List of world folk-epics
World folk-epics are those epics which are not just literary masterpieces but also an integral part of the weltanschauung of a people. They were originally oral literatures, which were later written down by either single author or several writers.
African languages
- Bayajidda, a West African epic
- Eri, a West African epic
- Lianja, a Central African epic
- Oduduwa, a West African epic
- Silamaka, a Western African epic
- Epic of Sundiata, a Western African epic
American languages
Asian languages
- La Galigo, also known as Sureq Galigo or La Galigo, is an epic creation myth of the Bugis people from South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Written in an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language, it is one of the longest epics in the world.
- Alpamysh, an epic of all of Middle Asia
- Bahman Nama, a Persian epic about the story of Bahman son of Isfandyar
- Banu Goshasp Nama, a Persian epic about the daughter of Rustam
- Bidasari, a Malay epic
- Biag ni Lam-Ang (Life of Lam-Ang), an epic of the Ilocano of northern Luzon, the Philippines
- Darangen, an epic of the Maranao of Mindanao, the Philippines. Derived from the Ramayana
- Epic of King Gesar, a Tibetan epic, generally considered the longest in the world
- Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest epic of the world from Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean world
- Faramarz Nama, a story about the Persian hero Faramarz
- Garshasp Nama, a Persian epic about the heroe Garshasp
- Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike), a Japanese epic
- Hinilawod, an epic of the Panay-Bukidnons of Panay, the Visayas, central Philippines.
- Jewang ungi, a Korean epic
- Ibong Adarna, a Spanish-era Tagalog epic
- Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic from India; known as Bharathayudha in Indonesia
- Manas, an epic from Kyrgyzstan
- Klei khan Y Dam San, an epic of Ede people in Central Highland (Tay Nguyen), Vietnam.
- Book of Dede Korkut, an epic from Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turcomans of Iraq and other Turkic nations
- Koroglu, an epic from Azerbaijan and Turkey
- Oghuz-nameh, an epic from Oghuz Turkic nations (Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, as well as Turcomans of Iraq)
- Kutadgu Bilig, an epic from Central Asia, Uighurs and other Turkic nations
- Nagarakertagama, an Indonesian epic
- On Jerusalem an epic written in Greek based on the Old Testament characters of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph
- Panchatantra, a Sanskrit epic of Indian animal folktales
- Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic from India
- Sepha Khun Chang Khun Phaen, a Thai epic
- Shahnama, a Persian epic
- Silappadhikaram, a Tamil Jain epic from Tamil Nadu, India
- Epic of Siri, in Tulu language from Karnataka, India
- The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of stories from mostly Persian and Arabic sources
- Journey to the West (also known as "Monkey"), a Chinese novel
- The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature:
European languages
- Aeneid, a Roman epic
- Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic written in Old English
- Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire an Irish lament
- Cikli i Kreshnikëve, an Albanian epic
- David of Sasun, Armenian national epic about war for freedom against Arabs in the 9th century
- Edda, a collection of Icelandic poems
- Iliad, a Greek epic
- Kalevala, a Finnish epic
- Kalevipoeg, an Estonian epic
- The Knight in the Panther's Skin, a Georgian epic poem
- Lāčplēsis, a Latvian epic
- Le Morte d'Arthur, a collection of Arthurian legends in Middle English
- Mabinogion, a Welsh epic
- Nibelungenlied, a German epic poem
- Njál's saga, an Icelandic saga
- Odyssey, a Greek epic
- Pan Tadeusz, a Polish epic
- Os Lusíadas, a Portuguese epic
- Prince Marko, a Serbian epic
- Táin Bó Cúailnge, an Irish epic
- The Lay of the Cid, a Spanish epic.
- The Song of Roland, a French epic.
- The Tale of Igor's Campaign, a Slavic epic
- Volsunga saga, a Scandinavian saga
- Zoraje, a Slovene epic
See also
- Epic poetry
- National epic
- National myth
- Founding myth