epic tale
Sweeping heroic story
An epic tale is a long, grand narrative featuring heroic deeds, sweeping scope, and momentous events.
The phrase evokes ancient works like the Iliad or Beowulf—stories of legendary figures facing extraordinary challenges.
In casual use, epic tale often describes any ambitious or dramatic story: The documentary tells the epic tale of Antarctic exploration.
- once upon a timeTraditional narrative opening
- long agoIn the distant past
- sagaExtended heroic narrative
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- ancient loreTraditional knowledge from antiquity
folklore · myth · odyssey · hero's journey · legendary quest · noble quest · creation myth · oral tradition · spoken word · plot · villain · tragic flaw · Gilgamesh · narrative · hero · heroic journey · prophecy · chronicle
- talesfunny stories, tall tales, short story, yarns, humorous tales
- epicIliad, Odyssey, Beowulf, Aeneid, Gilgamesh
- questsquest, seeking, main quest, searching, side quest
- ancient writingsAeneid, Metamorphoses, cave paintings, petroglyphs, rock art
length and scope
epic taleshort story
Brief prose fiction
flash fiction · vignette · microfiction · anecdote · sketch