A summary of the historic period

2.  One of the most important remains of
Anglo-Saxon literature is the epic poem Beowulf.
Its age is unknown; but it comes from a very
distant and hoar antiquity…It is like a piece of
ancient armor; rusty and battered, and yet
strong.

3.  Ancient civilizations, some of which were quite advanced,
had arisen in other parts of the world well before the
Anglo-Saxon period.
 For example, the great pyramids had already been built
along the Nile.
 City states had risen and fallen in Mesopotamia.
 Persia had already united many lands.
 China was a unified, powerful empire.
 The beginnings of democracy had already come and
gone in Greece.
 By contrast, Britain was a green, dark, isolated, sleepy
island where civilization and empire had yet to bloom.

4. Anglo-Saxon Era: Timeline
Anglo-Saxon society
Pagan vs. Christianity
Anglo-Saxon Literature
Beowulf
Resources

5.  43 CE Romans invade Britain.
 Encountered the Celts.
 Romans build roads, villas,
huge buildings, and forts.
 Introduced Christianity.
 420 CE Romans leave.

6.  450 CE Jutes from Denmark, and the Angles and
Saxons from Northern Germany invade England.
 Germanic tribes.
 Anglo-Saxons push out Celts
 597 CE Anglo-Saxons become Christian

7.  787 CE Viking raids begin
 871-899 CE King Alfred the Great becomes King of
England.
 Established education systems, rebuilt monasteries.
 Fought Danes and forced them from Wessex.
 Unified Anglo-Saxons under one king to resist the Viking
invasions.
 Danes ruled in the North, Anglo-Saxons in the South.
 1066 CE Norman Conquest by William the Conqueror.
 From Norman French.
 Defeated Danes and Anglo-Saxons.
 Officially ended Anglo-Saxon era and brought about the
beginning of the Medieval Period.

8.  Anglo-Saxon society.
 Lived in tribal groups with a high class of warriors.
 Kings emerged as society developed.
 Spoke Old English. This was the language that Beowulf
was written in.
 Became Christian but still valued heroic ideals and
traditional heroes.
 Their culture valued human contact, family, virtue, and a
good story. They feared humiliation and loneliness in
their lives. In addition, the Anglo-Saxons desired
richness, power, and appreciated heroic actions of
warriors.

9. Pagan
 Strong nature presence
 Strength of the warrior
 God is mentioned by two
of the main characters in
the poem: Beowulf and
Hrothgar.
 Grendel as Lucifer
 Both are outcasts
 Perform a task for God
 Grendel is described as a
son or descendant of
Cain, a clear Biblical
reference.
Christianity
The Anglo-Saxons mixed both pagan and
Christian traditions. Beowulf contains traces of
both beliefs.

10.  Anglo-Saxon literature began as an oral tradition. Stories, poems,
and songs were all told aloud and passed from generation to
generation orally through minstrels (also called scops).
 Poems traditionally had a strong beat, alliteration, and no rhyme.
 Caesura: “a cutting.” A break in a line of poetry, used in Old English
to depict a half line. We use a comma for a modern effect.
 i.e. Da com of more under mistheleopum
“Out from the marsh, from the foot of the hills.”
 Kenning: derived from the Norse word “kenna” which means “to
know, to recognize.” It is a compact metaphor that functions as a
name.
 i.e. helmberend: “Helm bearer” or “warrior”

11.  It is the sole survivor of a great epic tradition.
 It is great poetry.
 It is an archaeological relic which is most interesting.
 As a linguistic document, it’s full of revelations.
 It gives us information about Old English social life and
politics.

12.  English is divided into three periods: Old English (ca.449-
1100), Middle English (ca. 1100-1500), and Modern
English (ca. 1500-).
 Old English is sometimes known as Anglo-Saxon.
 The English language changed from Old English to
Middle English in 1100 and from Middle English to
Modern English in 1500. These shifts took place over
hundreds of years.
 It is important to realize that the wide-spread notion of a
standard language or even of standardized spelling are
modern notions made possible by the printing press.

13.  Beowulf is the most well-known Anglo-Saxon poem, and
is a form of poetry called Epic. Such other examples are
Homer’s The Iliad and The Odissey.
 Long narrative that celebrates a hero’s long journeys and
heroic deeds.
 J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Ring series and
George Lucas’ Stars Wars could be called modern
epics.
 Characteristics include a noble hero whose character
traits reflect their society’s ideals. The hero performs
brave acts and appears superhuman.

14.  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.

15.  Universal themes of epic poetry
 Good vs. Evil
 Beowulf vs. Grendel
 Isolation
 Courage and honor
 Beowulf is fearless and brave while fighting the monsters.
 Gods or semi-divine creatures
 Grendel, Grendel’s mother, the dragon
 Tale involves the fate of an entire race
 Beowulf saves Hrothgar’s village from Grendel.

16.  Takes the form of a long narrative poem about a
quest, told in formal, elevated language
 Narrates the exploits of a larger-than-life hero who
embodies the values of a particular culture
 Begins with a statement of subject and theme and,
sometimes, a prayer to a deity
 Deals with events on a large scale
 Uses many of the conventions of oral storytelling,
such as repetition, sound effects, figures of speech,
and stock epithets
 Often includes gods and goddesses as characters
 Mixes myth, legend, and history [Holt 55]

17.  Most famous of early Germanic
poems
 Written anywhere between 400-
1000, but most likely after the
500s.
 The author is unknown, but likely
to be Christian. It is likely that a
few different authors elaborated
on the tale.
 Takes place in Sweden, Denmark,
and Frisia.
 The Norse were at this time
attacking Britain, thus allowing
knowledge of places, people, and
ancestors to be available.

18.  Beowulf: main character, a hero featuring all the
qualities of an epic hero. He has superhuman
strength and is fearless and brave in battle.
 Hrothgar: the king of the village that Beowulf saves
from Grendel.
 Grendel: a monster terrorizing Hrothgar’s village.
 Grendel’s mother: a monster set out to avenge her
son’s death.

20.  Beowulf travels to Hrothgar’s village to save them from
Grendel, a terrifying monster eating their warriors. An
epic battle ensues with Beowulf is the winner. Grendel’s
mother comes seeking vengeance for her son’s death.
Again, Beowulf is called upon to save them all, and he
fights heroically and defeats the evil monster. After
being vastly rewarded and refusing an offer from
Hrothgar to be his heir, Beowulf makes the long trek back
to his homeland where he becomes a mighty and
generous king for many years. He fights a massive
dragon who is threatening his people. He and the
dragon both die in the struggle, but he is heroic until the
end.

21.  Stern, barbarous life
 Religious feeling, fatalism of Anglo-Saxon
 Mixtures of savagery, sentiment, and nobility
 Love of nature and especially being influenced by the sea
 Common sense, power of endurance, seriousness of
thought
 Emotional, imaginative, sensitive.

22.  Love of glory
 Allegiance to lord or king
 Reverence for women
 Love of personal freedom
 Open-handed hospitality of lord to thane
 Honoring truth
 Repression of too much sentiment

23. Old English circa 500CE-1100CE
“Cyning” means “king,” so “Cyningas” must mean “kings.”
What other words look familiar to today’s language?