The Anglo-Saxons

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The Anglo-Saxons

• 449-1066

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Contributions of the British

• Robin Hood and Shakespeare
• Theory of Gravity
• Industrial Revolution
• Radar
• Penicillin
• The Beatles
• Political system that many other countries,
  including the US, have imitated

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Celtic Heroes and Heroines A Magical World

• People
• A. Celts Tall blonde warriors who had
  settled on Great Britain in the fourth century
• B. Brythons Group of Celts who the island was
  named after (Britons)
• Religion Animism
• A. They saw spirits everywhere rivers, trees,
  stones, ponds, fire, and thunder
• B. Sprits controlled all aspects of existence
• C. The spirits had to be constantly satisfied-
  dancing rituals, human sacrifice, etc.

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Celtic Heroes and Heroines A Magical World

• III. Writing
• A. Mythology of the Celts has influenced
  English and Irish writers to this day.
• B. Authors who were influenced by the Celts
  Thomas Majory and William Butler Yeats.
• C. Celtic legends are full of strong women,
  fantastic animals, passionate love affairs,
  and fabulous adventures.

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The Romans The Great Administrators

• IV. The Britons were finally conquered by Rome,
  led by Julius Caesar, in 55 BC. Christianity took
  hold under the leadership of European
  missionaries. The old Celtic religion began to
  vanish. By A.D. 409, Romans had evacuated Britain
  leaving roads, walls, villas, great public baths,
  but no central government. The result was
  weakness, which led to many successful invasions
  by non-Christian peoples from the Germanic
  regions of central Europe.

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The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore

• V. In the middle of the 5th Century, attacks came
  from Angles and Saxons from Germany and Jutes
  from Denmark.
• A. Changes
• 1.Language Anglo-Saxon
• 2.Became known as Engla land from the
  Angles
• 3. Celts retreated to Wales

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The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore

• B. Government
• 1. Several independent principalities
  with its own king
• 2. King Alfred of Wessex (871), Alfred the
  Great, led the Anglo Saxons against the
  invading Danes and won. He helped form a
  true nation

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The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore

• C. Christianity
• A. Irish and Continental missionaries
  converted the kings
• B. Provided a common faith and morality and
  right conduct
• C. Linked England to Europe

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The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore

• D. Battle - Continued until 1066 when both the
  Anglo-Saxons and Danes were defeated by the
  Normans.
• 1. Danes Vikings who drove dragon powered
  boats destroying and ravaging anything and
  anybody in their path

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Anglo-Saxon Life The Warm Hall, the Cold World

• VI. Life of the Anglo-Saxons
• 1. Warfare was the order of the day
• 2. As Beowulf shows, law and order were the
  responsibility of the leader
• 3. Fame and success were gained only through
  loyalty to the leader and success was measured
  in gifts from the leader

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The Anglo-Saxon Religion

• VII. Despite Christianity, the old Anglo-Saxon
  religion with its warrior gods persisted.
• A. Odin was the Norse god of death, poetry,
  and magic. Anglo-Saxons renamed him Woden
  (Wednesday). They believed he could help
  humans communicate with spirits.
• B. Thunor (Thursday) was the god of thunder
  and lightning. His sign was the hammer and
  swastika, which is found on many Anglo-Saxon
  gravestones.

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The Anglo-Saxon Religion

• C. The dragon was another significant figure
  in Anglo-Saxon mythology. It seems to always be
  the protector of a treasure. It is a
  personification of death.
• D. Overall, the religion was concerned with
  ethics, virtues of bravery, loyalty,
  generosity, and friendship.

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The Bards Singing of Gods and Heroes

• VIII. The communal hall offered shelter, a place
  for council meetings, and a place for
  storytelling. Skilled storyteller, or Bards, sang
  of gods and heroes. The Anglo-Saxons did not
  regard these Bards, called Scops , as inferior to
  warriors. Creating poetry was as important as
  fighting, hunting, farming, or loving. The poets
  sang to the strumming of a harp.

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Time Line

• 449- Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invade Britain
• 516 King Arthur rules Celtic tribe
• 547 Plague reaches Britain
• 793- Vikings invade Britain
• 871 Alfred the Great becomes King
• 1066- Normans defeat Saxons William the
  Conqueror becomes English king

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Beowulf
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• Epic- sometimes called a heroic poem-Beowulf, the
  Illiad, the Odyssey- are long narratives about
  the adventures of larger than life characters.

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• Characteristics of an epic
• Hero - great leader, does great deeds in battle,
  or undertakes an extraordinary journey
• Setting- Broad and often includes the upper and
  lower worlds
• The gods or other supernatural, fantastic beings
  take part in the action

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Characters

• Beowulf- Son of Edgetho and nephew of Higlac,
  King of the Geats
• Brecca- Chief of the Brondings and Beowulfs
  friend
• Grendel- Man-eating monster who lives at the
  bottom of a foul mere, mountain lake
• Herot- Golden guest hall built by King Hrothgar

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Characters

• Hrothgar- King of the Danes friend of Beowulfs
  father Edgetho
• Unferth- One of Hrothgars skilled warriors. His
  sword, Hrunting, is used by Beowulf
• Welthow- Hrothgars wife, queen of the Danes
• Wiglaf- Beowulfs best friend who helps him with
  the battle of the dragon

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Setting

• Beowulf is set in the 6th or 7th century. It is
  not set in England, nor or its characters
  English. The story takes place in Scandinavia and
  involves the Geats (Sweden) and the Danes
  (Denmark). Scandinavians were known collectively
  as Anglo-Saxons. It was first put into writing by
  a scop in the 700s.