All five of the epics discussed in this volume came to serve as
the basis for an ethnic and national tradition of history,
religion, and literature documenting, sometimes encyclopedically,
the crucially formative events of a people's early collective
experience. A sequential study of these stories will invite and
provoke comparative questions and discussions of similar or
parallel images, episodes, cultural values, narrative strategies,
and poetic forms.
Of the five works discussed herein--the Mesopotamian "Epic of
Gilgamesh," the Hebrew "David Story" from 1 and 2 Samuel and 1
Kings, the Greek "Odyssey" of Homer, the Indian "Ramayana" of
Valmiki, and the Irish "Tain Bo Cuailnge"--only the "Odyssey"
conforms precisely to the classical Western conception of the epic,
but much is to be gained by considering these several ancient
narratives collectively, as parts of a composite human whole. All
are set in a time of historical beginnings, when acts of bravery,
violence, and conquest proved instrumental in the formation of a
people and the shaping of a nation. All recount the exploits of a
hero or heroes whose triumphs--and failings--prove to have a
decisive impact on the destiny of an age and a culture. All reflect
an entrenched culture of warriors and kings, whose acts of heroism
and prowess on the battlefield become the subjects of song and
celebration for a people just begining to take stock of their
historical, cultural, and religious heritage.
In cultures wherein literacy was rare, books even rarer, mass
media nonexistent, and entertainment few, hunger for and delight in
stories must have been common and intense. The oldest of the
stories discussed in this collection, "Gilgamesh," dates back
almost five thousand years, yet it and the others still resonate
with modern readers. There is much pleasure to be had in
discovering the common themes these epics share, and in realizing
that they are stories as much for today as for yesterday.
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