The Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066 A.D.)

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The Anglo-Saxon Period(449-1066 A.D.)

• Anglo-Saxon England Beowulf

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Historic Overview

• First Germanic invasion- In 449 A.D., the jutes
  (from the peninsula of Jutland in Denmark)
• Additional Germanic Invasions- the Angles
  Saxons (from Southern Denmark and along the coast)

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Historic Overview Cont.

• Anglo-Saxon England (Angleland) was established
  by these Germanic Tribes
• Important Commonalities
• Common Language- early English
• Heroic Ideals- Courage, loyalty, valor, courtesy,
  generosity, of ruler and followers
• Family Unit- The family unit formed the structure
  of society Family-gt Clan-gt Tribe-gt Kingdom.
• Democratic Councils- Meetings and assemblies of
  open discussion
• Art- high regard for beauty fine ornamentation
  (Sutton Hoo artifacts)

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Sutton Hoo Artifacts
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Historic Overview Cont.

• Lack of Unity- The tribes divided into 7 major
  kingdoms
• North- Angles (East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria)
• South and East- Jutes (Kent)
• West- Saxons (Sussex, Essex, and Wessex)

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Historic Overview Cont.

• Angleland lasted until 1066, when the Normans
  invaded (Norman Conquest, led by William the
  Conqueror)

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Religion

• Pagan Beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons
• Strong belief in fate (wyrd) - impersonal,
  irresistible force that determined most of life
• Gods of the Anglo-Saxons were those of the Norse
  culture
• Great admiration for heroic warriors- Human will
  and courage allowed individuals to control their
  own response to fate
• No afterlife
• Lifes Goal- Win fame and lasting glory in order
  to obtain immortality and became a model for
  others to follow

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Religion Cont.

• Influence of Christianity in England
• First Archbishop in England- St. Augustine (597
  A.D.), Roman missionary (brought 40 missionaries
  with him to England)
• Unity- the spread of Christianity served as a
  unifying force throughout Angleland
• Literacy- Christianity brought literacy with
  it runic alphabet was replaced with Roman
  alphabet monasteries became places of learning
  and education.

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Education

• Venerable Bede (673-735), Father of English
  History- Monk known for his great scholarship
  and learning wrote History of the English Church
  and People contemporary of the author of Beowulf

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Education Cont.

• Alfred the Great (849-899)- Patron of the
  scholars and educators held a strong belief in
  education. He new Latin and encouraged young men
  learn to read and write had books translated
  into English.
• End of the Anglo-Saxon period- European rulers
  would send to England for teachers.

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English Language

• Runic Alphabet- Early Anglo-Saxons used runes to
  scratch inscriptions on ceremonial stones or as a
  means of identifying valued items they never saw
  their alphabets potential as a way of
  communicating thoughts across time.

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English Language Cont.

• Anglo-Saxon (Old English) and modern English are
  members of the Indo-European family of languages
• Lasting ability and Influence in English
• History of language in England Latin, Danish,
  Swedish, German, French (to name a few).
• After the Norman Conquest, no king of England
  spoke English for the next 300 years! (1399-
  Henry IV) Aristocracy spoke French, English
  became the language of peasants
• Despite the constant invasions upon England and
  the numerous people groups to come and go,
  English survived!

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English Language Cont.

• Present-day Influences of Anglo-Saxon- Tiw (god
  of war), Woden (chief Teutonic god), Thor (god of
  thunder), Frigga (goddess of the home)

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Literature

• Oral Tradition- Professional poets (scops) were
  the musicians, storytellers, and historians of
  their tribes. The scop remembered the kings,
  heroes, battles, and folklore of the tribe.
• Heroic Epic Poetry (Beowulf)- Focuses upon
  bravery of central hero

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Literature Cont.

• Elegiac Lyric Poetry (Seafarer)- Expresses
  mourning due to the passing of better times,
  death, or other losses dark mood bleak
  fatalism are characteristic of Anglo-Saxon times
• Riddles- Anglo-Saxons enjoyed the playful and
  intellectual challenge of riddles, which
  described familiar objects in ways that forced
  the audience to guess their identity. Kennings
  (Old English metaphorical descriptions used in
  poetry) were often used in riddles, which were
  written in verse.

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Beowulf

• Author
• Unknown Poet- The poem is probably the work of a
  single author (consistent style used).
• Probably a Christian man who lived in the 8th
  century a contemporary of the Venerable Bede.
• Familiar with classical and biblical literature
  well-educated

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Beowulf Cont.

• Composition and Written Manuscript
• The poem was probably composed sometime in the
  8th century (700-800 A.D.)
• Written down around 1100 A.D.- hand copied
  probably by a monk written in Old English
• Manuscript was preserved in a monastery for
  hundreds of years until the early 16th century
  King Henry VIII ordered the closure of
  monasteries when the church of England converted
  to Protestantism much of the contents of
  monasteries were destroyed

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Beowulf Cont.

• Robert Cotton- preserved the manuscript in his
  personal library
• 1731- Fire nearly destroyed the manuscript, which
  was later donated to the British Museum
• Myth or History?- Within the poem, no distinction
  is made between myth and history. Beowulf cannot
  accurately be described as fiction or fact.
  Dating the manuscript becomes important in
  determining which elements of Beowulf belong to
  the history of culture, to this history of myth
  and legend, to political history, or to the
  development of the English literary imagination.