List of world folk-epics
World folk-epics are those epics which are not just literary masterpieces but also an integral part of the worldview of a people. They were originally oral literatures, which were later written down by either single author or several writers.
African languages
- T'heydinn, a Mauritanian epic ensemble
- Gassire's lute, a West African epic about the fall of the Ghana Empire
- Bayajidda, a West African epic
- Eri, a West African epic
- Oduduwa, a West African epic
- Silamaka, a West African epic
- Epic of Sundiata, a West African epic about the rise of the Mali Empire
- Lianja, a Central African epic
- Mwindo, a Central African epic
- Kebra Nagast, an Ethiopian epic
American languages
- Popol Vuh, a K'iche' epic
- Diné Bahaneʼ, a Navajo epic
Southwest Asian languages
- Bahman Nama, a Persian epic about the story of Bahman, son of Isfandyar
- Banu Goshasp Nama, a Persian epic about the daughter of Rustam
- Kush Nama, a Persian epic recounting the story of Kush the Tusked and Abtin.
- Faramarz Nama, a story about the Persian hero Faramarz
- Garshasp Nama, a Persian epic about the hero Garshasp
- Shahnameh, the national epic of Greater Iran and world's longest epic poetry written by one poet
- Mem and Zin, a Kurdish folk and love epic
- Taghribat Bani Hilal, an Arabic epic recounting the journeys and conquests of the Bani Hilal tribe
- The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, also known as {Arabian Nights}, is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales
- The Daredevils of Sassoun, an Armenian folk epic
- The Knight in the Panther's Skin, a Georgian epic poem
- Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest epic of the world from Mesopotamia
- The Hebrew Bible
East and Central Asian Languages
- Epic of King Gesar, a Tibetan epic
- The Secret History of the Mongols
- Heike Monogatari, a Japanese epic
- Jewang ungi, a Korean epic
- Irk Bitig, a book about Turkic legends from Dunhuang, China
- Alpamysh, a Turkic epic
- Alp Er Tunga, a Turkic epic
- Manas, a Kyrgyz epic
- Book of Dede Korkut (Korkut Ata), an Oghuz Turkic epic
- Oghuz-nameh, an Oghuz Turkic epic
- Kutadgu Bilig, a Karakhanid epic
- Mupamipa, a Lahu epic
- Olonkho, a Yakut
South Asian languages
- Khamba Thoibi Sheireng, a Meitei language epic poem, consisting of 39,000 lines, based on the story of Khamba and Thoibi, from India.
- Numit Kappa, a 1st-century Meitei language epic poetry from India.
- Meghnad Badh Kavya, a Bengali language epic from India by Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
- Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic from India; known as Bharatayuddha in Indonesia and the second longest epic in the world ( the longest epic is Epic of Manas)
- Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic from India.
- Panchatantra, a Sanskrit epic of animal folktales from India.
- Sarala Mahabharata, an Odia language epic, India
- Jagamohana Ramayana, an Odia language epic poem, India
- The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature, India:
- Mailaralingana Kavya, in Kannada language, India
- Manteswamy Kavya, in Kannada language, India
- Malemahadeshwara kavya, in Kannada language, India
- Epic of Siri, in Tulu language from Karnataka, India
- Siri and Kotichennayya avali kavya, in Tulu language, Karnataka, India
Southeast Asian languages
- Sepha Khun Chang Khun Phaen, a Thai epic about the adventures of Khun Phaen, a Siamese folk hero.
- The Tale of Kiều, a Vietnamese epic poem in lục bát.
- Lục Vân Tiên, a Vietnamese epic poem in lục bát.
- Klei khan Y Dam San, an epic of Rade people in Central Highland (Tây Nguyên), Vietnam.
- Hikayat Hang Tuah, a Malaccan, and Malay epic
- Bidasari, a Malay epic
- La Galigo, also known as Sureq Galigo or La Galigo, is an epic creation myth of the Buginese people from South Sulawesi, Indonesia Written in an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language, it is the longest epic in the world.
- Nagarakertagama, an Indonesian epic
- Ibong Adarna, a Spanish-era Tagalog epic
- Biag ni Lam-Ang (Life of Lam-Ang), an epic of the Ilocano of northern Luzon, the Philippines
- Ibalong Epic, a 60-stanza fragment of a Bicolano full-length folk epic of Bicol Region of the Philippines.
- Hinilawod, an epic of the Panay-Bukidnons of Panay, the Visayas, central Philippines.
- Darangen, an epic of the Maranao of Mindanao, the Philippines. Derived from the Ramayana
European languages
Celtic languages
- Mabinogion, a compilation of Welsh myths and legends
- Matter of Britain, a compilation of Welsh myths and legends
- Mythological Cycle, a compilation of Irish myths and legends
- Ulster Cycle, a compilation of Irish myths and legends
- Fenian Cycle, a compilation of Irish myths and legends
- Cycles of the Kings, a compilation of Irish myths and legends
- Táin Bó Cúailnge, an Irish epic
- Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, an Irish lament
Germanic Languages
- Volsunga saga, a Scandinavian saga
- Edda, a collection of Icelandic poems
- Njál's saga, an Icelandic saga
- Nibelungenlied, a German epic poem
- The Lion of Flanders, a Flemish national epic
- Van den vos Reynaerde, the Middle Dutch collection of the cycle of fables around Reynard the Fox.
- Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic written in Old English
- Le Morte d'Arthur, a collection of Arthurian legends in Middle English
Italic and Romance Languages
- Aeneid, a Roman epic
- Os Lusíadas, a Portuguese literary epic
- La Araucana, an American Spanish epic
- The Lay of the Cid, a medieval Spanish epic
- The Song of Roland, a medieval French epic
Slavic Languages
- Pan Tadeusz, a Polish literary epic
- The Tale of Igor's Campaign, an East Slavic epic
- Epic of the Forgotten, a Bulgarian poetic saga
- The Baptism on the Savica, a Slovene literary epic
- Judita, a Croatian epic
- On the Track of the Sun – The Red Warriors from Chorasmia, a Croatian epic
- The Mountain Wreath, a Montenegrin epic poem
Serbian language
Albanian language
- Cikli i Kreshnikëve, an Albanian epic
Greek language
- Iliad, an Ancient Greek epic
- Odyssey, an Ancient Greek epic
- Theogony, an Ancient Greek epic
Northeast Caucasian languages
- Sharvili [ru], a Lezgin folk epic
