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Epic
A long narrative poem that tells the story of a larger than life hero written in high style
Bard
Someone who sing the story or accounts of gods and goddesses
Oral tradition
Passing down of works by word of mouth from Bard to Bard
Written tradition
When oral tradition is eventually put into writing
Epic hero
A main character in an epic whose legendary or heroic actions are central to his/her culture, race, or nation.
Epic conventions
Shared characteristics of epics writers drew upon to establish the epic quality of their poems
In medias res
"in the middle of things"; the story always begins in the middle of the story
Invocation of the Muse
Book one opens by calling upon the goddess Calliope for inspiration
Triads
groups of three
Patronymics
A character refers to themselves by their father's name [ ties into Kleos]
epic simile
A simile developed over several lines of verse
Hubris
Overconfidence, unjustified pride or arrogance; often seen as putting oneself on the same level as the gods
Xenia
The Greek concept of hospitality, the idea that all guests should be treated as gods themselves, and that hosts should be expected to treat their guests as gods
Nostos
Homecoming by the way of the sea; reaffirmation/ rediscovery of one's true self
Kleos
"What others tell of you", such as reputation based on one deed's on the battlefield (This image is passed down from father to son)
Eudaimonia
Fulfillment or contempt, not associated with the feeling of happiness but the feeling of doing as they are meant to do; fulfilling one's purpose
Tragedy
A form of drama in which there is a display of human suffering and often catharsis for the audience. The tragedy is deliberately emotional as they are trying to provoke a reaction for the audience
Catharsis
Purgation/purged or cleansed; form emotion
Tragic hero
A character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction
Hamartia
Flaw or error of judgment (fatal flaw/flaw in one's character that brings about their undoing and suffering )
Peripetia
A reversal of fortune brought about because of the hero's error in judgment
Anagnorisis
The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the heroes own actions
Dramatic irony
When the audience knows something that the characters do not
Foreshadwoing
A hint or sign about what is coming
Pietas
firm loyalty and devotion to one's country, gods, and family
Kenning
Derived from Norse and Anglo-Saxon poetry, a stylistic device defined as a two-word phrase that describes an object through metaphors; similar to traditional riddles.
Scop
An old English bard
Comitatus
A Germanic friendship structure, comprised of a body of wellborn men attached to a king or chieftain by the duty of military service.
Wyrd
A concept in Anglo-Saxon culture roughly corresponding to fate or personal destiny -- providence
Litotes
Ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary; minimalization.
Wergild
The value set in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic law upon human life in accordance with rank and paid as compensation to the kindred or lord of a slain person; also known as man-price/blood-price
Allegory
Symbolic story, everything in the story is purposed to present something else
Vernacular
Common tongue
Terza rima
Rhythm and meter/rhyme scheme that Dante uses
Social Satire
Criticizes and attacks hypocrisy or problems that are present in society through the house of humor; erroneous things/actions of humans in a mocking way
Frame-tale poem
Consists of many different stories (episodic) that are unrelated to one another
Sovereignty
The supreme and absolute authority within territorial boundaries
Pilgrim
A person who makes a journey for religious reasons
Humanism
Every human life no matter how small or seemingly insignificant has value; it is the material world/life on this earth that matters
Soliloquy
A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage
Revenge Tragedy
A form of tragic drama in which someone rights a wrong.
