national epic
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
Poetic epics
Americas
Asia
- Armenia - Sasna Dzrer,"Madmen of Sassoun", also translated "Daredevils of Sassoun."(also known as "Sasountsi Tavit" after its main character, David of Sassoun,
- Indian subcontinent -
- Indonesia -
- Iran and Persian speakers in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and other countries - Shahnameh (legends and history of Iran from earliest times to the end of the Sassanid Empire)
- Iraq - The Epic of Gilgamesh
- Kipchaks (e.g. in Tatarstan) - Chora Batir
- Kyrgyz - Epic of Manas
- Laos - Phra Lak Phra Lam
- Malaysia -
- Mongols (Kalmyks and Oirats) - Jangar
- Myanmar - Yama Zatdaw
- Philippines -
- Tibetans - Epic of King Gesar
- Thailand - Ramakien
- Vietnam -
- Au Lac myths
- The Tale of Kieu
- Cambodia - Reamker
Europe
- Albania - Lahuta e Malcís (The Highland Lute) by Gjergj Fishta
- Ancient Rome - Aeneid
- Armenia/ Greater Armenia of 9th century - Davit of Sasoun
- Catalonia - Canigó by Jacint Verdaguer
- Croatia - Smrt Smail-age Čengića by Ivan Mažuranić
- England - Beowulf
- Estonia - Kalevipoeg
- Finland - Kalevala
- Despite the similar names and close linguistic and cultural ties between Finland and Estonia, Kalevala and Kalevipoeg are two completely separate works.
- France - La Chanson de Roland (The Song of Roland) about Roland/Orlando.
- Germany - Nibelungenlied
- Greece, Ancient (Hellas and Mediterranean Greek colonies) - Iliad and Odyssey
- Greece (Byzantine Empire) - Digenis Acritas
- Hungary - Peril of Sziget (Szigeti Veszedelem)
- Ireland - Táin Bó Cúailnge
- Latvia - Lāčplēsis
- Luxembourg - Rénert the Fox
- Portugal - Os Lusíadas ("The Lusiads")
- Poland - Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz
- Scandinavia - Poetic Edda
- Sorbs - Nawozenja
- Spain - Cantar de Mio Cid (about the early Reconquista)
- Wales - Mabinogion
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:
- Britain -
- China -
- Ethiopia - Kebra Nagast
- Flanders (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) - De Leeuw van Vlaanderen ("The Lion of Flanders")
- France : Les Misérables (A novel spanning a crucial era of French History)
- Ireland
- Táin Bó Cúailnge (Prose narration with poetic interludes)
- Dubliners
- Japan -
- Kojiki
- Nihongi (prose with songs)
- The Tale of Genji (genji monogatari)
- Korea - Samguk Yusa (prose with songs)
- Lithuania - Anykščių šilelis by Antanas Baranauskas
- Mali - Epic of Sundiata
- Mayans - Popol Vuh
- Middle East - Tanakh (Old Testament)
- Mongolia -
- Borte Chino
- The Secret History of the Mongols (Genghis Khan's biography)
- Portugal - Peregrinação (or Peregrinaçam)
- Russia -
- Spain - Don Quixote
- Tatar - "Chora Batir" [1]
- Turkic peoples -
- Alpamysh (all Central Asia)
- Book of Dede Korkut (Oghuz nations: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turcomans of Iraq, as well as Central Asia and other Turkic nations)
- Oghuz-nameh (Oghuz nations: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Turcomans of Iraq)
- Ergenekon (Turkey)
- Koroglu (Azerbaijan and Turkey)
- Kutadgu Bilig (Central Asia, Uighurs and other Turkic nations)
- Wales - Mabinogion
- United States
See also
- Epic poetry
- List of world folk-epics
- National myth
- Founding myth
- Civil religion
- List of national poets
- Great American Novel
External Source
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