Religion

1. Religion n. A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. By Jillian Mershon, Sally Burke, and Ashley McHale

2. The Pagan Gods • Woden • Tiw • Thunor • Frig • Wyrd • Influence on religion • Greek mythology

3. Woden (Wōden) • Head of Anglo-Saxons • Wednesday • Political and Social gains • Sacrifice and gods blessing • Woden to Beowulf • Hrothgar and sacrifice

4. Tiw (Týr) • God of war and heroes • One handed man • Tiw to Beowulf

5. Thunor (Thor) • God of the sky and storms • Used to be God of the ordinary people • Thunor to Beowulf

6. Frig (Frigga) • Major goddess • Oden • “Foremost amongst the goddesses” • Hlidskjalf • Frig to Beowulf

7. Wyrd • Sacred, fate or karma. • Definition • Beowulf’s fate

8. The Conversion in Europe

9. The Medieval Abbey • Monks lived in monasteries and Abbeys, these monks where self sufficient and benefited local communities by… • Providing medical attention for common maladies with herbs from their Gardens • Protecting fugitives from the law • Educating the children in surrounding communities. • Protected precious historic texts from raiding by the Vandals and Visigoths due to the fall of the Roman empire. Church officials often had great influence on politics and government in post Roman European societies.

10. Cathedrals • Most Christian European medieval cities where dominated by Cathedrals. • Cathedrals where the medieval equivalent to community centers.

11. St. Patrick • Born in England in 387 of Roman parents living in Scotland as colonial governors. He was abducted by Irish pirates when he was fourteen and was forced to assimilate to the Irish pagan culture of the time. • When he was about twenty years old he escaped and reunited with his family. • Later he had a dream he claimed was sent to him by god that he must evangelize the Irish. • Built church’s and evangelized for forty years and served as a bishop until his death in 461.

12. St. Augustine • Born in Northern Africa he was the son of Roman colonists.

13. Paulinus • Born around 584 • Arrived in Kent in 601 with a group of fellow missionaries. • Eventually became the Christian spiritual advisor to the then pagan king Edwin and persuaded the king to convert. • When Edwin was killed in battle Paulinus took his queen and children back to her childhood home to keep them safe. • For that deed he was made Bishop of Rochester and remained Bishop until he died.

14. King Edwin • The son of King Aelle of Deira. Deira, one of the two Northumbrian kingdoms. • After reclaiming his kingdom from an opposing king became known as an overlord in all kingdoms except Kent. • Was forced to convert to Christianity when he married princess Aethelburth of Kent. • Was killed in 632.

15. http://englishheathenism.homestead.com/woden.html • http://www.haxton.org/nineasa.htm • http://www.demonsearch.com/Tiw/ • http://englishheathenism.homestead.com/thunor.html