This document provides an overview of British legends from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Middle Ages. It discusses the Anglo-Saxon invasion and settlement of Britain beginning in 449 AD, as well as subsequent invasions by Vikings, Normans, and Romans. Key literary works like Beowulf are examined. The epic poem Beowulf is used to illustrate characteristics of the genre like heroic codes, supernatural elements, and elevated language. Oral traditions of storytelling and the role of bards in transmitting cultural legends are also reviewed.

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.