Fall 2014 AP I Anglo Saxon Notes

1. From Legend to History
A.D. 449-1485
The Old English and Medieval
Periods

2. The Conquest of Britain
• Between 800 and 600 B.C. two groups of Celts from
southern Europe, the Brythons and the Gaels, invaded
the British Isles.
• The Brythons settled on the largest island, Britain.
• The Celts were farmers and hunters. They organized
themselves into tightly knit clans, each with a fearsome
loyalty to its chieftain.

3. • The next conquerors of Britain
were the Romans in 55 B.C. led
by General Julius Caesar. This
conquest of Britain took nearly
100 years.
• The Roman rule of Britain
lasted for more than 300 years
and ended only when Roman
troops withdrew to protect their
homeland in Italy in 407 A.D.
• The Romans introduced
Christianity to Britain around
the 4th century.
• This Christianity differed greatly
from the pagan beliefs of the
Celts and from the beliefs of a
new set of invaders, the
Saxons.

4. The Anglo-Saxon Invaders

5. Saxon Invaders
These Germanic tribes were
nomadic, seafaring, and warlike.
They valued the individual warrior.
King was essentially the greatest
warrior of the tribe.
Good kings were recognized for their
generosity - hence the name “ring
giver.”
Tribes were constantly warring with
one another.
Warriors owed total loyalty to their
king.
Women held little power in this
society.

6. Saxon Terminology
• Mead Hall – Large structure
where king’s warriors would
gather to feast, drink, and be
entertained.
• Mead- preferred drink of Saxon
warriors. It was a strong mix of
fermented honey and yeast.
• Warriors would often gather to
hear stories shared by bards
and challenge their minds with
riddles.

7. Saxon Terminology cont…
• Wergild- The Saxons were
extremely motivated by
vengeance, which would lead
to blood feuds between tribes.
Wergilds were established to
end these blood feuds. A
Wergild was compensation
given to a victim’s family when
a member of their family or
tribe had been killed.
• Witon- Group of King’s elders
or wise men.
• Mail- flexible body armor made
of metal.

8. The Danish Invasions
• In the ninth century, the Norse
of Norway and the Danes of
Denmark took to the seas.
These Vikings carried their
piracy to the British Isles.
• The Viking Invaders sacked
and plundered monasteries,
destroyed manuscripts, and
stole sacred religious objects.
They burned entire
communities and put villagers
to the sword.

9. “The Great King”
King Alfred
• In 871, a king ascended to the
Wessex throne who would be the
only ruler in England’s history ever
to be honored with the epithet “the
Great.”
• King Alfred had earned this title
partly by resisting further Danish
encroachment.
• Under a truce concluded in 886,
England was formally divided: The
Saxons acknowledged Danish rule
in the east and the north, and the
Danes agreed to respect the
Saxon rule in the south. As a
result, Alfred became a national
hero.

10. Alfred’s England
• Under his truce of
886, Alfred’s England
was divided in this
way.
• Alfred’s achievements
went far beyond the
battlefield. For
example, he
encouraged a rebirth
of learning and
education.

11. Anglo-Saxon Literature
• Anglo-Saxon literature began not with books, but with spoken verse and
incantations.
• Anglo-Saxon verse falls into two main categories: heroic poetry
(recounting the achievements of warriors), and elegiac poetry (lamenting
the deaths ones and the loss of the past).
• Famous elegiac poems would be “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer”.
• Most famous heroic poem: Beowulf.
• Anglo-Saxon prose: before the reign of Alfred the Great, all important prose
was written in Latin. The monks who transcribed these works regarded the
vernacular, the language of the common people, as a “vulgar tongue.” The
greatest of England’s Latin scholars was Venerable Bede (673-735), whose
History of the English Church and People gives an account of England from
the Roman invasion to his own time.
• Another great prose work from this time is The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.
Unlike Bede’s History, these records were written in Old English, the earliest
form of our own language.

12. Beowulf
“The English National Epic”
• This epic, or long heroic poem, is
the story of a great legendary
warrior renowned for his courage,
strength, and dignity.
• Like most Anglo-Saxon poets, the
author of Beowulf is unknown.
• Likely recited as early as the 6th
century, the text we have today
was composed in the eighth
century and not written down until
the 11th century in Old English.
• The poem includes many
references to Christian ideas.
• However, the values of Anglo-
Saxon warrior society are most
evident.

13. What is an epic???
Characteristics of the epic:
 Call upon the muse
 In Medias res: begins in the midst of things
 Has a hero with superhuman characteristics who represents
his culture or era
 Theme of good vs. evil
 Presence of gods or semi-divine creatures
 Includes a descent to an underworld
 Story is told in a serious manner, and often in special,
elevated language

14. Literary terms to know:
 Kenning- a metaphor that uses compound words. For example,
“earth’s candle” may represent the sun.
 Allusion- reference to another literary work or historical event.
 Archetype – original pattern or model / perfect example
 Caesuras- rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines, where poet could
pause for breath.
 Assonance- the repetition of vowel sounds.
 Alliteration- the repetition of initial consonant sounds.
 Direct characterization- presents direct statements about a
character.
 Indirect characterization- uses actions, thoughts and dialogue to
reveal a character’s personality.

15. Huh?
 Lots of ongoing tribal feuds and wars led to . . .
 Lots of intermingling of similar but different
Germanic languages . . . interrupted by . . .
 MORE Viking invasions, which gave way to . . .
 Some political unification (Alfred) . . .
 . . . Which led to . . .
 OLD ENGLISH, the earliest form of our
language!!

16. Which of these does not belong
and why?
 Language
 Culture
 Government
 Religion
 Respond in at least 4 sentences

17. Which of these does not belong
and why?
 Storyteller
 Warrior
 Fate
 Leader
 Respond in at least 4 sentences

18. Homework
Read p. 14-15 in your textbook
Read and annotate the following poems using sticky notes:
 “The Seafarer” on p. 17
 “The Wanderer” on p. 21
 “The Wife’s Lament” on p.25
Which one of these poems does not seem to belong with the
others? Why? We will start with this tomorrow.
Begin reading Beowulf p.36. Due Tuesday, August 26th