Epic: a long narrative poem in elevated style presenting characters of high position in adventures forming an organic whole through

their relation to a central heroic figure and through their development of episodes important to the history of a nation or race. (Harmon and Holman) An attempt to deliminate nine main characteristics of an epic:[4]
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

It opens in medias res.[citation needed] The setting is vast, covering many nations, the world or the universe.[citation needed] Begins with an invocation to a muse (epic invocation).[citation needed] It starts with a statement of the theme.[citation needed] Includes the use of epithets.[citation needed] Contains long lists (epic catalogue).[citation needed] Features long and formal speeches.[citation needed] Shows divine intervention on human affairs.[citation needed] "Star" heroes that embody the values of the civilization.[citation needed]

The hero generally participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey and returns home significantly transformed by his journey. The epic hero illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society the epic originates from. Many epic heroes are recurring characters in the legends of their native culture. Conventions of epics:[citation needed]
1. Praepositio: Opens by stating the theme or cause of the epic. This may take the form

2.

3. 4.

5.

of a purpose (as in Milton, who proposed "to justify the ways of God to men"); of a question (as in the Iliad, which Homer initiates by asking a Muse to sing of Achilles' anger); or of a situation (as in the Song of Roland, with Charlemagne in Spain). Invocation: Writer invokes a Muse, one of the nine daughters of Zeus. The poet prays to the Muses to provide him with divine inspiration to tell the story of a great hero. (This convention is obviously restricted to cultures influenced by European Classical culture. The Epic of Gilgamesh, for example, or the Bhagavata Purana would obviously not contain this element). In medias res: narrative opens "in the middle of things", with the hero at his lowest point. Usually flashbacks show earlier portions of the story. Enumeratio: Catalogues and genealogies are given. These long lists of objects, places, and people place the finite action of the epic within a broader, universal context. Often, the poet is also paying homage to the ancestors of audience members. Epithet: Heavy use of repetition or stock phrases: e.g., Homer's "rosy-fingered dawn" and "wine-dark sea."

Literate societies have often copied the epic format. The earliest surviving European examples are the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes and Virgil's Aeneid, which follow both the style and subject matter of Homer. Other obvious examples are Nonnus' Dionysiaca, Tulsidas' Sri Ramacharit Manas.