Since you mentioned prose, there is a well-known West African medieval epic from the griot tradition called "Sundiata", about the historical leader of Mali. It is roughly comparable to the King Arthur stories in that it is a blend of myth and history. I read it in a history class and it was fascinating.

Here's a link comparing the Sundiata epic to The Lord of the Rings:

http://www.colorq.org/Art...ca.aspx?d=lore&x=SE_LOTR