Writing Focus: Epic Poetry

Much like the different genres and types of stories, poetry can span many categories. One of these categories is epic poetry. However, few people know exactly what constitutes an epic poem. Hint: epic poems are not simply what you would describe as ‘epic’, like music!

What Is an Epic Poem?

An epic poem is a poem, which is usually incredibly long, that tells the tale of a heroic deed. Very often, these poems will include supernatural elements, tales of gods and goddesses and a strong view of historical or culturally significant events. They are often written in dactylic hexameter — a way of writing lines that employs six feet. This forces the line to follow a very strict syllable count, stressing certain areas of words whilst leaving other syllables unstressed. Generally speaking, an epic poem will set up each poetic foot as a combination of long-shortsyllables, allowing for the poem to flow evenly. This is not always required, however, as the most important aspect of an epic poem is often considered to be the supernatural or culturally significant content.

The infamous Homer of Greek history is considered by many to be the first of the epic poets, and many of his translated works are a perfect example of what epic poetry consists of.

Tips

Do not get hung up over the hexameter side of things — simply write! Silly little details like an issue with the amount of syllables in a line can be corrected after you have finished. Write out your poem first, and then change around syllables and words if you wish to keep in with the dactylic hexameter aspect of the epic poetry mold.

The language of an epic poem is often very formal, as is the speech of any characters that speak throughout the poem. Remember that epic poems tell tales of heroes, gods and villains — it is highly unlikely that any of these characters would speak colloquially.

Description is key! Epic poetry is long for a reason, and that reason is to allow you to paint a vivid picture of what you want your reader to see. Don’t be afraid to describe the scenery, the atmosphere, the characters and anything else that you mention in detail. After all, this will help the understanding of the story behind your poem!

Finally, think of an epic as a poem version of a story. Your epic should have a clear beginning, middle and end, and you should be able to clearly track the path of the hero or heroine throughout the story without leaving any pesky loopholes. This is considerably more difficult to do in poetry form than it is in your typical story form, but it can be incredibly impactful if done correctly.

Prompts

Looking to try your hand at writing an epic poem? Check out these prompts designed to help you along the way!

  • Your hero / heroine is faced with going into battle in any of the World Wars, aided by a god of war. Describe the journey that the character takes to survive.
  • Tell the story of Nordic deities Odin and Frigg using an epic poem.

Epic poetry is incredibly time-consuming to create and can be more difficult than other poetry, but it can also be incredibly rewarding and is a generally popular style for avid lovers of poetry! Why not try your hand at some?

Special thanks to losing control. and sindie synclayre for editing!

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