A brief look into the history of the Anglo-Saxons and into Beowulf

1. Unit 1: British Legends
• Unit 1 will cover
from Beowulf to
Arthurian Legends.
• Unit 1 will end in an
easy research paper.

2. Middle Ages 449-1485
• The Anglo-Saxon
Period 449-1066
• The Medieval Period
1066-1485
Horrible Histories

3. The Middle Ages 449-1485
• Enormous upheaval and change in
England
• Time of disastrous wars, both
internal and external
• Time of foreign invasion
• Time of painful reconsolidation
and emergence of England as
nation
Characteristics of the period

4. Anglo-Saxon Period
“Anglo-Saxon England was born of warfare,
remained forever a military society, and came to its
end in battle.” - J. R. Lander
In a society dominated by aggression,
what would you expect to be the Anglo-
Saxon attitude toward family life, the
role of women, art, literature, ethics and
work?

5. Celtic Invasions
• Invaded around 500 BC
• Tribal/clan society
– Britons (settled in Britain)
– Gaels (settled in Ireland)
– Picts (settled in Scotland)
• Conquered by Romans in the first century A.D.
and became part of the Roman Empire.

6. Roman Invasions
• 55 BC Julius Caesar invaded Britain
• 43 AD Emperor Claudius invaded; marks
beginning of Roman Britain
• Began to Christianize the Celts; Celtic
religion vanished
• Provided stability to Britain
• 410 Rome threatened and Romans
pulled out of Britain

7. Roman Invasions: What legacy did the
Romans leave?
• Created a system of roads/highways
• Created a system of aqueducts, which
moved water from one place to another.
• Provided an organized society which kept
other invaders out for several centuries

8. Germanic Invasions - 449
• Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
– Deep sea fishermen and farmers
• Language:
Common language now known as Old
English (similar to Dutch and
German)
• Religion – pagan
– Multiple gods and goddesses
– Believed in Fate (also called Wyrd)
Angles/Saxons from
Germany
Jutes from Denmark

9. Viking Invasions 8th-12th Centuries
• Invaders from Norway
and Denmark
• Anglo-Saxons
unprepared for
ferocity of Vikings
• Vikings destroyed
monasteries and
sacred objects
• Slaughtered everyone
in settlements that
could not pay enough
Viking Ship, known as the Oseberg
Ship, dates 825 AD.

10. Norman Invasion 1066
• Norman, Breton,
and French soldiers
took over England.
• Soldiers led by
William the
Conqueror.
– Unified England
under his rule.

11. Anglo-Saxon Literature
• Oral tradition – poems and song committed to
memory and performed by scops, bards,
gleemen, or minstrels
• With coming of Christian Church, written
literature began to evolve
• Two important traditions in literature
heroic tradition – celebrates heroes
elegiac tradition – passing of earlier, better
times

12. Anglo-Saxon Civilization
• Common language
• Shared a heroic ideal; set of traditional heroes
• Admired men of outstanding courage
• Loyalty to leader and tribe
• Fierce personal valor

13. Anglo-Saxon Civilization
• Persons of rank received with grave courtesy
• Ruler generous to those who remain loyal
• Everyone aware of shortness of life & passing
of all things in the world
• Impersonal, irresistible fate determined most of
life (Wyrd or Fate)
• Heroic human will & courage allowed
individuals to control their own response to
fate

14. Anglo-Saxon Literature
• Poem based on early Celtic and Scandinavian
folk legends
• Scenery described is from Northumbria;
assumed that poet was Northumbrian monk
• Only manuscript available dates from the year
1000; discovered in the 18th century

16. Background Information
• Written sometime around 1000 A.D.
• Author unknown.
• Often referred to as the beginning of English
literature.
• Written in what is now called “Old English”
– Link to Beowulf's Battle with Grendel
• Only one complete original copy remains.

17. Beowulf—The Epic Poem
• An epic is a long
narrative poem which
follows a hero’s struggle
against universal issues.
• The epic will contain 3
elements:
– A large-than life hero
– The Supernatural
– Elevated language style
What makes a hero?

