Epyllion

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἐπύλλιον. The term was first used in the nineteenth century.

Full definition of epyllion

Noun

1. (literary) a "little epic".
2. (literary) A brief narrative poem with a romantic or mythological theme.

Usage notes

It refers primarily to the type of erotic and mythological long elegy of which Ovid remains the master; to a lesser degree, the term includes some poems of the English Renaissance, particularly those influenced by Ovid. An example of a classical epyllion may be seen in the story of Nisus and Euryalus in Book IX of The Aeneid.

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