The Anglo-Saxons

1
The Anglo-Saxons

• 449-1066 AD

2
The British Legacy

• Had been invaded and settled many times over and
  all contributed to what is now Great Britain
• Celts
• Romans
• Angles and Saxons
• Vikings
• Normans

3
The Spirit of the Celts

• The Celts practiced Animism saw spirits
  everywhere in rivers, trees, stones, ponds, fire
  and thunder
• Spirits (Gods) controlled all aspects of
  existence
• Priests (Druids) acted as intermediaries between
  the gods and the people
• Ritual dances took place to please the gods along
  with human sacrifices

4
Celtic Heroes and Heroines

• Celts idolized tall, strong women for their
  heroic tales (unlike current day)
• Celtic stories were full of magic and fantastic
  animals, passionate love affairs, and incredible
  adventures in enchanted lands

5
The Romans

• When the Romans evacuated in 409 Ad, they left
  roads, walls, villas, and great public baths, but
  no central government
• This left Britain vulnerable for invasion from
  the Germanic regions of continental Europe

6
The Anglo-Saxons

• Angles and Saxons came from Germany
• Jutes came from Denmark
• The language of the Anglo-Saxons became the
  dominant language of the land which was renamed
  Engla Land England

7
Alfred the Great and Christianity871-899

• King Alfred of Wessex (aka Alfred the Great) led
  the Anglo-Saxons against the Danes and united
  England
• He was not defeated due to the gradual emergence
  of Christianity
• It created a common faith and common system of
  morality and right conduct
• Alfred was defeated in 1066 by William, Duke of
  Normandy

8
Anglo-Saxon Religion

• Gods for Warriors
• Odin Norse god of death, poetry, and magic
• Thor god of thunder and lightning
• Gods possessed special qualities
• Bravery
• Loyalty
• Generosity
• Friendship

9
The Bards

• The Bards (Scops pronounced Shops) sang the
  songs of the heroes
• Bards were not inferior to Warriors
• Creating poetry was as important as hunting,
  farming, or loving
• Non-Christian Anglo-Saxons did not believe in
  life after death so it was up to the bards to
  make them immortal through verse

10
The Monks

• The Christian monks were the ones who wrote the
  stories into book form
• Preserved not only the Latin and Greek classics,
  but also some of the great works of popular
  literature, such as Beowulf
• The language of the church was Latin, but the
  Monks transcribed books in the language of the
  people - English

11
Beowulf

• An epic poem written by an anonymous source
• It is believed that it was written by a monk due
  to its Christian influences
• The oldest manuscript to date is from 1000AD and
  is in the British Museum in London
• It survived the burning of the monastaries (Henry
  VIII) and is in decent condition now with little
  burns

12
Anglo-Saxon Poetry

• The following poetic devices are essential
  features of A/S poetry
• Alliteration
• Kennings

13
Alliteration

• The Repetition of consonant sounds in words that
  are close to one another. Alliteration may occur
• At the beginning or words, as in bright blue or
  kind comment
• Within words, as in jacket pocket

14
Alliterative Anglo-Saxons

• Instead of rhymes, Anglo-Saxon oral poets used
  alliteration along with carefully placed pauses
  to add music and rhythm to their poems
• Lines of Anglo-Saxon verse often are divided into
  two halves separated by a rhythmic pause, or
  caesura

15
Kennings

• A metaphorical phrase or compound word used to
  name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly
• Kennings such as whale-road and battle-dew fill
  Anglo-Saxon poetry
• Combining existing words from the relatively
  small Anglo-Saxon vocabulary helped poets to
  create alliteration
• Kennings were memorable, ready-made phrases that
  bards could reuse and pass on to others

16
Kennings Then and Now

• Anglo-Saxon Kennings
• Mead-hall
• Ring-giver
• Heavens high arch
• Shapes of darkness
• Shepherd of evil

• Modern-Day Kennings
• Gas guzzler
• Queen bee
• Headhunter
• King of the hill
• Snake in the grass

17
The Use of Alliteration and Kennings

• Anglo-Saxon literature was part of an oral
  tradition. Poems, songs, and stones were passed
  from one generation to another orally
• Anglo-Saxon poets and storytellers used
  alliteration and kennings because these devices
• Aided memory
• Created sound effects
• Pleased the audience