18. Elevated Language
Look for:
• Kennings (two-word phrase for a common
word)
– Ex: World-candle for sun or whale-road for ocean
• Caesura: A natural pause or break in the
middle of a line of poetry that is joined by the
use of a repeated vowel or consonant sound
• Symbolism
• High descriptive passages

19. • Epics often tend to
follow a similar pattern
in their plotlines.
• Characteristics:
– Plot centers around a
hero of unbelievable
stature
– Involves deeds of
superhuman strength
– Supernatural forces
– Elevated writing style
– Vast setting
– Poet remains objective
and omniscient

20. What was an author to do, especially if no one
can read?

21. Epics: An Oral Tradition
• Many epics, especially older
texts like Beowulf, were not
originally written down.
• Instead, they were memorized
and retold or sung by travelling
bards.
• Some sections of epics were
retold from time to time. It
helped the storyteller learn the
epic and also caught up any
member who may have missed
a part.

22. The Bards
• These entertainers also served to bring news
from other areas.
– They travelled everywhere and heard many stories
and news going on in the area.
• They had no cell phones, so bards were the easiest way
to learn news.
– If a heroic deed had occurred in the area, it might
be blended into the stories that the bards told

23. Various names of the bards
• Scop (pronounced
shop) in Anglo-Saxon
lands.
• Troubadours in
France.
• Minnesingers in
Germany.

24. Changing Stories
• Other influences also played a part in
changing the epics.
• The text of Beowulf shows both Norse pagan
belief and Christianity, often in the same line.
• This may have evolved as the storytellers
encountered villages with different beliefs.

25. Writing it Down
• When these stories which had been orally passed
on were finally written down, they were also
subject to many changes.
– Mistakes in translations
– Misunderstanding out-of-date slang
• Anglo-Saxon England was being Christianized, so
many texts show a mixture of pagan and Christian
beliefs.
– We often see an invocation of God as the “Almighty
Lord” followed closely by mention of pagan gods and
monsters.

26. Heroic Code
• The epic poem Beowulf
strengthens the Heroic
Code. This code was
derived from the Anglo-
Saxons’ Germanic roots,
and called for strength,
courage, and loyalty in
warriors. It also required
kings to be hospitable,
generous, and have great
political skills. This code
was a basis for Anglo-Saxon
honor.

27. The Mead Hall
• Herot Hall—The hall where King Hrothgar and
his men celebrate.
• The mead hall was an important part of Anglo-
Saxon life.
• It was the social, governmental, emotional
center of an Anglo-Saxon village.
– Warriors would gather there to drink, party, and
celebrate their victories in battle.
• Mead is a honey-based wine.

28. The Setting
• Beowulf is from
Geatland.
• He travels to
the land of the
Danes to
destroy
Grendel.

29. Beowulf: The Epic Hero
• An epic hero must face challenges and
opponents that the ordinary person could not
handle.
• However, there is often a character flaw or
other weakness which brings problems to the
epic hero.
• In a society of aggression and glory-seeking,
what do you think that Beowulf’s flaw might
be?

30. Beowulf
• Epic hero
• Geat (from southern
Sweden)
• Nephew of Higlac (King at
story’s start)
• Sails to Denmark to help
Hrothgar
• Possesses supernatural
strength and abilities
– Can hold breath underwater
indefinitely
– Lost a swimming competition
because he was too busy killing
sea monsters for hours

31. Hrothgar
• Danish king
• Builds Herot (banquet
hall) for men
• Tormented by Grendel
for 12 years
• Loses many men to
Grendel
• Joyless before
Beowulf’s arrival

32. Grendel
• Referred to as demon
and fiend
• Haunts the moors
(swampy land)
• Descendant of Cain
• Feasts on 30 men the
night of 1st attack
• Plagues the Danes for
12 years

33. Grendel’s Mother
• Referred to as she-
wolf
• Lives under a lake
• Challenges Hrothgar
when she kills one of
his best men

34. Fire Dragon
• The oldest and most
base form of evil
• Lives in Beowulf’s
kingdom
• Wakes up when thief
steals cup
• Guards countless
treasures

35. Runes
Get a copy of the handout on RUNES.
Using paper and colored pencils, make a
decorative nameplate.
Approximate your name as closely as you can.
Decorate your nameplate however you wish.

37. Oral Tradition Activity
• This activity will be done individually.
• You will create a short epic of your own. This does not have
to be extremely long, but it must be at least two pages
(one page front and back).
• You need to have a several characters, a hero with a
supernatural ability of some sort, conflicts, monsters, and a
final resolution.
• Use your imagination! Think about the Anglo-Saxon’s
warrior culture, and create a story about your own epic
hero who fights for good and for glory. You will then
present this story to the class with your group.
– This activity will be graded.