Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Poetry

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Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Poetry

• The first English poetic form

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I. Person to person

1. Began life in the oral tradition
2. Recited by wandering bards called scops

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II. Poetic Form

• No rhyme
• Strong rhythm
• 1. Four beats per line
• 2. Each line divided in half
• a. two beats in each half
• b. line divided by a caesura
• caesura strong pause

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II. Poetic Form (contd)

• C. Alliteration
• 1. Repetition of initial consonant sounds
• 2. Used to bind the two halves together
• How?
• One or more of the accented syllables in the
  first half must alliterate with an accented
  syllable in the second half

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Lets look at an example

• Remember this nursery rhyme?
• Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
• And a merry old soul was he.
• He called for his pipe,
• And he called for his bowl,
• And he called for his fiddlers three.

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Lets look at an example

• Heres how the Anglo-Saxons would do it
• Cole was the King he was keen and merry
• Mirthful he was, with minstrels in mead-hall.
• He called for his cup he called for his pipe.
• His fiddlers were three, and fine was their
  trilling.

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Lets look at an example

• And the real thing

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III. Another Literary Device

• Kenning
• A Kenning is metaphorical phrase
• or compound word
• used instead of the name of a person or thing.
• For example Grendel is the shepherd of evil.
  Can you find more?