Greece

Homer, the odyssey, illiad

Theogony
Digenis Akritas

German, nebungleid

EPIC OF SPAIN COUNTRY: Spain TITLE: El Cid AUTHOR: The story is based on the real life of Rodrigo
Díaz, known as the Battler and later, as El Cid or Mio Cid THEME: One of the abiding themes of the
poem is loyalty. Despite his unjust treatment at the hands of King Alfonso, banished from Castile on
trumped-up charges of corruption, El Cid still maintains unswerving loyalty to his lord and master.
CHARACTERS: a) Principal Characters: Rodrigo Dias de Bivar, El Cid Campeador – the protagonist of
the work. A Castilian soldier who fights for his wealth and honor that was taken once from him. Count
Garcia Ordonez – El Cid’s only enemy. In the veins of him and hisrelatives and descendants flows the
blood of a wrongdoer that made El Cid suffer andlose his wealth and honor. b) Secondary Characters:
King Alfonso – king of Castile. The conqueror on that time. He is who El Cidserved for. El Cid gave three
demands to him. Infantes de Carreon – relatives of Count Garcia Ordonez;they are the ones whotortured
El Cid’s daughters. The nephew of El Cid – the tortured ones. But, because of El Cid their honor
isregained from the Infantes. Jews of Burgos – the two men tricked by El Cid SETTING: The epic took
place in Spain somewhere in Castile. This is where El Cid serves asa knight to King Alfonso. Some parts
of the story, especially El Cid’s exile, happened inthe land near the small Moorish state of Aragon. This is
where he recovers his power byhaving a Christian-Moorish army that made him able to conquer the city
of Valencia.Most incidents happened in Spain where the real life of the real man, El Cid, occurred.
MORAL LESSONS: The story is about how someone must fight for his honor. We must fight for ourown
rights. And why is that? Because the life you are having is yours and you are responsible of it. That’s the
only one that the epic wants to emphasize. And of course,never give up for yourself not only in protecting
it but also enhancing, raising and developing it.

EPIC OF INDIA COUNTRY: India TITLE Ramayana AUTHOR THEME: Romantic Love. A central focus of
the Ramayana is the love between Sita and Rama. ... Sita follows Rama into exile out of her love for him,
and she refuses Ravana's advances at great risk to herself because of her loyalty to her husband. Loyalty
to Family: In the story, Lakshman gave up the life he was used to and live in the forest for 14 years just to
be with his brother Rama. CHARACTERS: Rama The son of King Dasaratha and Queen Kausalya, Rama
is the prince of Ayodya. He is an avatara of Vishnu, the Blue God and the sustainer of worlds. He is also
a virtuous, strong, and just man in his own right. He is married to Sita, whom he loves deeply. He has a
strong bond with his brother Lakshmana as well. Sita Sita's father, King Janak, found her lying in a furrow
on sanctified ground and decided to raise her as his daughter. She marries Rama, and loves him so
much that she follows him into exile. She is famed for her virtue and beauty, and is regarded as an
avatara of the goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort. Ravana Ravana is a rakshasa who performed
penance for the God Siva for many years, and in return received a great blessing from the God: he
cannot be killed by any God, demon, or other divine being. His arrogance combined, with great
intelligence and power, has led him to rule over much of the earth, spreading terrible evil everywhere he
goes. Lakshmana Son of King Dasaratha, and brother of Rama. He is deeply devoted to his brother,
whom he follows through many dangerous adventures and quests. He is married to Sita's younger sister,
Urmila. King Dasaratha King of Ayodhya, father of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. Of all
his three sons, he loves Rama most deeply, and tries to shelter the boy from any danger. He is a good
king: kind, just and well-liked by his people. SETTING: Ayodhya: Capital city of Kosala which was rules by
Rama's father, Dashratha. Ashoka van: A place in Lanka where Ravana kept Sita after the abduction.
Chitrakoot or Chitrakut: Forest place where Rama, Sita, and Laxman stayed during exile MORAL
LESSON: They teach us howto become a good human being. They teach us the actual importance of
relationships in life. They explain the meaning of love. Epics can fill you with patriotism

