Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066 AD

1
Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066 AD
2
History

• Prehistory-Great Britain was home to the Celts.
  Julius Caesar landed in Britain in 55 BC to claim
  more territory for Rome. Did not successfully
  conquer the area at that time, so he returned
  home.
• Emperor Claudius sent Roman troops back to Great
  Britain in 43 AD. Did successfully conquer the
  area to be added to the Roman Empire.
• Prehistoric Celts were an enigma-wore animal
  skins, conducted sacrifices, and warred in the
  nude painted in blue dye called WOADBUT..very
  creative, artistic, etc.
• 75 BC-Belgae invaded and brought agricultural
  tools, seeds, methods, etc.
• Celtic Tribes of Roman Britain
• Approximate location of Celtic Tribes living
  throughout Britain when Romans arrived in 55 BC

Map link
3
Pagan druids

• Religious, political, cultural leaders of Celtic
  tribes
• Believed all natural elements had a spirit
  (rocks, trees, water, etc.) Oakpower of life,
  Mistletoebalancing power of death
• Came to an end with the influx of Christianity
  (monotheism-belief in one true god) briefly
  during Roman occupation, permanently in 597 AD
  when Pope Gregory sent emissaries to convert
  Anglo-Saxon kings and establish monasteries in
  G.B. (Augustine was principal emissary)

4
Romans brought

• Art
• Architecture
• Organized religion
• Roads
• Legal system (laws)
• Latin Language
• Towns/cities (LondonLondinium)
• Military infrastructures (Hadrains Wall-built
  and patrolled by Romans to keep Vikings out)
• Romans called home in 5th century b/c of
  continued attacks to the territory-needed for
  defense

Civilization and Culture!
(Bad news for the remaining inhabitants of G.B.!)
5
After Romans departed

• Celtic Britons (Irish and Scots) and Viking
  invaders spilled in and began fighting each other
  for land. (loss of civilization and culture
  under Roman rule)
• Time frame for origination of King Arthur-thought
  to be an obscure Celtic resistance leader who
  notoriously fought invading Viking
  warriors/tribes
• Eventually, Angles, Saxons, and Jutes (migrating
  tribes of northern European barbarians-primarily
  from Rhine River/North Sea) invaded and settled
• Territory became known as Angle-Land
• By 600 AD, four major kingdoms emerge Kent,
  Northumbria, Mercia, and Wessex
• Wessex becomes the dominant kingdom over time

6
Barbarian Influence

• Britains inhabitants were greatly influenced by
  Viking and tribal invaders, greatly eradicating
  any Roman influence
• Barbarians lived in a tribal community structure
• KingAKA ring-giver
• WitanElders or wise men/kings advisors
• Earl/thanenobility of tribe-can trace lineage to
  kings family
• Scopbearer of history
• Warriorscentral figure of society
• Freemen/Churlsindependent landholders
• ThrallsSlaves
• Womenof no importance unless queen of tribe

7
Culture

• Anglo-Saxons originated as Germanic tribes.
• They brought with them Germanic myths and
  legends, including fire-breathing dragons,
  trolls, ogres, goblins, elves, giants, demons,
  sea monsters, etc.
• Main focus in any Anglo-Saxon warriors life was
  to achieve glory in warfare so he could enter
  Valhalla (Anglo-Saxon heaven) after death.
• Warring, exploring, seafaring, and feasting were
  central to Anglo-Saxon life (their religion
  supported these activities)
• Anglo-Saxon gods were harsh, warlike gods of
  Norse mythology-Tiu-god of war (Tuesday),
  Woden-king of the gods (Wednesday), Thor-god of
  thunder (Thursday), Freya-goddess of fertility
  (Friday)

8
Culture, contd

• Anglo-Saxon justice was simple and
  crude-WERGILD-man money (Wergild was the
  purpose behind the story of Beowulf)
• Lots of warfare-quests for land, clan feuds,
  quests for treasure, etc.
• Life was short, hard, and unpredictable
• Warriors believed fate (goddess Wyrd) ruled their
  lives, so the braver, the better. A warrior
  could tempt fate by being brave and charming
  Wyrd. If a warrior was about to be taken to
  heaven, he believed he would/could be touched by
  the hand of the Valkyries (daughters of the gods
  who went to earth to bring slain warriors back to
  Valhalla). If a warrior felt the touch, he
  knew he was fated to die soon.
• In Valhalla, warriors would feast every night.
  All battle wounds and broken bones would heal for
  the feast. Woden was always the host

