1. Epic Vocabulary 19 terms

2. Epic Long story told in poetry relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society

3. Myth Traditional story - serves to explain a belief

4. odyssey a long journey marked by changes in fortune

5. Culture socially transmitted behavior patterns (arts, beliefs, institutions)

6. Epic hero a main character in an epic whose legendary or heroic actions are central to his/her culture, race, or nation

7. Epic simile a simile developed over several lines of verse, elaborated in great detail Also called a Homeric simile

8. Monotheism belief that there is only one God

9. Polytheism belief in many gods

10. Epithet Adjective or descriptive phrase that is regularly used to characterize a person, place, or thing “Honest Abe”

11. Goddess A female god

12. Oracle A person (such as a priestess) through whom a god is believed to speak through

13. Rhapsode A poet who uses extravagantly enthusiastic or impassioned language One who recited epic and other poetry, especially professionally, in ancient Greece

14. Rhapsody An ancient Greek epic poem (or a portion of one suitable for uninterrupted recitation)

15. Muse Any goddess presiding over a particular art (sometimes lowercase ) the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like

16. Alter ego Another side of oneself; a second self

17. Oral tradition Stories passed down from one generation to the next

18. Homer 9th-century b.c., Greek epic poet: reputed author of the Iliad and Odyssey

19. Archetype An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype: "'Frankenstein'... 'Dracula'... 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'... the archetypes that have influenced all subsequent horror stories" (New York Times)

20. The Iliad The older of the two surviving ancient Greek epic poems (traditionally ascribed to Homer but containing material composed orally over several centuries. It begins with the wrathful withdrawal of the Greek hero Achilles from the fighting in the Trojan War and ends after his return to slay the Trojan hero Hector)