The present study aims to reassess the classical definition of epic and to propose a new framework for the typology of Persian prose heroic narratives. While previous scholarship has been largely focused on verse epics, prose-based heroic texts—from the Avesta and Ayādgār ī Zarērān to chivalric romances, religious narratives, and Naqqāli scrolls—represent a significant continuum and transformation within the Iranian heroic tradition, yet they have seldom been systematically analyzed. Through a historical, structural, and functional examination, and by employing Roman Jakobson’s theory of linguistic functions, this research demonstrates that prose heroic narratives cannot be adequately interpreted within the boundaries of the classical epic genre and, instead, constitute an independent narrative system. Findings reveal that the transformation of Persian prose epic from antiquity to the Qajar era occurred along three main axes: changes in the nature of the hero, shifts in linguistic and stylistic features, and the evolution of the social function of the narrative. Based on this analysis, a five-part typology is proposed: mythic-foundational epic, political-historical narrative, chivalric/romance heroic narrative, Shiʿi religious epic, and performative Naqqāli narratives. The study concludes that Persian prose epic is not a derivative form of verse epic but a dynamic and autonomous field within Persian literary tradition.