The%20Anglo-Saxon%20Period

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The Anglo-Saxon Period
British Legends

• 449-1066
• Theme Heroes and Heroism

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What to expect?

1. Oral HistoryLessons and entertainment
2. British folktale
3. Anglo Saxon time period

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Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from?

• Between 800 and 600 B.C., two groups of Celts
  from southern Europe invaded the British Isles.
• Brythons (now spelled Britons) settled on the
  largest Island, Britain.
• Gaels, settled on the second largest island,
  known to us as Ireland.

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Proto Indo European
Greek Albanian
Indo-Iranian
Germanic
Celtic
Balto-Slavic
Latin
Slavic
Baltic
Welsh Bretan Gælic
Iranian
Sanskrit
Romanian French Spanish Portuguese Italian
Russian Ukrainian Czech Slovak Serb-Croatian
Latvian Lithuanian
Persian Kurdish
Hindi Bengali
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The Celts

• farmers and hunters
• organized themselves into clans
• clans had fearsome loyalty to chieftains
• looked to priests, known as Druids, to settle
  their disputes

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Proto Indo European
Greek Albanian
Indo-Iranian
Germanic
Celtic
Balto-Slavic
Latin
Slavic
Baltic
Welsh Bretan Gælic
Iranian
Sanskrit
Romanian French Spanish Portuguese Italian
Russian Ukrainian Czech Slovak Serb-Croatian
Latvian Lithuanian
Persian Kurdish
Hindi Bengali
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Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from?

• Roman conquest of Britain AD 43
• Britain annexed as a province in the Roman Empire
• Difficult to control such a large piece of land
• Brought Christianity to Britain around AD 300
• Pagan vs. Christian themes throughout never
  fully indoctrinated at this time
• The last Romans left around 407 A.D.
• Needed to defend against rebelling European
  countries England left to its own devices

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Roman Empire
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Roman Gatehouse in BritainArbeia
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Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from?

• 449AD 3 Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons, and
  Jutes) invade.
• Destruction of Roman influence, including
  Christianity
• New land Angle-land
• - small tribal kingdoms
• - no written language
• - supported themselves through farming and
  hunting

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Proto Indo European
Greek Albanian
Indo-Iranian
Germanic
Celtic
Balto-Slavic
Latin
Slavic
Baltic
Welsh Bretan Gælic
Iranian
Sanskrit
Romanian French Spanish Portuguese Italian
Russian Ukrainian Czech Slovak Serb-Croatian
Latvian Lithuanian
Persian Kurdish
Hindi Bengali
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Anglo Saxon King and Warriorearly 7th century
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An Anglo-Saxon Hall
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An Anglo-Saxon Farmstead
Look familiar?
West Stow reconstructed village
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Sutton Hoo

• Burial site discovered in 1939
• Important links to Anglo-Saxon world and Beowulf
• Remains of a boat were discovered and large
  burial chamber containing numerous artifacts
• Artifacts suggest a distinctly Christian element
  intermingled with pagan ritual.

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The Reemergence of Christianity

• 596AD attempt to convert Anglo- Saxons to
  Christianity
• 597AD Saint Augustine
• converted King Ethelbert of Kent to Christianity.
• set up a monastery in Canterbury in Kent.
• 650AD most of England is Christian some hold on
  to previous beliefs
• The church provided counsel to quarreling rulers
  in efforts to unify the English people.
• At this time, the British Isles were not unified
  and included separate kingdoms with separate
  rulers. They fought continuously over the
  fertile, green land

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Constant Conflict

• 9th Century
• Norway invaded Northumbria (Anglo-Saxon kingdom
  in northern and central England), Scotland,
  Wales, and Ireland.
• The Danes of Denmark targeted eastern and
  southern England

Why is this important?
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Alfred the GreatKing of Wessex 871-899

• 866resisted Danish intrusion and earned the
  great title
• Saxons acknowledged Danish rule in East and North
• Danes respected Saxon rule in South
• End of 10th CenturyDanes want to widen Danelaw
• Forced Saxons to select Danish Kings
• 1042Kingship returned to Alfred the Greats
  descendent Edward
• Edward the Confessor died in 1066. His death led
  to the end of the Anglo-Saxon Period.

