National Epic

Some consider the national epic to be a product of Romantic Nationalism . Where no obvious national epic existed, the "Romantic spirit was motivated to fill it; for an early example of poetry that was invented to fill a perceived gap in "national" myth, see Ossian , the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems by James Macpherson , which Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic . However, many national epics (including Macpherson's ''Ossian'') antedate 19th-century romanticism.

Examples of epics that have been enlisted as "national" include

POETIC EPICS

Western

Albania - Lahuta E Malcís (The Highland Lute) by Gjergj Fishta

Ancient Rome - Aeneid

Anglo-Saxons - Beowulf

Croatia - Smrt Smail-age Čengića by Ivan Mažuranić

Estonia - Kalevipoeg

Finland - Kalevala

---Despite the similar names and close linguistic and cultural ties between Finland and Estonia , Kalevala and Kalevipoeg are two completely separate works.

France - Song Of Roland (about Roland / Orlando )

Germany - Nibelungenlied

Greece , Ancient (Hellas and Mediterranean Greek colonies) - Iliad and Odyssey

Greece ( Byzantine Empire ) - Digenis Acritas

Hungary -

--- Fall Of Sziget ( Szigeti Veszedelem )

Latvia - Lāčplēsis

Portugal - Os Lusíadas ("The Lusiads")

Poland - Pan Tadeusz

Sorbs - Nawozenja

Spain - Cantar De Mio Cid (about the early Reconquista )

Eastern

India -

--- Mahabharata

--- Ramayana

Kipchaks (e.g. in Tatarstan ) - Chora Batir

Kirghiz - Manas

Malaysia -

--- Sejarah Melayu

--- Hikayat Hang Tuah

Mongols ( Kalmyks and Oirats ) - Jangar

Persian speakers in Iran , Afghanistan and Tajikistan - Shahnameh

Tibetan s - Gesar

Thailand - Ramakien

Vietnam -

--- Au Lac myths

--- The Tale Of Kieu

PROSE "EPICS"

Some prose works, while not strictly epic poetry, have an important place in the national consciousness of their nations. These include the following:

Western