The Anglo-Saxons

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The Anglo-Saxons

• 499-1066

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Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Culture

• Bravery in battle.
• Poets were used to elevate hero's and were
  usually as important as the warriors themselves.
• Warfare was the order of the day
• Amassing a fortune in battle
• Great love for personal freedom
• Truth was a highly cherished virtue.

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The Anglo-Saxon Religion

• Anglo Saxons were Pagans
• Paganism polytheistic religion
• Early Anglo Saxons worshipped ancient gods of
  German mythology
• There was also a belief in a variety of other
  supernatural entities who inhabited the
  landscape, including elves and dragons.

People of this time were either Christian or
Pagan in their religion. Christians believed in
one God and in Heaven. Pagans believed in many
gods and in fate, which meant everything in life
was predetermined and nobody had control over it.
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Anglo-Saxon Literature

• Anglo-Saxon literature did not begin with books,
  but with spoken verse and songs or poems such as
  epic poems. The purpose of these forms of
  literature was to pass along tribal history and
  values to a population who could not read or
  write.
• Warriors would gather in mead halls were scops
  and their assistants (gleemen) would recite poems
  or songs for hours or even days as a form of
  entertainment or ceremonial occasions. These
  poems were made very catchy so they could easily
  be recalled and thus retold. These poems surely
  consisted of the use of kennings, alliteration,
  and rhymes
• Christian versus Pagan religion was one of the
  biggest cultural values expressed in Anglo-Saxon
  Literature.

The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Wifes Lament
and Beowulf
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Vocabulary

• Caesura Personification
• Kennings Imagery
• Alliteration Simile
• Theme Metaphor
• Compound Predicate