What is an Epic?
(We should be able to apply these all to Beowulf, The Ramayana, The Iliad, and others.)
1. A long ____________________ poem.
2. An epic has a character called the _____________________________.
3. The epic is the story of the hero's ____________________.
4. As the epic hero travels, he ____________________ with monsters, gods, and bad guys
5. An epic is written in the ____________________ person narrative voice.
6. In most cultures, epics were originally ____________________.
7. Epics contain information about the ____________________ that created them: religion,
dress & ornaments, homes, weapons and war, roles of men and women, values, moral
standards.
8. Epics often contain clues to what the people who created them ____________________ or
did not ____________________: natural disasters, natural features (like boiling springs and
water red with rust), death, the heavens, storms.
Traits of an Epic Hero
1. The epic hero has "larger than life" ____________________.
2. The epic hero is a natural ____________________ of others. Has elevated
____________________ in the community/is of ____________________ birth.
3. The epic hero is not emotionally connected to his/her ____________________, even
though they die for him and he fights for them.
4. The epic hero is appealing to the opposite ____________________ but rarely has an
extended ____________________.
USE
THESE
WORDS
TO
FILL IN
THE
BLANKS:
adventure
battle
culture
death
epic hero
feared
fighter
fights
fights
flaw
followers
gender
good
leader
light
narrative
noble
qualities
relationship
smarter
status
sung
third
travels
understand
5. The epic hero ____________________ monsters and/or fights gods (or very bad guys).
6. The epic hero has "____________________ " on his/her side.
7. The epic hero is associated with "____________________ " and strength and values.
8. The epic hero often stands alone in ____________________.
9. The epic hero is ____________________ than everyone else, generally; is a problemsolver.
10. The epic hero has a ____________________ that often destroys him/her or leads to
____________________ (or almost to death).
11. The epic hero is on the move - travels to find ____________________.
12. The epic hero is a skilled ____________________.
Examples
from TV and
movies:
Superman,
Hercules,
Shane,
Indiana Jones,
Buffy the
Vampire
Slayer, Luke
Skywalker
Design Your Epic Hero
Name of Your Epic Hero: _________________________________________
Where is the hero from? What foreign land does your hero embark upon his or her epic journey?
What larger than life qualities does your hero possess?
Appearance
Superpower/s
Equipment
Values
An Epic hero has at least one weakness. Describe your hero’s weakness/es.
What is your hero’s origin--how did s/he become him- or herself? What unusual circumstances surround his/her birth?
With whom does your hero fight? What trials and enemies does your hero face while struggling on an epic journey?
Whom does your hero lead? Remember that the epic hero is a natural leader of others.
Things to keep in mind:
 at the end of the journey, the hero must complete a final task alone
 after the final task is successfully accomplished, the hero returns home, a leader of his or her
people
 an epic begins in in medias res, “in the middle of things” so you don’t have to create a first
episode, as it were, if you don’t want to—but you do have to create a birth story in which unusual
circumstances surround the hero’s birth