Greek is the language in which is the etymological origin of the term that now occupies us. This comes from the word epoxy, which is the result of the union of several clearly defined parts such as: epos which can be defined as "poetic or sung speech" and poiein which is equivalent to "create."
In this way, taking into account this breakdown and mixture of words and meanings, we proceeded to give rise to that epoxy which was considered to be a long poem that was used to describe heroic or legendary events.
is defined as epic to the poem of narrative character and considerable extension that presents a large and public action or feat, starring heroic spirit characters and where details are appreciated supernatural . The term is also used to nuclear the poems that constitute the epic tradition of a community or people.
Epics may be developed in prose or structured as long verses (hexameter ). Its contents narrate transcendental actions for a people and include heroes which represent the values most admired by the population. Wars and travel, in general, are usually the most common events of the epics.
In its origins, the epic was spread orally. The call Gilgamesh epic It is not only the first epic of which there are written records, but also the most ancient narrative. It was written by the Sumerians in the II millennium BC. on boards armed with clay.
The best known Greek epics (baptized as the Iliad and the Odyssey ) are attributed to Homer , while, among the Romans, the most popular epic is the Aeneid , created by Virgil .
"The Iliad", in particular, is a Greek epic that is considered to be the oldest written poem that exists within what is Western Literature. It was made by Homer and in the more than 15,000 verses that compose it, what is told is part of what happened in the well-known Trojan War, focusing mainly on what is the figure of Achilles.
For its part, "The Odyssey", dated in the eighth century BC, is composed of a total of 24 songs through which it is told how, after finishing the aforementioned war conflict, the return of the hero Odysseus (Ulysses) occurs to his home that is none other than the Island of Ithaca. A return that will take ten years during which he will have to face all kinds of vicissitudes, while several characters come to his kingdom ready to marry his wife (Penelope) because everyone believes that he has died.
Other works considered epics are the Sing of mine Cid , he Sing of Roldan and The Divine Comedy . Among the most modern works, Paradise lost from John milton and Martin Fierro from Jose Hernandez They are also usually described as epics.
For everyday language, finally, an epic is a glorious episode . For example: "The Spanish team completed the epic and became world champion", “There was no place for the epic in a city where tears are common currency”.
