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...
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...
Egypt Oral tradition: c. 14th century CEFirst transcriptions: 1986-90 Anonymous, Sirat Bani Hilal The epic as it is sung in Northern Egypt is built upon the basic historical facts about the Bani Hilal tribe: their migration westwards from the Arabian...
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