National Epic

A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope believed to capture and express the essential spirit of a particular nation, not necessarily a nation-state, since the term also covers ethnic or linguistic groups aspiring to independence or autonomy. Such works typically narrate a nation's origins, its defining historical moments, or events that shaped its collective identity, functioning much like other national symbols. A work can be recognized as a national epic simply because readers and critics have come to treat it as emblematic of a nation's literature, whether or not its narrative contains historically accurate detail about that nation.