Epics are categorized as primary or secondary, with primary epics being orally transmitted and lacking an identifiable author. Both types share characteristics such as large settings, heroic combat, and godlike characters defending their culture. Epics often begin in the middle of the story and include lengthy lists of people and places. Homer’s conventions influenced later epics, with heroes on quests and possessing superhuman abilities but also a specific weakness. Stock epithets celebrate the hero’s qualities.
Epics are classified as primary folk epics or secondary epics and are sometimes referred to as literary epics. Primary epics have no individually identifiable author and are derived from centuries old oral traditions, while secondary epics are created by a single author whose style mimics popular epics. Some of the characteristics of epics shared by both types include large geographic settings, an opening that states the subject of the poem, and intense, heroic combat. Many epics also involve main characters with godlike powers or superhuman abilities who defend or extend their country’s national interests during times of war, reflecting the ideals of their culture.
Some of the characteristics of primary type epics include their creation by preliterate societies where the story is transmitted orally to the audience and from one narrator to another. These oral epics are usually composed of short episodes of similar length and importance to the general narrative, helping the narrator memorize the entire poem in time. The poem begins with the praeposito, a statement of the theme or purpose of the epic. Literary epics influenced by Greek mythology begin with an invocation to the muses, the nine daughters of Zeus. Epic poetry often begins in the middle of the story’s narrative arc, or en media res, by depicting the hero under great stress, and then uses flashbacks to tell the beginning of the story.
Long lists of people, places, and genealogies, known as enumeratio, are further features of epic poems. These lengthy recitations were intended both to give the poems a more universal appeal and to pay homage to the listeners’ ancestors. In many epics, the scope and time frame are vast. For example, in Homer’s Odyssey, the stories unfold over decades and span the entire known world of the Greeks. In epics, frequent repetition of slogans, heroes embodying the highest values \u200b\u200bof culture and divine intervention of the gods are often found.
The conventions established by Homer continued to influence the characteristics of epic poems long after his era. Often, the hero is on a long and arduous journey that includes a quest to obtain valuable artifacts or prizes. The hero is also usually of noble birth and may include gods or demigods among his ancestors. While heroes often possess superhuman abilities, their invulnerability to damage is often compromised by a specific weakness, such as an Achilles heel. Phrases such as “Enterprising Odysseus” are stock epithets that occur frequently throughout the epic and celebrate the hero’s greatest qualities.
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