What are the components of an epic story?
An epic story is a long, exalted narrative poem, usually on a serious subject, centered on a heroic figure. The earliest epics, known as primary, or original, epics, were shaped from the legends of an age when a nation was conquering and expanding; such is the foundation of the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, of the Iliad and the Odyssey of the Greek Homer, and of the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf. Literary, or secondary, epics, written in conscious imitation of earlier forms, are most notably represented by Vergil's Aeneid and Milton's Paradise Lost. Common in an epic story is the epic hero cycle with the following as its elements: 1. The main character is a hero, who is often possessed of supernatural abilities or qualities. 2.The hero is charged with a quest. 3. The hero is tested, often to prove the worthiness of himself and his quest. 4. The presence of numerous mythical beings, magical and helpful animals, and human helpers and companions 5. The hero’s travels take him to a supernatural world, often one that normal human beings are barred from entering. 6. The cycle must reach a low point where the hero nearly gives up his quest or appears defeated. 7. A resurrection. 8. Restitution. Often this takes the form of the hero regaining his rightful place on the throne.