Epic of France Country: France Title: La Chanson de Roland (The Song of Roland) Author: Turoldus or
Turold is the name traditionally given to the author of the 11th-century French poem The Song of Roland.
Efforts to make a convincing further identification of the identity of Turoldus have failed. The Latin form
Turoldus is equivalent to the personal name Thorold. The Bodleian Library manuscript of The Song of
Roland, deemed the oldest, ends with the name Turoldus, but the preceding phrase is ambiguous and
does not safely allow the interpretation that the role of Turoldus was that of author. Theme: Good and Evil
The Song of Roland gives us Good vs. Evil, pure and simple, Star Wars style. The horror of war is not
intensified by ambiguous moral justifications, as in Homer's Iliad, nor are heroes deterred by compassion
for the enemy, as in the Mahabharata. Loyalty and Vassalage Heroism in the poem is based on feudal
ideas. Even the pagans in the poem can be considered heroic, when they are evaluated in terms of
loyalty and vassalage. In The Song of Roland, vassalage is depicted as parallel to Christianity. Roland's
ultimate liege lord is God, and it is in serving Charlemagne that Roland fulfills his duties as a Christian.
Characters: Archbishop Turpin - Archbishop fighting with the Frankish forces. Aude - Roland's fiancee.
Baligant - Emir of Babylon. Blancandrin - Marsile's most trusted adviser. Bramimonde - The wise wife of
the Saracen King. Charlemagne - Leader of the Prankish (French) forces. Durendal - Roland's famous
sword. Gabriel - Leader of the angels. Ganelon - Roland's stepfather. King Marsile - Ruler of Saragossa.
Olivier - Roland's best friend. Pinabel - A formidable French warrior Thierry - The Duke of Argonne.
Roland - The emperor's nephew.

Settings: *Roncesvalles *Roncesvalles (rahn-SEHS-val-yay). Pass in northern Spain’s Pyrenees

mountain range where Roland, King Charlemagne’s nephew, is believed to have been ambushed and
massacred by Basques while Charlemagne was leading his army back to France after his campaigns in
Spain. According to The Song of Roland—which was written during the time of the First Crusades,
approximately three hundred years after the events it describes took place—Roland’s forces fought the
Muslims (Moors or Saracens), rather than the Basques (or Gascons). The unnamed author may have
wished to elevate the battle at “Roncevaux” into a struggle between Christians and pagans as a result of
the contemporary views of the struggles between the two groups at that time. In addition, Roland is
presented as a Frank from France, not the Breton from Brittany that he actually was. Roncesvalles may
also symbolize the border between destruction and death and honor and everlasting life. *Saragossa
*Saragossa. City in northeastern Spain located on the south bank of the Ebro River (now the capital of
Aragon). One of its towns, Salduba, which is of Celtic and Iberian origin, was made a colony by the
Romans during the first century b.c.e., and called “Caesaraugusta,” from which “Saragossa” is adapted.
In this epic, Saragossa is the only Spanish city that is not yet under King Charlemagne’s control. Its
pagan king Marsile is persuaded by Ganelon to kill Roland (Charlemagne’s nephew and Ganelon’s own
stepson), because of the strength that the young man represents for Charlemagne. *Aix-la-Chapelle *Aix-
la-Chapelle (aks-lah-shah-pel). Now Aachen, Germany, a well-known town of historic importance, known
especially as having become the permanent residence and burial place of King Charlemagne, In this
poem, certain details are altered, such as the origin of those with whom Charlemagne and Roland do
battle. Moral Lesson: The message of this poem, then, combines strong pagan themes of vassalage,
heroism, and fealty with Christian ideals of good, evil, and the all-powerful will of God. While good will
always defeat evil, God requires men sometimes to carry out his will for him, and therefore it is through
earthly vassalage and adherence to duty that a soldier such as Roland can become even more purely
good.