Lakhnavi, The Adventures of Amir Hamza

Lakhnavi, The Adventures of Amir Hamza

Arabia, Persia, and the Subcontinent Oral tradition dating back to the 7th century Illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, c. 1562Urdu version by Ghalib Lakhnavi, 1855Expanded by Abdullah Bilgirami, 1871    Ghalib Lakhnavi The Adventures of...
The Great Law of Peace

The Great Law of Peace

​Iroquois League of Five Nations Oral tradition: c. 1100-1450 CETranscribed on wampum belt: c. 1624Earliest publication (Mohawk Version): 1883     The Great Law of Peace (Kaianerekowa)     The struggle to form a unifying law by the formerly strife-torn...
The Epic of Liyongo

The Epic of Liyongo

East Africa (Swahili) Oral tradition: 9th-13th century CEFirst transcribed: c. 13th century CE The Epic of Liyongo by Muhammad Bin Bakari Kijumwa: 1913 The Epic of Liyongo Introduction commissioned.             ​ Name of...
Epic of Sun-Jata

Epic of Sun-Jata

West Africa (the Sudanese empire of Old Mali) Oral tradition: c. 13th century CEWritten summaries (Arabic): before 1890Translations (French, German): 1890-1898First line-by-line transcription: 1967     Epic of Sun-Jata*   Sun-Jata (Son-Jara, Sundiata) was the...
Ponnivala Nadu

Ponnivala Nadu

Southern India Oral tradition: c. 15-16th century CEFirst recorded: 1965 Ponnivala Nadu The Legend of Ponnivala Nadu is a folk epic popular in Southern India, specifically in the Kongu Nadu region of Tamilnadu. This is an extended oral epic, a story first tape...