National epic

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A national epic is an epic poem or similar work which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation; not necessarily a nation-state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with aspirations to independence or autonomy. National epics frequently recount the origin of a nation, a part of its history, or a crucial event in the development of national identity such as other national symbols. In a broader sense, a national epic may simply be an epic in the national language which the people or government of that nation are particularly proud of.

Some consider the national epic to be a product of Romantic nationalism. Where no obvious national epic existed, the "Romantic spirit" was motivated to fill it. An early example of poetry that was invented to fill a perceived gap in "national" myth is Ossian, the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems by James Macpherson, which Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. However, many national epics (including Macpherson's Ossian) antedate 19th-century romanticism.

Examples of epics that have been enlisted as "national" include

Contents

[edit] Poetic epics

[edit] Americas

[edit] Asia

[edit] Europe

[edit] Prose epics

Some prose works, while not strictly epic poetry, have an important place in the national consciousness of their nations. These include the following:

[edit] See also

[edit] External Source

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