Heroic poetry | Epic, Saga & Ballad Forms

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border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/heroic-poetry">heroic poetry</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/heroic-poetry/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/heroic-poetry">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/a-study-of-poetry"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/30/129330-131-2C73ED00/The-Lamb-edition-Songs-of-Innocence-William.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Illustration of "The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" by William Blake, 1879. poem; poetry" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/quiz/a-study-of-poetry" >A Study of Poetry</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/famous-poets-and-poetic-form"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/76/168476-131-42654A68/letter-Sun-Rose-Dickinson-Emily-A-Life.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/quiz/famous-poets-and-poetic-form" >Famous Poets and Poetic Form</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/poetry-first-lines"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/185691-131-0ACC5DF8/Emily-Dickinson-1847.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/quiz/poetry-first-lines" >Poetry: First Lines</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-questions"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 pb-0 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-15"> Related Questions </div> <ul> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/What-is-Beowulf">What is Beowulf?</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-read-next"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Read Next </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/story/world-poetry-day"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/23/181923-131-76FC0CA5/poet-clothing-poetry-festival-Heian-Kyoto-shrine.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192)." width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/story/world-poetry-day" >World Poetry Day</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-discover"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Discover </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/story/just-how-many-oceans-are-there"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/13/195913-131-E6C2B632/World-map-Oceans-Continents.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="World map. Continents. 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-03-13T00:00:00CDT" >Mar 13, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/heroic-poetry/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/art/epic" topicid="189625">epic</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/poetry" topicid="466108">poetry</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/oral-literature" topicid="430772">oral literature</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/bylina" topicid="86999">bylina</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/heroic-verse" topicid="263602">heroic verse</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/heroic-poetry"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref155701"></span>heroic poetry</strong>, narrative verse that is elevated in mood and uses a dignified, dramatic, and formal style to describe the deeds of aristocratic warriors and rulers. It is usually composed without the aid of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/writing" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">writing</a> and is chanted or recited to the accompaniment of a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/stringed-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">stringed instrument</a>. It is transmitted <span id="ref155703"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/oral-literature" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">orally</a> from bard to bard over generations.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><em><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Howard-Nemerov-on-poetry-2215536" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">(Read Howard Nemerov’s Britannica essay on poetry.)</a></em></p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="extant" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extant" data-type="MW">extant</a> body of <span id="ref155702"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/hero-literary-and-cultural-figure" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">heroic</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/poetry" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">poetry</a> ranges from quite ancient to modern works, produced over a widespread geographic area. It includes what are probably the earliest forms of this verse—panegyrics praising a hero’s lineage and deeds, and laments on a hero’s death. Homer relates that when Hector’s body was brought home “they laid it upon the bed and seated minstrels round it to lead the dirge.” Another type of heroic poem is the short, dramatic <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/lay" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">lay</a> devoted to a single event, such as the Old English <em><span id="ref155704"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Battle-of-Maldon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Battle of Maldon</a></em> (c. 991), describing a Viking raid on Essex, or the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Old-High-German" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Old High German</a> <em><span id="ref155705"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hildebrandslied" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hildebrandslied</a></em> (c. 800), dealing with a duel between father and son. The mature form of heroic poetry is the full-scale <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/epic" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">epic</a>, such as the <em>Iliad</em> or <em>Odyssey</em>.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/poetry-first-lines" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/185691-131-0ACC5DF8/Emily-Dickinson-1847.jpg" alt="Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Poetry: First Lines</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Most heroic poetry looks back to a dimly defined “<span id="ref155706"></span>heroic age” when a generation of superior beings performed extraordinary feats of skill and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="courage" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/courage" data-type="EB">courage</a>. The heroic age varies in different native literatures. The epics of Homer created in the 8th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span> centre on a war with Troy that may have occurred about 1200 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>. The heroic poetry of the German, Scandinavian, and English peoples deals chiefly with a period from the 4th to the 6th century <span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span>, the time of the great migrations (<em>Völkerwanderung</em>) of the Germanic people. Though some of the heroes portrayed are historical personages, their actions are often combined and related for artistic purposes, with no regard for actual historical chronology.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Nevertheless, a heroic tale is assumed by the poet and his listeners to be somehow true. Its style is impersonal and objective, and the graphic realism of its detail gives it an air of probability that outweighs the occasional intrusion of marvelous elements. None of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="mundane" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mundane" data-type="MW">mundane</a> details of the hero’s acts and none of the amenities connected with them are slighted. The listener is told how the hero looks, what he wears, what he eats, and how he sleeps. Thus, Homer’s careful description of how Achilles dresses for battle, how he dons each piece of armour, how he mounts his chariot and addresses his horses, has a verisimilitude that remains undestroyed when his horse converses with him.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Much ancient heroic poetry has been wholly lost, but the tradition is still alive among certain illiterate and semiliterate peoples living in remote <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="communities" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communities" data-type="MW">communities</a>. In the late 19th and 20th centuries a wealth of new heroic <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/literature" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">literature</a> was collected from native storytellers in the Balkans, Russia, Estonia, and Greece. In <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Central-Asia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Central Asia</a> heroic poems have been collected from Tatar peoples speaking Turkish dialects; some particularly fine examples come from the Kyrgyz of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tien-Shan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Tien Shan</a>. The Sakha of northern Siberia, the Ainu of northern Japan, and some of the tribes of Arabia have also composed heroic poetry in modern times.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Research by modern scholars among these people has resolved any doubt that long epics could be composed orally and has shed light on the methods of oral <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="composition" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/composition" data-type="MW">composition</a> that must have been used by ancient poets such as Homer. Knowing the essentials of a number of traditional stories, and armed with a stock of ready-made formulaic expressions to describe common occurrences such as meetings, partings, passages of time, and victories or defeats, the oral <span id="ref155707"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/bard" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bard</a> improvises a tale. The bard, whose art is a skillful blend of familiar scenes with new incident and detail, does not memorize the tale and usually cannot repeat exactly the same version again. In 1934 the American Homeric scholar <span id="ref155708"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Milman-Parry" class="md-crosslink ">Milman Parry</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="transcribed" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/transcribed" data-type="EB">transcribed</a> an epic poem of 12,000 lines (the length of the <em>Odyssey</em>) from an illiterate bard in southern Serbia. Equally astonishing feats of memory and improvisation were reported by Russian scholars working among Uzbek and Kyrgyz bards.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature font-12">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/JE-Luebering/6492">J.E. 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Heroic poetry | Epic, Saga & Ballad Forms | Britannica