Epic

1. A long narrative poem of grand scope, style, and t h e m e . Epics vary in size, but are generally quite long (too long to be told at one go by the bard, for example), in order to accomodate a plot of scope and importance, giving the effect of "epic grandeur."

2. Recounts the exploits in "historical time" of a HERO (or group of heroes), a larger-than-life figure whose character traits are the stylized ideals of a people.

3. Through its hero(es) and events the epic expresses the character, ideals, morals, and religious thought of a particular tribe, or nation at a given time in history, often including the origin or founding of a society.

4. Traditionally, the grand style of epic includes singing or chanting, verse form with set line length, and frequent use of formulae, epithets, and descriptive tags.

5. Traditional epics are "owned" by trained BARDS (griots, rhapsodes) who sing them on special occasions. While everyone of the tribe or nation knows the plot of the epic, only bards are able to deliver the whole epic in the proper style (See #4 and the article by Lord).

6. Traditional or folk epics are orally composed, but literary epics also exist (e.g., Milton's Paradise Lost) .