What is an

Epic Definition
•An Epic (from
the Ancient Greek ,
from (epos) "word,
story, poem
 Epic Definition
• An Epic is a long narrative
poem that relates the great
deeds of a larger-than-life hero
who embodies the values of a
particular society.
 1. Folk epic
• A folk epic is such a story that evolves
from the people of a civilization and their
lives.
• It rises above the facts of those lives,
although it is grounded in those facts, to
the commonality of their human
experiences, wisdom, and values.
2. Art Epic
• An art epic , on the contrary, is a
deliberate creation by the artist-
writer about a civilization or a
people.
• It, too, may be based on a long-ago
histories or on long-ago literature.
 3. Mock Epic
• A mock epic is a long, heroic-comical
poem that merely imitates features of the
classical epic.
• The mock epic focuses frequently on the
exploits of an antihero whose activities
illustrate the shallowness of a class or
group he represents.
• This style of epic is a satire.
Elements of the Epic
Epic Hero
Heroic Quest
Valorous Deeds
Divine Intervention
Great Events
 Epic Hero
Great Stature-
Larger than Life
Possesses the
character traits most
valued by society
(i.e. determination,
courage, wit,
wisdom)
 Heroic Quest
• Long, Dangerous Journey
• Proves Heroism
• Wins Honor and Renown
• Aids Others
Valorous Deeds
• Demonstrate
Hero’s Courage,
Strength, or Virtue
• Make up most of
the Action
• Battles Evil Forces
• Saves Others
 Divine Intervention
• Hero receives Help:
God/Supernatural Force takes
interest in Hero’s Quest
 Great Events
• Historical/Mythological
events as Backdrop for Epic
• E.g.: The Iliad, Trojan War
 Characteristics of Epic Poetry
• The hero is a figure of great national or

international importance.

• The setting is large in scale, sometimes

world-wide, or at least of the known world

• The actions involves heroic deeds in
battle or a long and arduous
journey intrepidly accomplished.
• In these great actions, the
immortals and other supernatural
beings themselves take an interest
and active part.
• An epic poem is a ceremonial
performance.
• The poet begins by stating his theme,
then invokes the Muses to help him
with his undertaking.
• The narration usually begins in the
middle point of the action and at a
crucial point; the events that
happened before the narrative
opening are introduced later on.
• There are catalogues of some of the
main characters, introduced to the
reader in formal detail.
 EXAMPLE OF
PHILIPPINE EPIC
 BIAG NI
LAM-ANG
What is the epic of "Biag
ni Lam-ang?"
 Brief history of the Story
"Biag ni Lam-ang" is an epic poem of
the Ilocano people dating from the pre-
Hispanic era of the Philippines.
The famous Ilokano epic.
The story is a mix of adventure and
romance with exciting and
unpredictable outcomes
The title translates to "The
Life of Lam-ang," and the story
reveals the details of this
man's birth and life.
The poem was written down in
1640, allegedly by a blind
Ilocano bard named Pedro
Bucaneg.
• The epic poem showed some of the earlier
customs, culture, tradition and belief of the
Ilocano people of the Philippines
• Recited and written in its original Iloko, the
poem is believed to be a composite work of
various poets who passed it on through the
generations
• It is originally written in the Ilocano language but
as time goes it has been translated to different
languages
 Pedro Bukaneg
Pedro Bukaneg (March 1592 –
1630) was a Filipino poet.
 Blind since birth, he is the
acknowledged author of the
Ilokano epic Biag ni Lam-
ang (Life of Lam-ang).
He is considered the "Father
of Ilokano Literature ."
His surname is lent to the Bukanegan, the
Ilocano equivalent of the Balagtasan of the
tagalog.
 Main Characters of the story Biag ni
Lam-ang
• Don Juan – father
• Namongan – mother
• Lam-ang – son
• Ines Kannoyan – love affection of Lam-ang
• Marcos – diver
• White Rooster – friend of Lam-ang
• Gray Dog – friend of Lam-ang
• Bercacan- monster fish
 THEME
•Bravery, when
displayed positively,
makes one
honorable.
 Setting
• NALBUAN (now part of in
the northern part of the
Philippines.)
 Origins of the place
• The term “Ilocano” was derived from the words “i-
“(from) and “looc” (cove or bay), which when
combined means “People of the bay”
• The Ilocanos are the third largest ethnolinguistic
group in the Philippines
• The Ilocano dialect is related to the languages
Indonesian, Malay, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian,
Malagasy, Samoan, Tahitian, Chamorro, Tetum and
Paiwan
• Today, the Ilocano dialect is the third most spoken
language in the Philippines
 Life of Lam-ang
(Summary)
Don Juan an his wife Namongan lived in
Nalbuan. They had a son named Lam-ang. Before
Lam-ang was born, Don Juan went to the mountains
in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies.
While he was away, his son Lam-ang was born. It took
four people to help Namongan give birth and asked
that he be given the name Lam-ang. He also chose his
godparents and asked where his father was.
 After nine months of waiting for his
father to return Lam-ang decided he would
go look for him. Namongan thought Lam-ang
was up to the challege but she was sad to let
him go. During his exhausting journey, he
decided torest for awhile. He fell asleep and a
dream about his father’s head being stuck on
a pole by the Igorot. Lam-ang was furious
when he learned what had happened to his
father. He rushed to their village and killed
them all, except for one whom he let go so
that he could tell other people about Lam-
ang’s greatness.
 Upon returning to Nalbuan in truimph,
he was bathed by women in the
Amburayan river. All the fish died because
of the dirt and odor from Lam-ang’s body.
There was a young woman named Ines
Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to woo.
She lived in Calanutian and he brought
along his white rooster and gray dog to
visit her. On the way,Lam-ang met his
enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines
whom he fought and readily defeated.
 Lam- ang found the house of Ines
surrounded by many suitors all of
whom were trying to catch her
attention. He had his rooster crow,
which caused nearby house to fall. This
made Ines look out. He had his dog bark
and in an instant the fallen house rose
up again. The girl’s parents witnessed
this and love of Lam- ang. The parent’s
agreed to a marriage with their
daughter if Lam- ang would give them a
dowry valued at double theirs wealth.
 Lam- ang had no problem fulfilling
this condition and he and Ines were
married. It was a tradition to have a
newly married man swim in the river
for the rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam-
ang dove straight into the mouth of the
water monster Berkakan. Ines had
Marcos get his bones, rooster crowed
and his dog barked and slowly the
bones started to move. Back alive, Lam-
ang and his wife lived happy ever after
with his white rooster and gray dog.
 Prepared by:
Crispe, Mary Grace
De la cruz, Helen
Duran, Colleen Faith
BEED2- A