The Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066 A.D.)

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The Anglo-Saxon Period(449-1066 A.D.)

• Anglo-Saxon England Beowulf

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I. Historic Overview

• A. First Germanic invasion- In 449 A.D., the
  jutes (from the peninsula of Jutland in Denmark)
• B. Additional Germanic Invasions- the Angles
  Saxons (from Southern Denmark and along the coast)

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I. Historic Overview (Cont.)

• C. Anglo-Saxon England (Angleland) was
  established by these Germanic Tribes
• 1. Important Commonalities
• a. Common Language- early English
• b. Heroic Ideals- Courage, loyalty, valor,
  courtesy, generosity, of ruler and followers
• c. Family Unit- The family unit formed the
  structure of society Family-gt Clan-gt Tribe-gt
  Kingdom.
• d. Democratic Councils- Meetings and assemblies
  of open discussion
• e. Art- high regard for beauty fine
  ornamentation (Sutton Hoo artifacts)

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Sutton Hoo Artifacts
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I. Historic Overview (Cont.)

• 2. Lack of Unity- The tribes divided into 7 major
  kingdoms
• a. North- Angles (East Anglia, Mercia,
  Northumbria)
• b. South and East- Jutes (Kent)
• c. West- Saxons (Sussex, Essex, and Wessex)

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I. Historic Overview (Cont.)

• 3. Angleland lasted until 1066, when the
  Normans invaded (Norman Conquest, led by William
  the Conqueror)

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II. Religion

• A. Pagan Beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons
• Strong belief in fate (wyrd) - impersonal,
  irresistible
• force that determined most of life
• Gods of the Anglo-Saxons were those of the Norse
• culture
• Great admiration for heroic warriors- Human will
  and courage allowed individuals to control their
  own
• response to fate
• 4. No afterlife
• 5. Lifes Goal- Win fame and lasting glory in
  order to obtain immortality and became a model
  for others to follow

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II. Religion (Cont.)

• B. Influence of Christianity in England
• 1. First Archbishop in England- St. Augustine
  (597 A.D.), Roman missionary (brought 40
  missionaries with him to England)
• 2. Unity- the spread of Christianity served as a
  unifying force throughout Angleland
• 3. Literacy- Christianity brought literacy with
  it runic alphabet was replaced with Roman
  alphabet monasteries became places of learning
  and education.

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III. Education

• A. Venerable Bede (673-735), Father of English
  History- Monk known for his great scholarship
  and learning wrote History of the English Church
  and People contemporary of the author of Beowulf

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III. Education (Cont.)

• B. Alfred the Great (849-899)- Patron ofthe
  scholars and educators held a strong belief in
  education. He new Latin and encouraged young men
  learn to read and write had books translated
  into English.
• C. End of the Anglo-Saxon period- European
  rulers would send to England for teachers.

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IV. English Language

• A. Runic Alphabet- Early Anglo-Saxons used runes
  to scratch inscriptions on ceremonial stones or
  as a means of identifying valued items they
  never saw their alphabets potential as a way of
  communicating thoughts across time.

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IV. English Language (Cont.)

• B. Anglo-Saxon (Old English) and modern English
  are members of the Indo-European family of
  languages
• C. Lasting ability and Influence in English
• 1. History of language in England Latin, Danish,
  Swedish, German, French (to name a few).
• 2. After the Norman Conquest no king of England
  spoke English for the next 300 years! (1399-
  Henry IV) Aristocracy spoke French, English
  became the language of peasants
• 3. Despite the constant invasions upon England
  and the numerous people groups to come and go,
  English survived!

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IV. English Language (Cont. )

• D. Present-day Influences of Anglo-Saxon- Tiw
  (god of war), Woden (chief Teutonic god), Thor
  (god of thunder), Frigga (goddess of the home)

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V. Literature

• A. Oral Tradition- Professional poets (scops)
  were the musicians, storytellers, and historians
  of their tribes. The scop remembered the kings,
  heroes, battles, and folklore of the tribe.
• B. Heroic Epic Poetry (Beowulf)- Focuses upon
  bravery of central hero

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V. Literature (Cont.)

• C. Elegiac Lyric Poetry (Seafarer)- Expresses
  mourning due to the passing of better times,
  death, or other losses dark mood bleak
  fatalism are characteristic of Anglo-Saxon times
• D. Riddles- Anglo-Saxons enjoyed the playful and
  intellectual challenge of riddles, which
  described familiar objects in ways that forced
  the audience to guess their identity. Kennings
  (Old English metaphorical descriptions used in
  poetry) were often used in riddles, which were
  written in verse.

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VI. Beowulf

• A. Author
• 1. Unknown Poet- The poem is probably the work of
  a single author (consistent style used).
• 2. Probably a Christian man who lived in the 8th
  century a contemporary of the Venerable Bede.
• 3. Familiar with classical and biblical
  literature well-educated

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VI. Beowulf (Cont.)

• B. Composition and Written Manuscript
• 1. The poem was probably composed sometime in the
  8th century (700-800 A.D.)
• 2. Written down around 1100 A.D.- hand copied
  probably by a monk written in Old English
• 3. Manuscript was preserved in a monastery for
  hundreds of years until the early 16th century
  King Henry VIII ordered the closure of
  monasteries when the church of England converted
  to Protestantism much of the contents of
  monasteries were destroyed

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VI. Beowulf (Cont.)

• 4. Robert Cotton- preserved the manuscript in his
  personal library
• 5. 1731- Fire nearly destroyed the manuscript,
  which was later donated to the British Museum
• C. Myth or History?- Within the poem, no
  distinction is made between myth and history.
  Beowulf cannot accurately be described as fiction
  or fact. Dating the manuscript becomes important
  in determining which elements of Beowulf belong
  to the history of culture, to this history of
  myth and legend, to political history, or to the
  development of the English literary imagination.