Epic is an ancient rap literature, which belongs to a kind of folk narrative poetry. The word "epic" is a foreign word, originally from Greek, which originally meant "talk", "level talk" or "story", and it was later connected with verse works that narrate heroic adventure stories and called it "epic".In the fragmentary expositions left by the ancient Greek thinker Democritus (460-370 BC), although Homer's poems were mentioned, they were not called epics.Another philosopher of ancient Greece, Plato (427-347 BC), was probably the first scholar to mention "epic".However, his use of the word "epic" is not common, but from his dialogues, we can understand that the word "epic" appeared in Greece at the latest in the 4th century BC.The formal and widespread use of this word began with the Poetics written by the famous ancient Greek philosopher and literary theorist Aristotle (384-322 BC).The epic he mentioned in this work clearly refers to Homer's epic. "Poetics" has an important historical position in the history of Western academics.Since then, scholars of all dynasties have continued to use the concept of epic in "Poetics", which refers to the kind of long story poems that express the deeds of ancient heroes.

Epics originated among the people at first.The works of literati must absorb nutrition from the folk, including subject matter and form.In Europe, from the Greek and Roman period to the Renaissance, there were famous poets who imitated Homer's epic poems to create, which shows that the epic genre was popular in Europe for a long time. my country's attention to local epics originated in ethnology in the 1920s and 1930s.The specific use of the concept of "epic" began in the late 1950s and early 1960s.Since the beginning of the 1980s, with the rapid development of epic research in my country, Chinese scholars have made new understandings and supplements to the meaning of "epic" on the basis of absorbing the concept of Western epic and combining their own conditions.Because in addition to works similar to Homer's epics in China, there is also a long-form work that shows the creation of the world and human beings by human ancestors, reflects the development of ancient society and the exploration of some major issues in the universe and the human world by ancient humans. The nature of Genesis is generally called the Creation Epic.According to the form of social development, this is the earliest long-form oral literature in the history of human development, and it has irreplaceable value in cultural history.Such epics are classics that must be recited in primitive religious sacrificial activities, and they appear concentrated in the minority areas in southern my country.We call the long rap works that describe ancient heroes’ martial arts heroic epics. They represent the wars between clans in the process of nation formation, and some chant the victory of justice over evil, reflecting the desire of the people to change from dispersal to unity. .

Heroic epic, known as an epoch-making classical literary form, is the first peak of spiritual culture in the history of human culture and a great creation of the people.They are the pride of a nation, and are extremely precious spiritual wealth shared by people all over the world. They develop along with the development of a nation, and they are the collection of knowledge of a particular nation in a certain historical period, reflecting the intricate social struggles and expressing the distinct spirit of the times. .This is a monument erected by the people in the field of culture. As a sign of a historical turning point - a milestone, it has an irreplaceable and great historical role in connecting the past and ushering in the future.

The turning point of society is a period of turbulence and change. Not only will the economic foundation and social system undergo fundamental changes, but at the same time, due to people's new pursuits and creations in spiritual life, ideological, literary and artistic There will inevitably be great changes, which is the social basis for the emergence of heroic epics.Epics give people excitement, encouragement, strength and confidence at the juncture of historical changes.Epics are developed on the basis of myths, legends, stories, songs, and proverbs.Not only is it far deeper and broader in content than works in other genres, but it is also magnificent in form, and it can be said to be the culmination of oral literature.The protagonists are called national heroes because they are the representatives of the emerging class, or the emerging slave owners, or the emerging feudal lords.Generally based on historical events, on this basis to generalize, imagine, fiction and exaggeration.This kind of work is the collective creation of the collective wisdom of generations. After finishing and processing by intellectuals, from oral to written, it becomes a finalized version.There is a long process in between.Strictly speaking, some world epic masterpieces that we usually know should be half-oral and half-written literature.

This book aims to introduce the representative heroic epics of ethnic minorities in my country to readers at home and abroad, so that everyone can truly understand the greatness of heroic epics. The content of epics can only be expressed in the form of epics. Otherwise, it would not be good, beautiful and great.And then understand the diversity of Chinese native culture.No matter the size of the nation, even the nation with the smallest population has had outstanding cultural creations in the big family of the Chinese nation.That brilliance will never disappear with the passage of time, and will find its proper place in the process of establishing modern civilization.

Only by comparison can there be identification. The brilliance of Chinese heroic epics is revealed in the comparison with foreign epics. The international reputation of the three famous epics "Gesar", "Janger" and "Manas" is Increase endlessly.In order to cherish one's own epics better, it is necessary to take a very fast pace to visit those masterpieces of world epics that are fortunate to be the first in the world literary world.Then, enter the epic world of our country with enthusiasm and reason.Smart readers will inevitably come to wise and fair judgments.