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Epics and Ballads are two of the oldest forms in literature. Before novels entered into the 19th century, epics and ballads were the primary literary forms utilized for narrative entertainments. The most important, elaborate, and dignified form of narrative poetry is the epic; but the germ of the epic is to be found in the ballad. Due to a shared nature as poetic verse, there are many similarities between the two. Epic and ballad are developed as forms of popular entertainment. These are two narrative poems often accompanied with, music. Composed around a repetitive poetic structure, epics and ballads were more easily memorized and recognizable. Both revolved around tales of adventure and romance, and featured heroes of grand proportions. An epic and a ballad both are poems, which narrate stories. However, a ballad is shorter in length than an epic, while it is composed to be sung on some occasions, and not narrated. They are also known as folk ballads as well as popular ballads. Most of the ballads have unknown origin and source and usually pass on orally from generations to generations. On the other hand, an epic poem tells a story, but about the heroic ideals of a specific society. The actual difference between the two is the length and the fact that one is usually meant to be sung, while the other is to be narrated. Both differ in style where a ballad is composed in a simple language, while an epic demonstrates mastery in style such as Paradise Lost.