Kent-Drury
English 206/202
The Greek literary works, the Iliad and the Odyssey, spoken of as written by Homer (though no one knows if he actually existed), are classified by literary scholars as classical epics. Beowulf is usually classified as a Norse saga, a similar heroic genre that existed in Scandinavia. Like Greek epic, Norse saga existed in oral tradition, before it was written down sometime around 900 C.E. (CE is the abbreviation historians use for the common era, or years since the birth of Christ) by a monk in Mercia, an inland region in central England.
An epic is a long narrative poem about a noble hero, often with superhuman qualities, upon whose fate depends the fate of a nation or a people. It is expansive, involves long journeys, takes place over a long period of time. The language is elevated and formal.
Epic conventions include the following:
Other concepts:
Oral-formulaic poetry—poetry that was composed & recited orally, in which the poet used certain formulaic variations (or "ornamental epithets"), each with a particular metric structure, that helped the poet improvise and compose poetry in the appropriate meter. Consequently, the "text" of the poem varies every time it is delivered.
For example, the following formulas from the Iliad:
In epic and Norse saga, variations often appear in the naming conventions applied to characters. Beowulf, for instance, is Beowulf, but he is also the son of Ecgtheow, and he is the kinsman of Hygelac. You may find him referred to by these and other names. Such variation was considered ornamental and the sign of a good poet.