épicas

Épicas are long narrative poems that recount heroic deeds and significant events in a culture's history. The term derives from the Greek epos, meaning "story" or "poem," and in many languages it designates a distinct genre of elevated, dramatic narration. Epics typically address questions of fate, courage, and the responsibilities of rulers, often situating individual destinies within the larger arc of a community or nation. The Spanish plural épicas is used to refer to such works in the Spanish-speaking world.

Origins of epic poetry are rooted in oral storytelling across ancient civilizations. Epics were learned and transmitted by bards or scops, later written in literary languages. Conventional features include an extended narrative length, a central hero of epic stature, quests or wars, epic similes, formal diction, lengthy speeches, and an invocation of a muse. Many epics begin in medias res, then recount past events through flashback or narrative digression. Gods or supernatural forces may influence outcomes, highlighting a sense of fate.

Major examples across cultures include the Greek Iliad and Odyssey; the Indian Ramayana and Mahabharata; the Persian Shahnameh; the Latin Aeneid; the French Song of Roland; the English Beowulf; and the Spanish Cantar de Mio Cid. Each epic reflects its culture's values, social structures, and historical memories, while employing its own poetic forms and meters.

In modern literature, the epic remains a model for scale and ambition. Some works are long prose narratives that are described as epics; scholars describe the modern phenomenon of epic fantasy (for example Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings) even though it is not written in verse. The epic tradition continues in scholarship, with studies of oral-formulaic composition and the evolution of grand storytelling across eras.