*BEOWULF -- AN ANGLO-SAXON EPIC

Belief in a hero has always been an important article in the social and political faith of the Germanic peoples, whether they were Christian or not. The fact that such a hero could be related to the figure of Christ no doubt attracted the sympathy of many a cleric toward heroic legends. Almost certainly the one who first cast the epic Beowulf legend into coherent and artistic form and wrote it down in the language we now call Old English was a Christian cleric who was evidently Norse in his sympathies and interests, if not in his nationality. This unknown author, who flourished probably in the first half of thighth century, is known as the Beowulf Poet. It is generally supposed that Beowulf was a heroic Scandinavian epic legend, a story of the type the scop chanted to the warriors assembled in the great hall. The only surviving full-length heroic epic in Old English, Beowulf tells of Scandinavian kings and heroes. Its presence in Anglo-Saxon England can be explained simply by saying that the Viking Danes brought the legend to England, or that it may derive from classical sources. However, legendry of this type is common to all Germanic nations. The probabilities are strong that there were extant on the Continent a large number of epics comparable in length and scope to Beowulf which have unfortunately been lost, either because they were not lucky enough to survive the destructiveness of time or because no one ever wrote them down.In Beowulf a truly non-Christian story of monsters and mighty sea beasts and fire dragons is blended, although rather incongruously, with serious thoughts about the dispensations of a wise God, the necessity for praying to a Christian deity, the fate that will befall the evil, and the reward that is promised to the righteous. Through the story stalks the impressive and noble figure of Beowulf, in whom pagan fatalism mingles strangely with Christian qualities. The Beowulf Poet possessed a sense of drama, an ear for music, and the power to create effective word-pictures. There is no end rhyme, but by regularly dividing each line into two parts and by extensive use of alliteration, the poet achieved a rhythmic, musical effect. Most striking is his use of kennings, poetic synonyms that are often metaphorical compounds. They-were probably drawn from a large stock of formula-phrases characteristic of Anglo-Saxon verse. Thus the king is the "ringgiver," the rough sea is the "whaleroad," the smooth sea is the "swan-road," the boat is the "wave-rider," the dragon is the "shadow-walker," and the ocean is "the mingling of the waves." Beowulf is an epic --a long narrative poem presented in an elevated style, relating the heroic deeds of noble or semidivine personages. Like other traditional or folk epics (for example, the Iliad and the Odyssey), Beowulf originated in traditional tales or legend back to a remote past and handed doorally by generations of bards or singers. At some point, a literary artist put all the materials together in written form. Literary epics developed later and were modeled on the traditional epics. Certain features are associated with the epic. The characters are of noble birth, or they are supernatural beings from the past. If for any reason a person of lower estate is introduced, the person's name is never mentioned. The action is on an immense scale and involves the fate of a whole people or even the entire human race. Gods or supernatural creatures come to the aid of one side or another. Certain devices also recur. The author usually announces his theme at the opening and calls on the muses to help him in his task of narration. The poem usually begins at a critical point in the action. The style is noble and majestic; the characters speak ceremoniously in long set speeches. Literary inventories -- listings and descriptions of characters or objects -often form part of the descriptive passages.Such features and devices became so predictable that there developed a kind of antiepic, a literary form known as mock epic. The mock epic uses all the epic elements in wrong or bizarre ways in order to make them seem ridiculous.

