How do you define "epic poetry"?

[alicehive]

How do you define "epic poetry"? Does it have to have a certain rhythm, a certain form? Does it need to have rhymes?
Or does the "epic" just mean that it has got to tell a story?

[hasenyager]

Most epic poems have form and rhyme. Some have form without rhyme. And some have neither. I'd define epic poetry as any long poem.

There are certain epic tropes. Epic poems often follow the "hero's journey" model. Some epics tell very old, mythical stories that have been passed down for generations. Other epics are academic works written intentionally with a certain style. I think an epic poem can be whatever you want to be. You can follow in the footsteps of older epics or you can create something totally new.