List of world folk-epics: Difference between revisions

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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:
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.
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

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

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 == Southeast Asian languages ==
 *[[Sepha Khun Chang Khun Phaen]], a [[Thailand|Thai]] epic about the adventures of Khun Phaen, a Siamese folk hero.
-*[[The Tale of Kiều]], a [[Vietnamese language|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 [[Malacca Sultanate|Malaccan]], and [[Malay language|Malay]] epic