*The Song of Roland (French: La Chanson de Roland) is the oldest surviving major work
of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in the 12th to 14th centuries. The oldest of these is the Oxford manuscript which contains a text of some 4004 lines (the number varies slightly in different modern editions) and is usually dated to the middle of the twelfth century (between 1140 and 1170). The epic poem is the first and most outstanding example of the chanson de geste, a literary form that flourished between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries and celebrated the legendary deeds of a hero. The poem is written in stanzas of irregular length known as laisses. The lines are decasyllabic (containing ten syllables), and each is divided by a strong caesura which generally falls after the fourth syllable. The last stressed syllable of each line in a laisse has the same vowel sound as every other end-syllable in that laisse. The laisse is therefore an assonal, not a rhyming stanza.On a narrative level, the Song of Roland features extensive use of repetition, parallelism, andthesis-antithesis pairs. Unlike later Renaissance and Romantic literature, the poem focuses on action rather than introspection. The author gives few explanations for characters' behavior. The warriors are stereotypes defined by a few salient traits; for example, Roland is loyal and trusting while Ganelon, though brave, is traitorous and vindictive.The story moves at a fast pace, occasionally slowing down and recounting the same scene up to three times but focusing on different details or taking a different perspective each time. The effect is similar to a film sequence shot at different angles so that new and more important details come to light with each shot. A Latin poem, Carmen de Prodicione Guenonis, was composed around 1120, and a Latin prose version, Historia Caroli Magni (often known as "The Pseudo-Turpin") even earlier. Around 1170, a version of the French poem was translated into the Middle High German Rolandslied byKonrad der Pfaffe (possible author also of the Kaiserchronik). In his translation Konrad replaces French topics with generically Christian ones. The work was translated into Middle Dutch in the 13th century. It was also rendered into Occitan verse in the 14th or 15th century poem ofRonsasvals, which incorporates the later, southern aesthetic into the story. An Old Norse version of the Song of Roland exists asKarlamagns saga, and a translation into the artificial literary language of Franco-Venetian is also known; such translations contributed to the awareness of the story in Italy. In 1516 Ludovico Ariosto published his epic Orlando Furioso, which deals largely with characters first described in the Song of Roland. There is also Faroese adoption of this ballad named "Runtsivalstri"(Battle of Roncevaux). The ballad is one of many sung during theFaroese folkdance tradition of chain dancing. Siegfried, son of King Sigmund, hears of the beautiful sister of Gunter, King of Worms, Kriemhild. On his way to Worms, he kills a dragon and finds a treasure, the Hort. He helps Gunther to win Krimhild, a mask that makes him invisible proves to be very useful. But because Brunhild is cursing Kriemhild, she tells her what really happened. Now Brunhild wants Siegfried's head. Is Gunther going to do her that favor? Written by Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tumuenchen.de>

*SIEGFRIED- The magnificent poetic saga of Siegfried is told through seven cantos: Canto 1:
How Siegfried Slayed the Dragon: Siegfried, the son of King Siegmund, forges a sharp sword and hears stories from the locals about Princess Kriemhild. He decides to go to Worms to win Kriemhild. Along his journey, he kills a dragon and baths in its blood to become invincible. Canto 2: How Bolker, the Bard, Sang of Siegfried in Front of Kriemhild and How Siegfried Came in Worms: Siegfried fights and defeats the dwarf King of the Realm of the Nibelungen Alberich that

