List of world folk-epics explained

World folk-epics are those epics which are not just literary masterpieces but also an integral part of the worldview of a people. They were originally oral literatures, which were later written down by either single author or several writers.

African languages

• T'heydinn, a Mauritanian epic ensemble
• Gassire's Lute, a West African epic about the fall of the Ghana Empire
• Bayajidda, a West African epic
• Eri, a West African epic
• Oduduwa, a West African epic
• Silamaka, a West African epic
• Epic of Sundiata, a West African epic about the rise of the Mali Empire
• Lianja, a Central African epic
• Mwindo epic, a Central African epic
• Kebra Nagast, an Ethiopian epic

American languages

• Popol Vuh, a K'iche' epic
• Diné Bahaneʼ, a Navajo epic

Southwest Asian languages

• Bahman-nameh, a Persian epic about the story of Bahman, son of Isfandyar
• Banu Goshasp-nama, a Persian epic about the daughter of Rustam
• Kush Nama, a Persian epic recounting the story of Kush the Tusked and Abtin.
• Faramarz-nama, a story about the Persian hero Faramarz
• The Garshasp-nama of Asadi Tusi, a Persian epic about the hero Garshasp
• Shahnameh, the national epic of Greater Iran and world's longest epic poetry written by one poet
• Mem and Zin, a Kurdish folk and love epic
• Sirat Bani Hilal, an Arabic epic recounting the journeys and conquests of the Bani Hilal tribe
• One Thousand and One Nights, also known as "the Arabian Nights", is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales
• The Daredevils of Sassoun, an Armenian folk epic
• The Knight in the Panther's Skin, a Georgian epic poem
• Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest epic of the world from Mesopotamia
• The Hebrew Bible

East and Central Asian Languages

• Epic of King Gesar, a Tibetan epic
• Secret History of the Mongols
• The Tale of the Heike, a Japanese epic
• Jewang ungi, a Korean epic
• Irk Bitig, a book about Turkic legends from Dunhuang, China
• Alpamysh, a Turkic epic
• Alp Er Tunga, a Turkic epic
• Epic of Manas, a Kyrgyz epic
• Book of Dede Korkut (Korkut Ata), an Oghuz epic
• Oğuzname, an Oghuz epic
• Kutadgu Bilig, a Karakhanid epic
• Mupamipa, a Lahu epic
• Olonkho, a Yakut

South Asian languages

• Khamba Thoibi Sheireng, a Meitei language epic poem, consisting of 39,000 lines, based on the story of Khamba and Thoibi, from India.
• Numit Kappa, a 1st-century Meitei language epic poetry from India.
• Meghnad Badh Kavya, a Bengali language epic from India by Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
• Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic from India; known as Bharatayuddha in Indonesia and the second longest epic in the world (the longest epic is Epic of Manas)
• Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic from India.
• Panchatantra, a Sanskrit epic of animal folktales from India.
• Sarala Mahabharata, an Odia language epic, India
• Jagamohana Ramayana, an Odia language epic poem, India
• Five Great Epics of Tamil literature, India:
  • Cilappatikaram
  • Manimekalai
  • Cīvaka Cintāmaṇi
  • Valayapathi
  • Kundalakesi
• Mailaralingana in Kannada, India
• Manteswami Kavya, in Kannada, India
• Male Madeshvara, in Kannada, India
• Epic of Siri, in Tulu language from Karnataka, India
• Koti and Chennayya, in Tulu language, Karnataka, India

Southeast Asian languages

• Sepha Khun Chang Khun Phaen, a Thai epic about the adventures of Khun Phaen, a Siamese folk hero.
• The Tale of Kiều, a Vietnamese epic poem in lục bát.
• Lục Vân Tiên, a Vietnamese epic poem in lục bát.
• Klei khan Y Dam San, an epic of Rade people in Central Highland (Tây Nguyên), Vietnam.
• Hikayat Hang Tuah, a Malaccan, and Malay epic
• Bidasari, a Malay epic
• La Galigo, also known as Sureq Galigo or La Galigo, is an epic creation myth of the Buginese people from South Sulawesi, Indonesia Written in an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language, it is the longest epic in the world.
• Nagarakertagama, an Indonesian epic
• Ibong Adarna, a Spanish-era Tagalog epic
• Biag ni Lam-Ang (Life of Lam-Ang), an epic of the Ilocano of northern Luzon, the Philippines
• Ibalong Epic, a 60-stanza fragment of a Bicolano full-length folk epic of Bicol Region of the Philippines.
• Hinilawod, an epic of the Panay-Bukidnons of Panay, the Visayas, central Philippines.
• Darangen, an epic of the Maranao of Mindanao, the Philippines. Derived from the Ramayana

European languages

• Kalevala, a Finnish epic
• Kalevipoeg, an Estonian epic
• Lāčplēsis, a Latvian epic

Celtic languages

• Mabinogion, a compilation of Welsh myths and legends
• Matter of Britain, a compilation of Welsh myths and legends
• Mythological Cycle, a compilation of Irish myths and legends
• Ulster Cycle, a compilation of Irish myths and legends
• Fenian Cycle, a compilation of Irish myths and legends
• Cycles of the Kings, a compilation of Irish myths and legends
• Táin Bó Cúailnge, an Irish epic
• Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, an Irish lament

Germanic Languages

• Volsunga saga, a Scandinavian saga
• Edda, a collection of Icelandic poems
• Njál's saga, an Icelandic saga
• Nibelungenlied, a German epic poem
• The Lion of Flanders, a Flemish national epic
• Van den vos Reynaerde, the Middle Dutch collection of the cycle of fables around Reynard the Fox.
• Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic written in Old English
• Le Morte d'Arthur, a collection of Arthurian legends in Middle English (note that Malory's epic is based on the Celtic Matter of Britain listed above)

Italic and Romance Languages

• Aeneid, a Roman epic
• Os Lusíadas, a Portuguese literary epic
• La Araucana, an American Spanish epic
• The Lay of the Cid, a medieval Spanish epic
• The Song of Roland, a medieval French epic

Slavic Languages

• Pan Tadeusz, a Polish literary epic
• The Tale of Igor's Campaign, an East Slavic epic
• Epic of the Forgotten, a Bulgarian poetic saga
• The Baptism on the Savica, a Slovene literary epic
• Judita, a Croatian epic
• On the Track of the Sun – The Red Warriors from Chorasmia, a Croatian epic
• The Mountain Wreath, a Montenegrin epic poem

Serbian language

See main article: Serbian epic poetry.

Albanian language

• Cikli i Kreshnikëve, an Albanian epic

Greek language

See main article: article.

• Iliad, an Ancient Greek epic
• Odyssey, an Ancient Greek epic
• Theogony, an Ancient Greek epic

Northeast Caucasian languages

• , a Lezgin folk epic

See also

• List of epic poems
• National epic
• National myth
• Founding myth