BRITAIN FROM THE ANGLO SAXON ERA

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BRITAIN FROM THE ANGLO SAXON ERA

• BEOWULF

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Early Britain

• The names "Saxons", "Anglo-Saxons", and "English"
  have been used interchangeably for the early
  Germanic invaders of England. In a famous passage
  towards the beginning of his History The
  Venerable Bede states that the invaders who
  arrived as the Romans legions were recalled came
  from three strong Germanic tribes, the Angles,
  the Saxons, and the Jutes around 450 a.d.

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The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles

• A.D. 509. This year St. Benedict, the abbot,
  father of all the monks, ascended to heaven.
• A.D. 514. This year came the West-Saxons into
  Britain, with three ships, at the place that is
  called Cerdic's-ore. And Stuff and Wihtgar fought
  with the Britons, and put them to flight.

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Anglo- Saxon society

• These Germanic tribes considered the family the
  basic unit of society.
• The Comitatus- was a group of men bound by
  loyalty and bravery for the mutual protection of
  their families. Warfare was a constant state of
  existence as tribes battled one another
  throughout the Germanic lands.

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The Cyning

• Though the Comitatus structure had a lord or
  King, his role was to provide his retainers with
  goods and treasure in exchange for their
  services. The societal structure was communal.

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Anglo Saxon Culture

• The Witan- was a council of advisors to the king
  from which some scholars date the present day
  Parliament. They made all decisions related to
  the comitatus and their word was final. ( Moot)

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The Meade Hall

• A central hall or communal court where victory
  celebrations were held nightly and around which
  the comitatus built their homes.
• Meade- an alcoholic ale made with honey herbs and
  water was served nightly as the men celebrated
  their successes.

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The Scop

• The Poet or Bards sole job was to create songs
  of praise for deserving members of the comitatus
  and commit to memory the stories of the tribal
  society.
• The Scop performed in the Meade Hall and was a
  highly respected keeper of the communal song.

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Primary Values

• LOYALTY- warriors were expected to fight to the
  death to protect their Cyning, their community
  and their treasure.
• BRAVERY- they were loathe to show fear and often
  boasted of their prowess in battle.
• TREASURE- a symbol of pride and respect. ( the
  Anglo- Saxons were excellent goldsmiths and wore
  ornaments encrusted with jewels)

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The Wergild

• man-price- because of the need for dependency
  on one another the ultimate crime in Anglo-Saxon
  society was to kill a member of your own
  comitatus. If such a thing happened the Witan
  assessed a wergild- an amount of treasure owed to
  the family of the deceased.

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Early Religious Beliefs

• Norse Mythology- polytheistic
• Wodin- Chief God in the Norse Pantheon. God of
  Poetry and Death ( from which we have wodens day
  or Wednesday)
• Thor-(Old Norse Þórr) was a widely worshipped
  deity among the Viking peoples and revered as the
  "God of Thunder." or God of weather for whom we
  have Thors-day or Thursday
• If a man was brave enough on earth the gods may
  give him the honor of battling under their own
  name in a form of afterlife

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Wyrd- Fate

• Anglo Saxons carried their Norse heritage to
  Britain along with their understanding that mans
  life was controlled by outside forces. There was
  no after life unless attained through bravery in
  battle. A mans valor was acknowledged and sung
  forever in the poetry of the scop.

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The Advent of Christianity

• The conversion of the Anglo- Saxons began in 597
  when Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine
  with instructions to proceed slowly with his
  conversions. After St. Augustine converted Kent,
  Canterbury was established as the center of the
  Roman church activity in England.
• Monasteries were established across the country
  which became centers of learning and of Latin and
  Greek scholarship. It is in these monasteries
  that scribes copied and preserved the Epic poem
  of Beowulf as well as the elegiac poems such as
  Deor, The Wanderer and the Seafarer.
• The Vikings attack on Lindisfarne on Britains
  north eastern coast shocked and appalled the
  Anglo Saxons.

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Old English Poetic Verse

• Iambic Tetrameter- 4 primary syllables are
  stressed per line
• Alliteration- used heavily as a memory device for
  the Scop\
• (Reinforces the rhythmic effect- binds lines
  togerther. Key syllable is the third stress)
• Caesura- each line is divided into two parts with
  an equal number of stresses on each side of the
  break.

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Old English Verse cont.

• Kennings- familiar phrasings that form mental
  images through compound nouns
• Examples
• Woman peace weaver
• Stag heath stepper
• Warrior helmet bearer
• Ship sea stallion
• ( metonomy and synechdoche is common)

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Old English Verse cont

• Variation- multiple statements of the same idea.
  ( ie. seven epithets for God)
• Litotes- forms of understatement
• End stopping of lines
• An elevated, aristocratic tone
• A rapid narrative style
• Sochronous- the use of the harp as a musical
  rest to insure the 4/8 time of the verse. ( 4/4
  for hypermetric lines)

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Characteristics of the Epic Hero

• He represents the ideals and values of a group,
  nation or race.
• His courageous, even super-human actions
  determine the fate of his nation or people
• He engages in interactions with supernatural
  beings and events

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The Epic Poem

• The Hero is of noble birth
• The settings are vast and often contain super-
  natural elements
• The tone and diction are formal
• The plot involves a dangerous journey
• The themes reflect timeless values and universal
  themes such as good verses evil.
• The hero delivers long formal speeches

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The Epic of Beowulf

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