was wearing his wonder cap that makes the user unseen or in whatever form he wishes. Alberich asks Siegfried to spare his life and in return he gives the Treasure of the Nibelungen and the Balmung sword. Siegfried makes twelve kings as his vassals, and when he asks the hand of Kriemhild to her weak brother King of Burgundy Gunther, he advises that he would accept is Siegfried helps him to win the strong Queen of Iceland Brunhild. Canto 3: How Siegfried Won Brunhild for Gunther: Siegfried wears the invisible helmet and helps Gunther to win Brunhild in the proofs of throwing stones and spear and jumping. Canto 4: How Brunhild Enters Worms and How the King Celebrate Their Wedding: Brunhild tells Gunther that she is her captive but not his bride. Gunther asks Siegfried to help him again in his wedding night, and Siegfried takes his form and accidentally brings Brunhild's armlet with him. Canto 5: How After Half a Year, Siegfried's Gift to His Bride, The Nibelungen Treasure, Arrives in Worms and How the Two Queens Quarrel With Each Other: When Kriemhild finds Brunhild's armlet, Siegfried tells her how her brother won the queen. While going to the mass, Kriemhild and Brunhild quarrel and the offended Kriemhild discloses the truth to her brother's wife. Canto 6: How Gunther Betrayed Siegfried: Brunhild lies to Gunther and tells him that she lost her virginity with Siegfried. Gunther organizes boar hunting in the Odenwald Forest and asks Hagen Tronje to slain Siegfried. Hagen lures Kriemhild and she tells the vulnerable part of Siegfried's body where the lime leaf has fallen. Brunhild fasts, Gunther betrays Siegfried, and Hagen impales him with a spear. Canto 7: How Kriemhild Swears Revenge to Hagen Tronje: Brumhild tells Gunther that she lied and he killed his only loyal friend. Then she dies of starvation. Kriemhild swears revenge to Hagen. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *ILIAD AND ODDYSEY- Published sometime between 800 and 600 BC, the Odyssey is, along with the Iliad, one of the best known, and most stupendously awesome, works of ancient literature make that anyliterature. To fully appreciate its awesomeness, youll have to read it for yourself Shmoops just here to make it a smoother ride. First, though, we can fill you in on some background information. Being an ancient epic, the Odyssey was originally composed in the classic oral tradition ofnot being written at all. Well, at least thats what some scholars think, pointing to how the poems use of repetition echoes that of oral poets, who used repetition as a memory aid. On the other hand, if Homer did compose it on paper, wouldnt it make sense for him to imitate the style of the oral poetry before him? Its your call; the jurys still out on this one. (For more information on this debate, check out our guide to the Iliad.) But this is missing the point. What really matters is the amazing power of Homers poem, which you now get to experience for yourself. On one level, the Odyssey is a sequel to the Iliad but dont let any prejudice about sequels throw you off. Really, the two poems are more like night and day they complement each other, and are equally great. That said, to echo Bob Dylan, the author of these poems can definitely take the dark out of the nighttime, / and paint the daytime black. Even though theIliad is all about war and suffering, it still finds time for moments of profound humanity. Meanwhile, the Odyssey, which is all about Odysseuss crazy adventures on his way back home from war, never lets us forget that, for him, most of those adventures involve a lot of suffering. Also, you dont have to read the Iliad first the Odyssey itself fills you in on most of the relevant background background information, though you might want to refresh your memory of the Trojan War, if youre feeling a bit rusty. (Unfortunately, watching the movieTroy doesnt count.) One more thing: if you havent already stopped reading this introduction and picked up Homers book, just think of all the generations of readers who have felt that the Odysseyspeaks to them. Many of these readers have gone on to create their own, original artworks inspired by Homers epic. In

this category, youve got Virgils epic poem the Aeneid; Alfred Lord Tennysons poem Ulysses; James Joyces novel, Ulysses; countless paintings (check out Henry Fuselis Odysseus in front of Scylla and Charybdis); Creams song Tales of Brave Ulysses; the Cohen Brothers movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the list goes on. Whether youre most interested in literature, visual art, music, or movies, youve got to read Homers Odyssey to see where everybodys getting their ideas.

*THE VOLK SUNGA SAGA- The Vlsungasaga (often referred to in English as the Volsunga Saga or Saga of the Vlsungs) is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Vlsung clan (including the story of Sigurd and Brynhild and destruction of the Burgundians). It is largely based on epic poetry. The earliest known pictorial representation of this tradition is the Ramsund carving, Sweden, which was created c. 1000 AD.The origins of the material are considerably older, however, and it echoes real events in Central Europe during the Migration period. On the other hand, the only manuscript of the saga, Ny kgl. Saml. 1824 b 4to, which is held by the Royal Library of Denmark, dates to about 1400. In this manuscript, the saga leads straight in to Ragnars saga lobrkar.The Middle High German epic poem Nibelungenlied is based largely on the old stories, which were commonly known in all of the Germanic lands from the early Middle Ages on, but reworks the material into a courtly medieval setting.

