Such introductions and descriptions are called epic catalogues. Barbarians are sometimes known to refer to these as epic catalogs.

The term catalogue is not restricted to characters. Lists of armies, ships, places, etc. are also covered by the term. As far as I am aware, there is no specific term for any of these; they are all just called catalogues and qualified with the particular thing being described and the epic where it occurs. So we have a catalogue of the ships in the Iliad, or a catalogue of the Italian forces in the Aeneid, or a catalogue of the fallen angels in Paradise Lost.

Epic catalogues continue to have not only scholarly articles but entire books written about them.

Such introductions and descriptions are called epic catalogues. Barbarians are sometimes known to refer to them as epic catalogs.

The term catalogue is not restricted to characters. Lists of armies, ships, places, etc. are also covered by the term. As far as I am aware, there is no specific term for any of these; they are all just called catalogues and qualified with the particular thing being described and the epic where it occurs. So we have a catalogue of the ships in the Iliad, or a catalogue of the Italian forces in the Aeneid, or a catalogue of the fallen angels in Paradise Lost.

Epic catalogues continue to have not only scholarly articles but whole entire books written about them.