The appeal of epics

Epics are typically poems that provide accounts of heroic feats. Many works exist today, but some date back thousands of years. Those which have lasted through time have done so because they have some appeal to humankind.

Heroes are the main characters and the focus of epics. They are set apart from others. They typically have some of these characteristics: born noble, of unusual circumstances, or of divine conception; performs one or more incredible feats; is a brave and fearsome warrior; combats supernatural or great opponents; dies and comes back to life; and attains great to godlike power. Some of these are impossible by modern skepticism, leaving them to be mythological fiction.

Epics provide us insight to the values and customs of societies from which they originated. Whole academic courses are concentrated on the study of these great stories and the societies from which they came. Modern society has integrated some enduring legends to popular culture with adaptions into literature, motion pictures, and other media. Also, there are modern heroes, whether fictional or based in the achievements of real people, which reflect our values as a society.

Previous civilizations were limited to convey epics orally and in some cases with written texts. Epics were propagated from bard to bard before they were transcribed. A bard did not have to recount works verbatim, rather they could improvise a little. This along with changing rationales would result in details being altered over time, rearing different versions geographically. A branch can show the culture of the original and the cultures of the times that recast it.

Epics give examples of ideal behaviors and demonstrate the qualities of a hero. The ethics serve to unify people with...

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...he hero supports the story.

Achilles is a great Greek hero and son of the goddess Thetis and a mortal prince Peleus. In the Greek realm it was better to die with honor than to live without a name. Achilles was dishonored by Agamemnon so he refuses to fight. He reenters the fight when his friend Patroclus is slain by Hector to avenge the death. He succeeds with some divine intervention and then drags Hector behind the chariot. He has regained his honor from battle but soon dies at the hands of Paris. He demonstrates himself as a warrior and the account involves mythological components.

The great epics of times past have been observed and cherished for many generations. The Ramayana has in part by because it is tied to the Hindu religion and because it still belongs to the Indian culture. The Greek epics have because mankind enjoys mythical elements and battle scenes.