Among the more notable adaptations of this text are Richard Wagner's operatic tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Ernest Reyer's opera Sigurd, William Morris's epic poem The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs, and J.R.R.Tolkien's The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun.
* MAHABHARATA AND RAMAYANA- The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the ancient epic poems written in Sanskrit and till date have been a cannon in Hindu religion INDIAN mythology consists of tales of gods, the devas and the asuras. However, there are only two famous epics for the Hindus. They are the The Mahabarath and Ramayana.The Mahabharata is a book written by the poet Vyasa. It is the epic tale of a quarrel between the Pandavas and the Kauravas that culminated in a fight.Ramayana Sanskrit epic by Valmiki, based on the story of Rama, son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. The epic is divided into seven episodes or parts. The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the ancient epic poems written in Sanskrit and till date have been a cannon in Hindu religion. The Puranas is a colossal collection of verse style of the many gods and goddesses followed by the religion. Kalidasa is one of the famous poets documented of the centuries gone by and has written two epics himself, the Raghuvansha (i.e. the dynasty of Raghu) and Kumarasambhava (i.e. the of Kumar Kartikeya). The language used here was the classical Sanskrit. The main language in princely state of India being Sanskrit, most of it was documented in this language. This language too had three periods in its life the Classical Sanskrit, the Vedic Sanskrit and the Shrauta Sutras. Hence an in-depth study of the language is needed for those who want to delve into the epics of India. The Mahabharata is an epic written by poet Vyasa. It is about the life and the battles between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The Ramayana was written by Valmiki on the life of Lord Rama. The epic is divided into 7 series right from the birth to the travels of Lord Rama and his wins over evil. The main message from these two great epics lie broadly on righteousness, good conduct, dharma, fearlessness, dedication and duty i.e. the good qualities one should base their life upon.
The Kannada epic stories revolve around Jain tradition. Adikavi Pampa (902 975 CE) is the most well known poet in Kannada literature. He has written the Pampa Bharata, Adipurana, and translated the Mahabharata in Kannada making it available for the common man. The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the ancient epic poems written in Sanskrit and till date

have been a cannon in Hindu religion. The Puranas is a colossal collection of verse style of the many gods and goddesses followed by the religion. Kalidasa is one of the famous poets documented of the centuries gone by and has written two epics himself, the Raghuvansha (i.e. the dynasty of Raghu) and Kumarasambhava (i.e. the of Kumar Kartikeya). The language used here was the classical Sanskrit. The main language in princely state of India being Sanskrit, most of it was documented in this language. This language too had three periods in its life the Classical Sanskrit, the Vedic Sanskrit and the Shrauta Sutras. Hence an in-depth study of the language is needed for those who want to delve into the epics of India. The Mahabharata is an epic written by poet Vyasa. It is about the life and the battles between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The Ramayana was written by Valmiki on the life of Lord Rama. The epic is divided into 7 series right from the birth to the travels of Lord Rama and his wins over evil. The main message from these two great epics lie broadly on righteousness, good conduct, dharma, fearlessness, dedication and duty i.e. the good qualities one should base their life upon. The Kannada epic stories revolve around Jain tradition. Adikavi Pampa (902 975 CE) is the most well known poet in Kannada literature. He has written the Pampa Bharata, Adipurana, and translated the Mahabharata in Kannada making it available for the common man. Other important books in Indian literature and religion include the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. The Gita is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, the warrior prince. It entails the deeds one has to accomplish on earth. It says that everyone has to give gratitude to the almighty and give some contribution to earth through his or her good deeds. However painful they may be, if you are assigned to a particular job, then you must complete it to enjoy the rewards when one passes away.

*ANEAD- The Aeneid ( /nid/; Latin: Aeneis [ajneis]the title is Greek in form:genitive
case Aeneidos) is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines indactylic hexameter. The first six of the poem's twelve books tell the story of Aeneas's wanderings from Troy to Italy, and the poem's second half tells of the Trojans' ultimately victorious war upon the Latins, under whose name Aeneas and his Trojan followers are destined to be subsumed. The hero Aeneas was already known to Greco-Roman legend and myth, having been a character in the Iliad, written in the 8th century BC. Virgil took the disconnected tales of Aeneas' wanderings, his vague association with the foundation of Rome and a personage of no fixed characteristics other than a scrupulous piety, and fashioned this into a compelling founding myth or nationalist epic that at once tied Rome to the legends of Troy, glorified traditional Roman virtues and legitimized the Julio-Claudian dynasty as descendants of the founders, heroes and gods of Rome and Troy.

