THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

449-1066 A.D.

A Brief HistoryCelts were original inhabitants of England (early 400s)

•Attacked by Scottish and Irish tribes•Under consul of Rome, but Rome was suffering and could not help

•Sought help from Germanic Tribes – Angles, Saxons and Jutes

•These tribes saw this as a chance to invade Britain.

•Many Celts were driven away, but those who stayed became slaves and adopted the new Germanic-based language.

Map of Celtic Expansion

The Angles, Saxons and Jutes• Invaded southeastern region in 449• “Angle-land”• From north Germany, Denmark and

northern Holland• Romans thought of these people as

barbarians• Pagan, no written language, farmers• Preferred rivers for transportation• Ruled by fate – “wyrd”• Loyalty in service important• Class system: king-thanes-freemen-

slaves/serfs

Map of Anglo-Saxon Britain

Pagan PeopleThe Anglo-Saxons believed in many gods and goddesses including:• Woden (Odin) – Chief god; war

(Wednesday)• Thor – god of thunder (Thursday)• Frigga – goddess of the home (Friday)

Frigga, left and Thor, right

Anglo-Saxon Lives•Divided into tribes and kingdoms

•Lived in wood homes with thatch roofs

•Each family member had a job on the farm; some people were skilled as ironworkers or shoemakers.

•Girls worked in the home; considered grown by age 10

•Boys learned skills of fathers; did not learn to read or write

•Women could own land

•Men and women could marry within their class as long as their family approved of the union

•Each tribe led by a king or chieftain

•Followers of these kings were called thanes

•After hunt and battles, they would gather in a mead hall

•Entertained by a scop and gleeman

•Governed themselves democratically

Anglo-Saxon Thane

Source: http://www.essentialnormanconquest.com/images/osehncimages/osehnc00101.JPG

Anglo-Saxon King

Alfred the Great

Source: http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/2/2a/KingAlfredStatueWantage.jpg

The Mead Hall

Source: http://www.heorot.dk/heorot.jpg

Kingdoms

•Ninth Century Kingdoms•Northumbria•Mercia•East Anglia•Wessex

•Only Wessex survived the Viking invasions

•Anglo-Saxon rule ended around 1066 when King Harold was defeated by French leader William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings

Anglo-Saxon Literature• No written language – Oral

Tradition• A storyteller would tell stories

through song or poetry• People also like riddles• “Runes” were the first types of

letters carved into wood• Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – year-by-

year account of important kings, battles and events of the period.

• Beowulf – oldest surviving manuscript in the English language

• Exeter Book –The Seafarer and The Wanderer

Elements of Anglo-Saxon Literature•Composed in Old English•Each line is divided by a caesura (a natural pause or break in a line of poetry, is essential for rhythm)

•Incorporates kennings (a metaphorical phrase used to replace a concrete noun)

•Usually includes a blend of pagan and Christian elements

The Oral Tradition• Songs and stories about

warriors performed by scops at mead-hall banquets.

• Passed down through generations

• Presented a model for life• To be immortalized in a song

or tale was the ultimate honor

Old English Themes

•Seafaring warriors

•Military and tribal loyalty

•Value on bravery•Struggle between good and evil (Christian elements)

•Beowulf blends both Pagan and Christian elements

Example of Old English Text

Anglo-Saxon Literary Terms

Epic Poem

Long narrative poem that uses formal language to tell the exploits of a legendary hero who is highly admired among his people.

Folk EpicsAn epic that comes from stories told by a people and does not necessarily have an author.

Example: Beowulf

Literary EpicsAn epic that has been written down by a specific author

Example: Paradise Lost by John Milton

Characteristics of Epics

•begins in “medias res” (in the middle of things)

•begins with an invocation to a Muse

•content is concerned with the fate of a nation or a people

•set on a large scale, ranging around the world

•Often involves the intervention of supernatural figures

•Includes extended similes (an extension of a simile in a comparison that may run for several lines)

•long catalogues (lists)•extensive battle scenes•stock episodes

Epic Boast

A hero may give this type of speech to glorify himself. Epic boast told of the warrior’s exploits and were meant to be taken seriously.

Caesura

A natural break in a line of poetry, usually in the middle, which helps to provide rhythm

Example from Beowulf:Up from his swampland, sliding silently

Toward that gold-shining hall. He had visited Hrothgar’s

Lament

A song or poem that expresses grief or regret

In its verb form, it means “to cry or grieve.”

Elegy

A type of lyric poem which is usually a formal mourning for someone’s death

ArchetypeAn original pattern or model from which all other things of the same kind are made

Example: The film was one of the archetypes of the American Western.

QuestA journey one undertakes with the intention of seeking something

Example: the Holy Grail

Mead

The fermented beverage made of water, honey, malt, and yeast.

ComitausAn agreement between a lord and his thanes in which the thanes swear to protect the lord, while the lord provides protection, wealth, and weapons

Kenning•A metaphoric renaming of an ordinary object•Often uses creative compounds•Examples: bird’s nest (hair)

sea road (ocean)

Ecclesiastical

Having to do with the church

Epithet•A word or phrase, often critical or abusive, which expresses a character trait of someone or something. •Glorified nickname

Since the Anglo-Saxon people had no form of written language in the beginning, they relied on oral tradition to pass down stories and songs.

Introduction to Beowulf

•The oldest surviving manuscript in the English language

•Originally written in Old English

•An epic poem•Composed by unknown source circa 750 A.D.

•The national epic poem of England

•Over 3,000 alliterative lines

Beowulf•A complete epic poem- a long narrative poem about the adventures of a god or hero.

•Beowulf is a form of a folk epic.•Originated as a pagan saga.•Most likely written down by a Christian, hence the elements of Christianity.

•Celebrates the hero's fearless and bloody struggles against monsters and extols courage, honor, and loyalty as the chief virtues in a world of brutal force.

Beowulf’s Essential Characters

Beowulf•A high ranked nobleman from Geatland (southern Switzerland)

•Nephew of Hygelac•Typifies Anglo-Saxon ideals of conduct

•Fights the notorious Grendel

Hrothgar• King of the Danes

• His mead hall, Heorot, is terrorized by Grendel

• Regards Beowulf as being sent by God

Grendel• Descendent of Cain from the book of Genesis

• Raids Heorot for 12 years

Grendel’s Mother• Resides with her son in a cave beneath a lake

• Not as fierce as Grendel but still a formidable adversary

Dragon• Hoards a treasure of gold

• Ravages Beowulf’s land

• Mighty adversary of Beowulf

Minor Characters•Wealtheow- Hrothgar’s Queen

•Unferth- Hrothgar’s top thane who feels threatened by Beowulf

•Wiglaf- loyal thane of Beowul’s

Quick write

•Think of your favorite superhero

•What are some qualities of this person that make them a hero?

•Why, as a society, do we look up to heroes?•3-5 sentences (on Moodle)