EPICS, STORYTELLING, AND BARDS
WHAT IS AN EPIC?
An epic is lengthy story, typically in the form of a narrative poem, that often follows a hero through his or her journeys, trials, challenges, and triumphs. An epic often expresses the values, morals, ideals, and histories of a particular society or culture. Famous epics in the Western canon include Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (8th century BCE), Virgil’s Aeneid (1st century BCE), Beowulf (8th – 11th century), Dante’s The Divine Comedy (14th century) and Milton’s Paradise Lost (17th century).
Some of these epics are over 2,500 years old! Many epics are written down and preserved in books, like the examples listed above. However, in many cultures, epics are preserved and remembered orally. Instead of recording the stories by writing them down, in an oral tradition someone learns, memorizes, and retells the story to the community and to future generations, all through word of mouth. The story is never written down, and it instead lives in individual’s memories, and the story comes to life through retelling and performance.
FEATURED EPICS IN THE EPIC PROJECT
- Kyrgyzstan and the Epic of Manas
- Tibet and the Epic of King Gesar
- Azerbaijan and the Epic of Koroglu
- South India and the Epic of Silappatikaram
- China and the Epic of Dream of the Red Chamber
- San Francisco Bay Area master musicians' Epic stories
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC
- Long. Most epics are extremely long. For instance, the Odyssey is over 12,000 lines, and Manas, an epic from Kyrgyzstan, is over 400,000 lines.
- Heroic. Most epics express the greatness of a particular hero, following his or her journey, trials and triumphs.
- Didactic. Most epics also contain moral lessons, teaching the community about morals and beliefs valued by the society.
- Semi-Historic. Most epics describe the history and genealogy of the society and neighboring societies, and can also include historical events or historical figures. For instance, the West African epic Sundiata, chronicles the life of the 13th century king Sundiata Keita, who founded the Mali Empire. Although much of the epic is fictitious, Sundiata Keita was a real king.
- Narrative poem. Most epics are told in the narrative poem form, which can include meter, rhyme, or other poetic structures. The musical attributes of the narrative poem form also lend themselves to performance with music.
Thus, epics have a unique relationship with a particular society’s identity, as when community members listen to their epic, they are reminded about their own history, about important heroes and figures of the past, about what makes a hero, and about what lessons and values are important. Accordingly, storytellers and bards also have an important role in society as keepers of history.
WHAT IS A BARD?
In many societies, there are individuals whose entire lives are dedicated to memorizing and telling epics. Such individuals may be called bards. Bards maintain a special role in society, often preserving and reinforcing the history, genealogy, values, and morals of the society through memorizing and telling stories. Remember, epics are long, and so a bard must have a remarkable memory to remember all of those stories! A bard often has thousands upon thousands of lines memorized!
Each bard develops his or her own style when performing stories and epics. One may be known for inventive or clever phrasing, whereas another bard may be famous for his or her use of florid imagery. It should also be noted that the art of storytelling often requires a mix of memorization and improvisation. Because the bard has to memorize large quantities of verses, he or she often memorizes certain sections and scenes by heart, and also improvises throughout the performance. Therefore, each time a bard recites an epic, he or she may recite it slightly differently.
Sometimes, telling a single epic can take several days. Thus, bards often perform epics and stories with musical accompaniment to augment the listening experience for the audience. Bards are often both skillful poets, storytellers and musicians.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EPICS AND BARDS
Epic stories told by bards often include important historical figures and events from the past that may or may not be fictional. Epics are an important part of many cultures and societies, as they create a sense of unity and cultural identity.
RESOURCES FOR YOUTH
The San Franicsco World Music Festival's official "Epic Project Study Guide", available to schools attending the EPIC PROJECT SCHOOL SHOW for K-8, was researched and written by Krystal Barghelame, an ethnomusicologist and composer whose areas of specialization center on Azerbaijani and Iranian music and identity.
For more information about our school show designed for K-8, and for more detailed resources for teachers about Epics featured in this year's festival, continue here.
Photo/ Video Credits: (from the top) Image of Gesar; Tablet from Gilgamesh; Manas Epic singer Talantaaly Bakchiev.
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