Epic Poems and Heroes

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Epic Poems and Heroes
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Famous Epics and Their Heroes

• The Iliad
• Beowulf
• Song of Roland
• El Cid
• Paradise Lost
• Lord of the Rings?

• Achilles, Odysseus, Agamemnon
• Beowulf
• Roland
• El Cid
• God, Satan?
• Frodo and friends?

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Basic Definition of an Epic

• An epic is usually defined as a very long
  narrative poem composed in a lofty style that
  tells a story of a hero and his adventures on a
  grand scale.

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The Big 7

• Most epic heroes possess most or all of 7
  general characteristics you can use to help you
  decide if a character is, indeed, an epic hero or
  heroine.

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Trait 1 A Noble Birth

• Most epic heroes will have an above average
  station in life.
• They will be kings, princes, or nobles of some
  sort.
• Commoners usually do not become epic heroes.

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Trait 2 Capable of deeds of great strength and
courage

• Basically, this means the hero has the potential
  for great deeds.
• The magnitude of these actions are well above and
  beyond what the commoner does.
• While most epic heroes are good, not all are.

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Trait 3 Great Warrior

• Before the hero of an epic does his business in
  the epic, he has usually established himself in
  combat during a war.
• Sometimes, as in The Iliad, we see the hero at
  war.
• In most, like Beowulf and The Odyssey, the hero
  has spent much time in battle.

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Trait 4 Travels Over a Vast Setting

• Simply put, you cannot be an epic hero if you
  stay in your village your whole life.
• The more countries or areas traveled to, the
  better. The farther away from your own country,
  the better.
• Distance makes the heros actions greater because
  they arent selfish they are for another country
  or people.

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Trait 5 National Heroism

• Before a hero can be celebrated by countries the
  world over, he must first be recognized in his
  home country as a great and heroic person.

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Trait 6 Humility

• Even as the rest of the world recognizes the
  great deeds of the hero, he is never a braggart
  or even willing to take applause.
• He commits his deeds because he knows they need
  doing, and the fame and rewards that he receives
  are only a matter of course, not the reason for
  completing his quests.

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Trait 7 Faces Supernatural Foes and/or Receives
Supernatural Help

• Most epic heroes either receive aid from a god or
  goddess or battle some superhuman enemy.
• This is what makes a heros action epic they
  fight something mere mortals cannot battle.
  Beowulf has his Grendel Odysseus his Cyclops.
• For each hero, the enemy is unique. You wont
  see two heroes battling the same foe.

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Staznoski Principle

• To prove he is truly larger than life, authors
  often introduced other characters who were fated
  to die.

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But what was an aspiring author to do?
Especially if nobody can read!
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Epics An Oral Tradition

• Many epics were not originally written down by
  their authors.
• Instead, they were memorized and retold or sung
  by wandering entertainers.
• Some sections of epics were retold from time to
  time. It helped the storyteller learn the epic
  and also caught up any audience member who may
  have missed a part.

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The Storytellers

• These entertainers also served to bring news from
  other areas. Often, if a heroic deed had
  occurred in the area, it might be blended into
  the stories he told.
• The names changed by area
• Scop (pronounced shope) in Anglo-Saxon lands
• Troubadours in France
• Minnesingers in Germany

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Changing Stories

• Other influences also played a part in changing
  the epics.
• The text of Beowulf shows both Norse pagan belief
  and Christianity, often in the same line.
• This may have evolved as the storytellers
  encountered villages with different beliefs.

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Writing it Down

• When these stories which had been orally passed
  on were finally written down, they were also
  subject to many changes.
• Mistakes in translations
• Misunderstanding out-of-date slang
• Political correctness
• or even intentional changes in the text

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Christianizing the Old Text

• Some parts of epics, including Beowulf, seem not
  to match the style of the rest of the text.
• Other areas seem to be as if a narrator feels the
  need to stop and make a comment.
• Much of these areas involve various comments and
  concepts of Christianity.
• It is likely that some monks, while copying
  texts, put in their own views about their work.

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Epic Conventions

• Opening states theme, invokes muse
• The plot begins in medias res in the middle of
  things.
• Catalogues of warriors, ships, armies, battles,
  etc.
• Formal speeches that are serious in tone and
  lofty in style

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Language and Style

• Epics are filled with rich, descriptive language
  about exciting action.
• Epic similes long comparisons
• Alliteration
• Kennings