An Epic of Gods or a Book of Heroes

The effect of ultra-human forces is extensively remarkable in epic works. Such forces play important roles in all epics, but what makes them distinct is the way they act in epics. Is the intervention and effect of these forces equal in all epics? If the intervention of such forces is too much in some works, does it reduce the epic value? The present article studies Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and Homer’s Iliad from this perspective, trying to answer the above questions and to find out which work is more compatible with the earthly culture of its audience.