AN Historical Perspective

1. AN Historical Perspective The origins of Anglo Saxon England

2. Fun Facts • English wasn’t spoken in England until the fifth century • Even then, you wouldn’t recognize it • English evolved from a synthetic toan analytic language • We lost a number of letters along the way • Eth – ð (voiced th, “then”) • Thorn – þ (unvoiced th, “with”) • Ash – æ (that)

3. Things we’ve lost • Nouns • where once there was mūð, mūðes, mūðe and mūð in the singular and mūðas, mūða, mūðum, and mūðas in the plural… By middle English there were just three: mūð, mūðes and mūðe • Today there are just mouth and mouths • Strong and weak declension –s or –es vs. –en • We used to have more en plurals like “oxen” • Decay of Inflectional endings (suffixes) • Noun and adjective endings that made distinction in number , case, and gender • Now this is largely determined by where the word falls in the sentence

4. NOMINATIVE: The subject of a sentence and for the subject complement. • Subject Complement = What something else is • Ben is a policeman • The pie smells yummy. • GENITIVE: Used to indicate possession and other similar relations; it is usually helpful to begin by translating it with the Modern English 's form or using the preposition of. • Not too different from el gato de juan, “the cat of juan” • DATIVE: Used for the indirect object of verbs • They sent him a postcard • ACCUSATIVE: most commonly used for the direct object of a transitive verb. It is also used for the objects of some prepositions. • You lifted the bag • INSTRUMENTAL: The instrumental case is only distinct from the dative case for a few pronouns and for strong adjectives. It is used to indicate the thing or person by means of which the action of the verb is accomplished. • I wrote the note with a pen

5. This is "this"

6. Strong verbs that became weak • Analogy, in linguistics, is the process by which rare examples tend to follow the pattern of the common. • Plural of cow used to be kine, now it’s just cows • With Verbs • Oke was once the past tense of ache • Stope for step • Rew for row • Clew for clawed • Blowed and blew, knowed and knew, teared and tore all once peacefully coexisted • Kids do this all the time when learning the language • I blowed out my candles • We fighted over the game

7. Anyway… Anglo Saxon History

8. Why the “Middle” Ages? • Early Renaissance historians, who loved the classical period (Ancient Greece, Rome), declared two periods in history, that of Ancient times and that of the "Dark Age". • By the early 15th century it was believed history had evolved from the Dark Age to a new period with its revival of all things classical. • Scholars began to write about a middle period between the Ancient and “Modern”, which became known as the Middle Age.

9. Medieval? • From the latinmedium (middle) and aevum (age) • Refers to anything made, written or thought in that era

10. General Dates • ca. 43  420 AD: Roman invasion and occupation of Britain • Initial Christianization (of the Celts) and burst of Latin influence • ca. 450 AD: Anglo Saxon Conquest • The English are German • 597 AD: St. Augustine arrives in Kent • More Latin, More Jesus • 871899 AD: Reign of King Alfred • The birth of Angleland

11. The Britons or Celts • indigenous peoples inhabiting the island of Great Britain from the late Iron Age into the late Middle Ages • The first people on the island about who’s language we have definite knowledge • Worshipped gods and goddesses • gods were deities of particular skills • goddesses were associated with natural features, like rivers • Triplicities • Converted to Christianity under Roman rule

12. Roman Occupation • Occupied British isles between AD 43 and 420. • Referred to their province as Britannia • Brought roads and highways, heating apparatus and water supply, the Latin language • Withdrew to deal with problems closer to home • Invading Barbarians

14. Anglo-Saxon / Germanic Conquest • Celts had come to rely on Roman arms to keep invaders out • Ca. 449, Germanic tribes begin to invade England from the south (Anlges, Saxons, Jutes) • Celts also under siege by Picts and Scotts from the North • Cut deal with the Germanic people to keep the northern invaders out • Fine, you can stay, just don’t let anyone else come.

15. Germanic tribes made permanent settlement. • Romans had come to rule, the Jutes to disposes. • Celts relegated to the mountainous region of modern Wales. • Angles  English • Roman towns were burned and abandoned

16. Anglo-Saxon/Germanic Paganism • Polytheistic • Strong belief in Wyrd, fate • Essentially worshipped the same gods of the Norse • Woden = Odin • Donar = Thor

17. Anglo-Saxon Civilization • Society organized around families and clans, Two classes • Eorls, a kind of hereditary aristocracy • Ceorls, simple freemen • Justice administered through fines, the wergild • Based on nature of crime, rank of injured party • Often a fine paid to the relatives of a murdered person to free the offender from further obligations or punishment • Guilt determined by ordeal (judicium Dei) or compurgation

18. Seven kingdoms, Heptarchy, shifting alliances, eventually unified into Angle-land • Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex • Alfred the Great

19. Conversion to Christianity • Constantine converted to Christianity following his victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge 312 • Romans brought faith to Celtic England with mild success • Gregory the Great (pope 590-604) dispatched Augustine (later to gain sainthood) to convert the Saxon kings of south England.

20. Augustine targeted the Kentish king, Ethelbert. His baptism inspired the conversion of his subjects. • Trend of subjects following a king's conversion

21. Literature and Culture • epic poetry - long, narrative poem written in elevated style to celebrates deeds of a legendary hero or god • Like the Odyssey • epic hero - superhuman hero or god of an epic poem • Like Odysseus • Germanic heroic code • Warriors - strong, courageous and loyal • Kings - hospitable, generous, and with political skill

22. Comitatus -Germanic code of loyalty • Thanes, or warriors, swore loyalty to their king, for whom they fought and whom they protected • the king was expected to be generous with gifts of treasure and land. • neither leaves the field of battle before the other

23. The Mead Hall • An important cultural institution • Provided… • light and warmth • food and drink • singing and revelry • safe haven for warriors returning from battle in a world where neighboring people were always attacking

25. Kenning - two-word metaphorical name for something • “sea-road” for ocean • “light-of-battle” for sword • “battle-sweat” for blood • Hrothgar “glory-spear” • Heorogar “army-spear” • Scops - composers and storytellers who traveled from court to court, the entertainers of Anglo-Saxon times

26. Sutton Hoo • site of two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries of the 6th century and early 7th century • undisturbed ship burial • a wealth of artifacts of outstanding art-historical and archaeological significance • Very important to early medieval historians because • sheds light on a period of English history which is on the margin between myth, legend and historical documentation