Journal #5
0 Part I. Make a list of people (male and female) who
are generally considered heroes. Try to come up with
as many as you can. Then identify the heroic qualities
of each person next to his or her name.
0 Note: This person or group of people can be from any
point in history, past or present.
Journal #5 Continued…
0 Part II. Look over your list to identify which qualities
seem essential to every hero. Write those qualities
here. Be prepared to share with the class.
The
Epic Poem
Traits of Epic Poetry
 A long, narrative poem on a serious subject
matter
 Centered on the actions of a heroic figure (the
Epic Hero)
 Begins with the poet asking a Muse for
inspiration (asks for help!)
Purpose of Epic stories
1.To entertain
2.To inspire
3. To educate
The Epic Hero
 Typically male
 Has a goal
 Embarks on a long journey
 Ruthless to enemies
 Has struggles (battles) with natural & supernatural beings
 Bravery, wits, & skill is tested in battle
 Man/Woman of action
 Excels in skill, strength, & courage
 Always obtains his goal
 Accepts challenges / invites problems
 Has a mentor
 Supernatural will help / hinder him
 Travels over vast setting
Invocation of the Muse
A technique used in most epics where the
poet pleads with one of the Muses (the nine
goddesses of the creative arts) for assistance
(help) in writing or telling his story.
Captures the audience’s attention –
and gives highlights
(like a movie trailer)
of what the audience will hear.
More Epic traits …
Concerns
The fate of a nation or a whole group of people is in question.
Supernatural
Some form of supernatural being or power intervenes.
Battles
Story includes extensive and large-scale battle scenes
Vast settings
The setting is vast, crossing large areas of land, sea, or outer
space.
Epic
Traits
Continued…
Good vs. Evil
The primary conflict in an epic is good
against evil; good and those who
support it will likely win.
Massive Quantities
In an epic, there are many things to be
counted – the number of characters,
ships, settings, good guys, bad guys,
etc.
In
medias
res
0 A technique used in most epics
0 A Latin term meaning:
0 Means the story starts in the middle of the action.
Homer
Believed to have been a blind traveling
minstrel.
The word “homer” is theorized to mean “set
to verse”
Created both Illiad and Odyssey approximately
around 750 BC (400 years after the events
took place)
Homer’s epics are the cornerstone of the
Western literary tradition
Homer
• Later Greeks believed he was the blind minstrel, or
singer, from the island of Chios.
Conspiracy Theories!
• One scholar suggests Homer
was a woman because home and
hearth played such an
important role in his stories.
(Whaaat??!)
• Some scholars think there
were two Homers. Some think
he was just a legend.
Epics and Values
The Epic Tradition
All epic poems in the western world owe something to the
basic patterns established in Homer’s epics.
• The Iliad is the primary model
for an epic of war.
• The Odyssey is the model for an
epic of the long journey.
Before the Story Starts…
0 The Iliad provides the background for Odysseus’s
story and tells the tale of a ten-year war fought
outside the walls of Troy. In Homer’s Iliad
0 the Trojan War is in its tenth and final year
0 the people of Troy are fighting an alliance of Greek
kings because the world’s most beautiful woman,
Helen, abandoned her husband, Menelaus (a Greek
king) and ran off with Paris, a prince of Troy
0 In Homer’s Iliad: the Greeks won the war, reduced
the city of Troy to smoldering ruins, and butchered all
the inhabitants, except for those they took as slaves
back to Greece
The Wooden-Horse Trick
During the Trojan War, Odysseus
• performed extremely well as a soldier and commander
• thought of the famous wooden-horse trick that lead to
the defeat of Troy
The Wooden-Horse Trick
• Odysseus’s plan was to build an enormous wooden
horse and hide Greek soldiers inside.
• The horse was left outside the gates of Troy, and the
Greeks “abandoned” their camp.
The Wooden-Horse Trick
• The Trojans thought the horse was a peace offering and
brought it into the walled city.
• At night, the men hidden in the horse came out and
opened the gates to the entire Greek army.
• (“Peek-a-boo!)
ODYSSEUS is our hero,
the protagonist of the
Odyssey.
He spends half his
time as our narrator
and half as our main
character only.
ODYSSEUS is the king
of the rocky Greek
island of Ithaca.
The Odyssey tells the
story of his voyage
back to Ithaca from
the Trojan War.
ODYSSEUS is trying to get back to
his son, Telemachus, and his wife,
Penelope.
When the story begins, ODYSSEUS is
in his tenth year of travel.
The Ancient World and Ours
• Odysseus’s world is harsh, violent, and primitive.
• The “palaces” that he and his men raid might have been
nothing more than mud and stone farmhouses.
• The “worldly goods” they carry off from town might have
been only pots and pans, cattle and sheep.
A Search for Their Places in Life
The Odyssey:
The story begins with Telemachus, Odysseus’s
son. Telemachus is searching for his father
because:
• Telemachus is being threatened by rude, powerful men
who want to marry his mother and rob Telemachus
of his inheritance
• needs his father to return home and restore order
Relationships with Gods
In Homer’s stories, a god can be an alter ego—a reflection of
a hero’s best or worst qualities.
• Odysseus is known for his
mental abilities, so he receives
aid from Athena, the goddess of
wisdom.
• Odysseus can also be cruel and
violent. Odysseus’s nemesis is
Poseidon, the god of the sea, who is
known for arrogance and
brutishness.
The Telling of Epics
Epics and other tales were probably
told by wandering bards or minstrels
called rhapsodes or minstrel.
Minstrels and Rhapsodes were
• the historians, entertainers, and
mythmakers of their time
• responsible for spreading news
about recent events or the doings of
heroes, gods, and goddesses
• a medieval singer or musician,
especially one who sang or recited
lyric or heroic poetry
The Telling of Epics
Epics were originally told aloud.
• They followed basic story lines and incorporated formulaic
descriptions.
• Most of the words were improvised to fit a particular
rhythm or meter.
• Epics included Homeric or epic similes that compare
heroic events to easily understandable everyday events.
Essential Questions for This
Unit

What are the characteristics of the epic
narrative?

Has the ancient epic influenced modernday storytelling?