9
Anglo-Saxon life, contd

• Feasts held in a communal hall called the mead
  hall, (name originated from drink called
  mead-fermented honey)
• Job of the scop to recite stories of glorious
  battles/notable warriors to the tribe-intended to
  get Wodens attention so warrior spoken about
  could get to Valhalla
• Scop chanted tribal history, often to the
  accompaniment of a harp. Everything passed by
  oral tradition during this time. Scop was highly
  esteemed in tribe because warriors got Wodens
  attention because of scops creations-lays (name
  of scops stories) served three purposes
• Told story for entertainment
• Related important tribal values
• Kept their history alive b/c lays could also be
  spread to other tribes and future generations

10
Unification of G. B.

• King Alfred-871-899 AD- responsible for unifying
  all warring territories of Great Britain
• Negotiated Danelaugh (treaty name) with King
  Canute, leader of the Danish Vikings-gave England
  50 years of peace
• Intended to unify all tribes and territories
  through religion and education-encouraged writing
  in Anglo-Saxon language, not Latin
• Responsible for The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the
  Ecclesiastical History of the English People

11
End of Anglo-Saxon Era

• In January 1066, King Edward "the Confessor"
  died. He was succeeded by the Earl of Wessex,
  Harold. This bothered a duke named William across
  the English Channel in Normandy. The royal family
  at Wessex had intermarried with royalty in
  Normandy. William had been the cousin of Edward
  the Confessor, and Edward had promised to make
  him his heir. William believed that he had a
  right to rule in England.
• Harold and William, the Duke of Normandy met in
  battle in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings
• William was victorious (only because he and his
  troops were positioned on the TOP of a hill as
  Harold and his troops attempted to climb it to
  defeat William), and the Anglo-Saxon era came to
  an end

12
Notable Anglo-Saxon literary techniques

• 1) Alliteration-repetition of beginning consonant
  sounds in a line of poetry
• Ex Line 31-Went wondering what warriors
• Ex Line 33-Sprawled in sleep, suspecting

13

• 2) Assonance-Repetition of vowel sounds in a line
  of poetry
• Ex line 30-Then when Grendel
• Ex line 60-One against many and won so Herot

14

• 3) Kenning-a one to three-word phrase used to
  rename a person or object
• Swan-road (ocean)
• Whale-path (ocean)
• Sea-steed (boat)
• Swimming wood (boat)
• Higlacs follower (Beowulf)
• Mankinds enemy (Grendel)

15

• 4) Caesura-a mid-line pause or stop within a line
  of poetry, noted by a semi-colon, period, or dash
• Ex Abels death. The Almighty
• Ex earth. He was..

16

• 5) Apposition-grammatical form in which a thing
  is renamed in a different word, phrase, or clause
• Ex Till the monster stirred, that demon, that
  fiend, Grendel.

17
Beowulf

• One of the most notable epic poems in existence
• Originally created as an oral poem to be told by
  the tribal scop in the mead hall
• Dates from the early 700s, but tells a much older
  story
• Heroic epic
• long story, often told in verse, involving heroes
  and gods
• Grand in length and scope
• Provides a portrait of an entire culture
  (legends, beliefs, values, laws, arts, ways of
  life of a people)
• Main purpose is to tell the story of a hero
• begins in in medias res, in the middle of
  things
• the epic hero-
• unusual circumstances surround the heros birth-
• hero faces trials and enemies while struggling on
  an epic journey-
• the hero encounters women as temptresses who
  threaten his completion of the journey -
• at the end of the journey, the hero must complete
  a final task alone-
• after the final task is successfully
  accomplished, the hero returns home, a leader of
  his people

18
Characters

• Beowulf
• King Hrothgar
• Grendel
• Grendels mother
• Fire-breathing dragon
• Wiglaf
• Hrunting
• Unferth
• Weltheow
• Ecgtheow
• Beowulfs men
• Herot
• Wulfgar
• Aeschere
• Others not mentioned in our excerpt

Two tribes Geats-lived in south Sweden
(Beowulfs people Danes-People from Denmark
(Hrothgar is the King of Denmark, and his
people are the Danes)
19
Epic poetry

• Criteria for an epic poem
• Actions (success or failure) of the hero set the
  fate for the nation or group
• Hero successfully performs courageous deeds
• Plot contains supernatural beings/events, may
  involve a long, dangerous journey
• Characters often give long, formal speeches
• Poem reflects timeless values such as courage,
  honor
• Poem reflects universal ideas such as good and
  evil, life and death