Download Collection Nine Epics and Myths

English I
Rahman
 Epics are long narrative poems that tell of the
adventure of heroes who in some way embody the
values of their civilizations.
 Found in many cultures and share these characteristics
 A physically impressive hero of national or historical
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importance
A vast setting
A quest or journey undertaken in search of something of
value
The involvement of supernatural forces
A basis in a specific culture or society
Characters struggling against fate
 Many ancient epics were sung or spoken by
generations of anonymous storytellers
 Changed slightly with each retelling
 Unlike literary epics, which were created by
individuals
 Most epics include poetic elements
 Figurative language
 Repetition of certain images and phrases
 Epic heroes are exceptional people who undertake
difficult quests or journeys to achieve something of
tremendous value to themselves or their people
 Epic heroes represent the values of society, this is the
center of every epic (i.e. Greek hospitality)
 Epic heroes experience many obstacles, conflicts along
the way—both external and internal
 Most epic heroes have a foil, a character that stands in
stark contrast to another character (i.e. Eurylochus’
weakness of character contrasts with Odysseus’
strength of character)
 Myths are stories that are nearly always religious
 Most cultures have myths that explain natural
phenomena such as seasonal changes, fire, lightning,
drought, floods, and death
 Myths also teach moral lessons, explain history, and
express the deepest fears and hopes of the human race
 Myths describe rivalries among the gods and the
consequences of disobedience to higher powers
 The characters in some myths have notable
characteristics or traits
 Native American myths—Coyote is a trickster who is
always causing trouble
 Several myths feature horrible animals and monsters
with terrifying strength that are difficult to escape form
or to subdue (i.e. Norse Mythology—Fenris Wolf; Greek
Mythology—the Cyclops)
 As in epics, many myths tell about gods and goddesses
who frequently interact with humans, sometimes
testing or playing with humans as if they were chess
pieces on a board
 Some events cause other things to happen
 The consequence, or result, of a cause is called an
effect
 To understand an epic or myth, it is important to pay
attention to how the narrative is built on a series of
causes and effects
 Why do heroes fight monsters?
 What can happen as a result?
**Remember that not all effects have a single cause and
that some causes have more than one effect
 Epic similes extend comparisons between something
that the audience cannot have seen and something
ordinary that they would know
 Scylla grabbing Odysseus’ men and holding them high
in the air compared to a fisherman catching a fish and
holding it in the air
 Summarizing—stating the narrative’s most important
events— “Somebody Wanted But So” chart on 1016
 Draw conclusions—you sift through the details of a
narrative to make connections and form an opinion,
see page 1017