STYLE- The Aeneid, like other classical epics, is written in dactylic hexameter: each line consists of six metrical feet made up of dactyls (one long syllable followed by two short syllables) and spondees (two long syllables). As with other classical Latin poetry, the meter is based on the length of syllables rather than the stress, though the interplay of meter and stress is also important. Virgil also incorporated such poetic devices as alliteration, onomatopoeia, synecdoche, and assonance.As was the rule in classical antiquity, an author's style was seen as an expression of his personality and character. Virgil's Latin has been praised for its evenness, subtlety and dignity. It is an open question whether these were also features characteristic of Virgil the man.

*FLORANTE AT LAURA- Florante at Laura (English: Florante and Laura)

by Francisco Baltazar (more famously known as Francisco Balagtas) is considered as one of the masterpieces of Philippine literature. Balagtas wrote the epic(although its main characters don't possess any extraordinary powers or abilities) during his imprisonment. The work itself is dedicated to Mara Asuncion Rivera, his sweetheart, whom he nicknamed "M. A. R." and is referenced to as "Selya" in the dedication "Kay Selya" ("For Celia"). Maria Asuncion Rivera was later married to Balagtas' rival, Mariano Capule, who later made false charges against him. Synopsis -The Story is about the love and determination of the Duke Florante and the Princess Laura of Albania while being pursued by The usurper Adolfo.

*EL-SID- Rodrigo Daz de Vivar (1043 July 10, 1099), known as El Cid Campeador (Spanish
pronunciation: [el

i kampeaor], "The lord-master of military arts"), was a Castilian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat. Exiled from the court of the Spanish Emperor Alfonso VI of Len and Castile, El Cid went on to command a Moorish force consisting of Muladis, Berbers, Arabs andMalians, under Yusuf al-Mu'taman ibn Hud, Moorish king of the northeast Al-Andalus city ofZaragoza, and his successor, Al-Mustain II. After the Christian defeat at the Battle of Sagrajas, El Cid was recalled to service by Alfonso VI, and commanded a combined Christian and Moorish army, which he used to create his own fiefdom in the Moorish Mediterranean coastal city of Valencia. Rodrigo Daz was educated in the royal court of Castile and became the alfrez, the chief general, of Alfonso VI, and his most valuable asset in the fight against the Moors.

*The Song of Hiawatha- is an 1855 epic poem, in trochaic tetrameter, by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, featuring an Indian hero and loosely based on legends and ethnography of the Ojibwe(Chippewa, Anishinaabeg) and other Native American peoples contained in Algic Researches (1839) and additional writings of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. In sentiment, scope, overall conception, and many particulars, Longfellow's poem is very much a work of American Romantic literature, not a representation of Native American oral tradition, despite Longfellow's insistence that "I can give chapter and verse for these legends. Their chief value is that they are Indian legends."[1]

Longfellow had originally planned on following Schoolcraft in calling his hero Manabozho, the name in use at the time among the Ojibwe of the south shore of Lake Superior for a figure of their folklore, atrickster-transformer. But in his journal entry for June 28, 1854, he wrote, "Work at 'Manabozho;' or, as I think I shall call it, 'Hiawatha' that being another name for the same personage."[2] Hiawatha was not, in fact, "another name for the same personage" (the mistaken identification was actually made by Schoolcraft then compounded by Longfellow), but a probable historical figure associated with the founding of the League of the Iroquois.[3] Because of the poem, however, "Hiawatha" came into use as a name for everything from towns to a telephone company in the western Great Lakes region where no Iroquois reside.[4]The poem was published on
November 10, 1855, and was an immediate success. In 1857, Longfellow calculated that it had sold 50,000 copies.[5] An 1890 edition featured illustrations by Frederic Remington, which although a rare book in the original, has been reprinted.