The Anglo-Saxon Period

1. The Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066AD

2. Time Period: Anglo-Saxon • Key Ideas of Period • Heroic qualities • Community – Communal Hall & Loyalty • Poets (Scops) & Monks • Religious aspects • Christian vs. Pagan • Wyrd=fate • Aggressive society

3. Important dates… • 300s: Celts rule England • c. 449: Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invade Britain • 597: King Ethelbert converted to Christianity at Canterbury • 793: Vikings come • 1066: William the Conqueror becomes English king

4. Heroic Qualities • The Britons were highly influenced by the Celtic legends. • Celtic legends valued bravery, loyalty, dedication to the king/queen, & fame/success in battle. • Heroes have fabulous adventures that are remembered and retold forever (think King Arthur).

5. Heroic Qualities • Comitatus – heroic ideal - A code of loyalty adopted by the warriors in a clan; loyalty, honor & respect to their lord and to one another. • Blood vengeance – fight to the death; avenge leader or die trying.

6. Community – Communal Hall & Loyalty • War with other clans • Law and order kept a clan alive • clan loyalty was valued above all else. • The Leader (king, ruler, father-figure) was responsible for everyone’s safety.

7. Community – Communal Hall & Loyalty • Success was measured by how loyal a warrior was to his lord. • communal hall – shelter/protection meetings entertainment.

8. Poets/Scops (pronounced SHops) & Monks • Poets or scops • equal to warriors • immortalized warriors and heroes in their songs/poetry.

9. Poets/Scops (pronounced SHops) & Monks • Monks • preserved these stories • recorded these stories in Old English (the Germanic language of the Angles & Saxons) • preserved the original language of the people.

10. Religious Aspects – Pagan vs. Christian

11. Religious Aspects – Pagan vs. Christian • Animism – “Spirit”; original, celticreligion • fatalistic(meaning no afterlife) view of the world. • “Wyrd” means fate. guided in all things. • Christianity spread and unified the Anglo-Saxons.

12. Aggressive Society • Absence of Roman control led to many kings/lords all attempting to control Britain. • Angles & Saxons from Germany, & Jutes from Denmark come to Britain in hopes of conquering for themselves. • warriors and lords had to defend against attacks and other clans to establish dominance.

13. Aggressive Society • King Alfred of Wessex led the Angles & Saxons against the Jutes (Danes), unifying those clans. • “Angle-land” became England. • In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy invaded, and finally unified the country under one king.

14. Beowulf Anglo-Saxon Literature

15. Beowulf – Literary Devices • Alliteration – repeated beginning sound in 2 or more words that are close together • In Beowulf, this happens in almost every line of the poem, & there is no consistent pattern of rhyme.

16. Beowulf – Literary Devices • Kenning – type of metaphor that uses a compound expression to name a person or thing. • Ex: “whale road” = _______________ ; “life-lord” = ______________; “ring giver” = ______________

17. Beowulf – Literary Devices • Litotes – a figure of speech that uses the positive of a statement to mean something negative. • Ex: Getting your wisdom teeth removed with pliers would not be fun! = It would be horrible! • Ex: About the monster Grendel’s home, the king Hrothgar says “Not a pleasant place” = a horrific place!

18. The Poem • Uncertain when, how, or who created • Originally written inOld English • Developed out of various influences (folk tales & traditions) • Performed by scops (“shops”) • a. Traveling bard/poet • b. Good ones made the most effective use of the common arsenals of oral storytelling formulas • c. Borrowing images or phrases was accepted and expected • May have changed as developed

19. Religious Relations • Primarily a pagan poem • Christian allusions are present (developed as afterthought to make story appealing to Christians?) • Omnipotent Godfigure • Symbolic rebirth • Christ’s 12 apostles (Beowulf’s12 associates)

20. Epics • Typically emphasize heroic action as well as the struggle between the hero’s own ethics & mortality • 2. Heroic values = comitatus = Germanic honor system that existed in Scandinavian countries in the 5th & 6th centuries between a king & his thanes (warriors). a. Virtues of thanes = courage, loyalty, reputation b. Lifelong devotion of thanes = protection, treasure, & land from king • Classic epic a. journey/quest b. tests/trials c. divine intervention

21. Characters & terms • Mead hall (Herot) – communal hall; beer/ale hall • Scylfing– Swede • Scylding– Dane • Higlac/Hygelac– King of Geats / uncle to Beowulf • Higd/Hygd– Higlac’s queen • Hrunting– sword given to Beowulf by Unferth • Naegling– Beowulf’s own sword • Brecca – Beowulf’s friend & swimming competitor

22. Characters & terms • Beowulf- (A Geat from Sweden –Scylfing) – Hero of the story; has superhuman powers/strength; owes a debt to Hrothgar (King of Danes) • Grendel– Monster who is terrorizing the Danes; cannot be hurt by human weapons • Herot – Mead/Communal Hall of the Danes • Hrothgar– (King of the Danes – “Scylding”) Owed a debt from Beowulf for saving B’s father’s life

23. Characters & terms • Unferth –Warrior for the Danes; unable to beat Grendel; jealous of Beowulf • Welthow –Hrothgar’s wife, queen of the Danes • Wiglaf – Symbol of loyalty to Beowulf; B’s cousin

24. 3 Trials of Beowulf • Grendel • Grendel’s Mother • Dragon

26. Flow Chart Background Two Kings… & HROTHGAR – King of the Danes Higlac – King of the Geats

27. Flow Chart Background HROTHGAR – King of the Danes Higlac – King of the Geats Saved life long ago

28. Flow Chart Background Grendel attacks HROTHGAR – King of the Danes Higlac – King of the Geats Saved life long ago Sends nephew Beowulf to defeat Grendel

29. Flow Chart Background Beowulf defeats Grendel Grendel attacks HROTHGAR – King of the Danes Higlac – King of the Geats Saved life long ago Sends nephew Beowulf to defeat Grendel Debt is paid