Waƙar almara

Waƙar almara ta kasance waƙa ce mai tsawo ta ba da labari game da ayyuka na ban mamaki na mutane masu ban mamaki waɗanda, a cikin mu'amala da alloli ko wasu sojojin da suka fi ƙarfin ɗan adam, sun ba da siffar sararin samaniya ga zuriyarsu.Michael Meyer (2005). The Bedford Introduction to

Literature . Bedford: St. Martin's Press. pp. 21–28.

ISBN 0-312-41242-8 

 Asali
Kalmar epic ta Ingilishi ta fito ne daga Latin epicus, wanda kanta ya fito daga tsohuwar sifa ta Girka  (epikos), daga  (epos),  "kalmomi, labari, waka." 

A tsohuwar Hellenanci, 'epic' na iya nufin duk waƙar dactylic hexameter ( epea ), wanda ya haɗa ba kawai Homer ba har ma da waƙar hikima na Hesiod, maganganun Delphic, da kuma ayoyin tauhidi masu ban mamaki da aka danganta ga Orpheus. Al'adar baya, duk da haka, ta taƙaita kalmar 'epic' zuwa almara na jaruntaka, kamar yadda aka bayyana a cikin wannan labarin.Lawall, Sarah N.; Mack, Maynard, eds. (1999).

Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces: The Western

Tradition . Vol. 1 (7 ed.). New York, NY: W.W.

Norton. pp. 10–11 . ISBN 978-0-393-97289-4

 Dubawa 
An samo asali kafin ƙirƙirar rubuce-rubuce, firamare na farko, irin su na Homer, sun haɗa da bard waɗanda suka yi amfani da ma'auni mai mahimmanci da ma'auni wanda za su iya haddace almara kamar yadda aka karɓa a cikin al'ada kuma su kara da almara a cikin wasan kwaikwayo. Daga baya marubuta kamar Virgil, Apollonius na Rhodes, Dante, Camões, da Milton sun karɓa kuma sun daidaita salon Homer da batun batun, amma sun yi amfani da na'urorin da ke samuwa kawai ga waɗanda suka rubuta.

Mafi tsufa almara da aka gane shine Almara na Gilgamesh ( ), wanda aka rubuta a zamanin Sumer lokacin daular Neo-Sumerian. Waƙar ta ba da cikakken bayani game da abubuwan da Gilgamesh, sarkin Uruk ya yi. Ko da yake an san shi a matsayin ɗan tarihi, Gilgamesh, kamar yadda aka wakilta a cikin almara, babban almara ne ko tatsuniya. 

Mafi tsayin almara da aka rubuta shi ne tsohuwar Indiya Mahabharata (c. karni na 3 BC–karni na 3 AD), Austin, p. 21. wanda ya ƙunshi ślokas 100,000 ko sama da layin aya 200,000 (kowane shloka ma'aurata ne), da kuma dogon nassosi na rubutu, don haka. Cewa a ~ 1.8 kalmomi kusan ninki biyu na tsawon Shahnameh, ninki huɗu na tsawon Ramayaṇa, kuma kusan ninki goma na Iliad da Odyssey a hade.Sharma, T.R.S.; Gaur, June; Akademi, Sahitya

(2000). Ancient Indian Literature: An anthology . New

Delhi, IN: Sahitya Akademi. p. 137.

ISBN 978-81-260-0794-3   

 Almara na baka 
Almara na farko samfurori ne na al'ummomi masu ilimi da al'adun gargajiya na baka.An yi  baka tare da rubutattun nassosi don sadarwa da sauƙaƙe yaduwar al'adu.  A cikin wa] annan hadisai, ana isar da wakoki ga masu sauraro da kuma daga mai yin waka zuwa mai yin ta ta hanyar baka zalla. Nazari na farko na ƙarni na 20 na al'adun gargajiya na baka a cikin Balkan na Milman Parry da Albert Lord ya nuna ƙirar da aka yi amfani da ita don haɗa waɗannan waƙoƙin. Abin da suka nuna shi ne cewa al'amurra na baka sun kasance ana gina su a cikin gajere, kowane matsayi daidai, sha'awa da mahimmanci. Wannan yana sauƙaƙe haddar, yayin da mawaƙin yana tuno kowane jigo bi da bi kuma yana amfani da sassan da aka kammala don sake ƙirƙira dukkan almara yayin da yake yin ta. Parry da Ubangiji kuma sun yi iƙirarin cewa mafi kusantar tushen rubutun rubuce-rubuce na almara na Homer shine furucin daga aikin baka.Goody, Jack (1987). The Interface Between the Written and the Oral . Cambridge University Press. pp. 110–121 . ISBN 978-0-521-33794-6

 Manazarta