 Embodies ideals and values of his people

9. Beowulf
 Oldest known epic
 About the Danes and Geats
 Also includes Swedes, Frisians, Franks, Heathobards
 Beowulf a creation of the poet
 No record of his actual existance