A Comparative Contextual Analysis of the Role of Societal Institutions in Molding Heroism in the Kiswahili Epic Mikidadi and Mayasa and Fumo Liyongo

This was a comparative contextual analysis of the role of societal institutions in molding heroism in the Kiswahili Epics of Mikidadi and Mayasa and Fumo Liyongo. The objective of the research was: to comparatively assess the influence of institutions in molding heroism in the Kiswahili Epics of Mikidadi and Mayasa and Fumo Liyongo. The choice of the research topic was informed by the existing academic gap. Even though many research works have been done on heroism, the researcher is yet to encounter a work on the investigation of societal institutions that molds heroism in the Epics of Mikidadi and Mayasa and Fumo Liyongo. This research was guided by the Reader’s Response Theory. The Reader’s Response Theory suggests that readers bring their unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to the act of reading, shaping their understanding and response to a text. It therefore underscores the significance of reader-centered approaches in literary analysis and the dynamic nature of interpretation. This research was library based. Different libraries including e-library were used. The target population was Kiswahili epics, and the research purposefully sampled the epics of Mikidadi and Mayasa (Bashir 1972) and Fumo Liyongo (1913). Data was collected by use of content analysis by reading the selected Kiswahili epics in depth. Specific data connected with the objective was documented as guided by the theory and then cross-checked to confirm how the institutions assisted in depicting a hero. Data was then analyzed descriptively, with results presented in a written document. The research assessed the influence of themes like culture, economy, death and betrayal in hero depictions in the selected epics. The result of the research is expected to be an important source of reference to scholars of this topic of heroism in Kiswahili epics. This research is a bridge to future research and it is an important addition to research works already done on heroism in Kiswahili epics.