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Literature of Anglo-Saxon Times

• 2 major influences
• 1) Germanic Traditions of the Anglo-Saxons
• 2) Christian Traditions of the Roman Church

Those two groups are most important in
consideration of the English language we have
today!
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Proto Indo European
Greek Albanian
Indo-Iranian
Germanic
Celtic
Balto-Slavic
Latin
Slavic
Baltic
Welsh Bretan Gælic
Iranian
Sanskrit
Romanian French Spanish Portuguese Italian
Russian Ukrainian Czech Slovak Serb-Croatian
Latvian Lithuanian
Persian Kurdish
Hindi Bengali
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1) Germanic Traditions of theAnglo-Saxons

• Germanic language
• Mixture of various Germanic dialects Old
  English
• Old English (often looks like a foreign
  language)

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Page of Beowulf manuscript in Old English
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Heroic Ideals Dominate

• Warrior culture
• Poems and stories depict a society like the
  Anglo-Saxons
• Military and tribal loyalties
• Bravery of warriors
• Generosity of rulers
• Oral tradition
• Songs and stories often sung and told about
  the valiant struggles of heroic warriors
• More than just entertainment provided a model
  for living and a form of immortality they could
  aspire to
• Note all of these provided the foundation for
  early written literature in Old English

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Anglo-Saxon Literature cont.

• Anglo-Saxon poetry falls mainly into two
  categories
• Heroic poetry recounts the achievements of
  warriors
• Elegiac poetry laments the deaths of loved ones
  and the loss of the past
• Beowulf is the most famous example of heroic
  poetry.

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The Beowulf Poet

• Christian reflects established tradition
• Allusions to the Old Testament
• Beowulf is a Redeemer who is sent by God to save
  man from sin
• Christ archetype Correspondences between
  Beowulfs death and the death of Christ
• The price of salvation is life itself

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Epic

• Beowulf Unknown author
• The national epic of England (first work to be
  composed in English)
• A long heroic poem, about a great legendary
  warrior renowned for his courage, strength, and
  dignity.

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Epic Elements

• Most epics are serious in tone and lofty in
  style, a technique meant to convey the importance
  of the events. Long speeches by the characters
  suggest an impressive formality.
• Use of kennings

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Epic Elements
Epic Element Definition As seen in
Epic Hero  
Quest  
Valorous deeds  
Divine intervention  
Great events  
Epic Element Definition As seen in Beowulf
Epic Hero  the central character of an epic. This character is a larger-than-life figure, typically of noble or semi-divine birth, who pits his courage, skill, and virtue against opposing, often evil, forces.    Beowulfhe is super strong, and ridiculously brave. His courage is unmatched in this fictional universe.
Quest a long, dangerous journey or mission undertaken by the epic hero. The quest is the heros opportunity to prove his heroism and win honor and undying renown.   He journeys from his homeland in order to the rid the earth of the monster Grendel.
Valorous deeds  long, dangerous journey or mission undertaken by the epic hero. The quest is the heros opportunity to prove his heroism and win honor and undying renown.   He valiantly fights every foe in his path, although each opponent is incredibly dangerous.
Divine intervention  In many epics, the hero receives help from a god or another supernatural force who takes an interest in his quest.   What is Beowulfs connection to God or any other divine figure?
Great events  Important events from the history or mythology of a nation or culture often provide the backdrop for the epic narrative.       Which events happen in Beowulf that we can interpret as shaping a part of OUR history today?
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Heroic Values in Beowulf

• Relationship between king and his warriors
• The king rewards his warriors with gifts
• If a kinsman is slain, obligation to kill the
  slayer or obtain payment (wergeld) in
  compensation

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Conflict Christian Values and Heroic Values

• This tension is at the heart of the poem
• Pagan history and myth are made to point to a
  Christian moral
• Beowulf is poised between two value systems

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The Epic Hero
A man of high social status whose fate affects
the destiny of his people

• Defeats his enemies using
• Physical strength
• Skill as a warrior
• Nobility of character
• Quick wits
• Is not modest boasting is a ritual
• Embodies the ideals and values of his people
• Is eager for fame
• Because the Germanic tribes believed death was
  inevitable, warriors sought fame to preserve the
  memory of their deeds after death

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Ready for Beowulf?

• Turn to page 40 in your literature textbooks.