The Anglo Saxons and Beowulf

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The Anglo Saxonsand Beowulf
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Great Britain

• Great Britain
• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Ireland is NOT considered a part of Great
  Britain, but Northern Ireland is a part of the
  United Kingdom.

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The First People

• Britain first settled by Celts
• Celts came from continental Europe between
  800-600 B.C.
• 2 tribes of Celts
• Britons (settled in what is now Great Britain)
• Gaels (settled in what is now Ireland)

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The Invasion

• In 43 A.D., Romans invaded and Britons were
  either forced northward or into slavery
  introduced the concept of Christianity
• Eventually (449 A.D.), the Angles, Saxons, and
  Jutes (Germanic tribes) invaded. They took over
  and called the island Angle-land.
• Angles, Saxons, and Jutes carved the land into
  tribal kingdoms, but came to think of themselves
  as one people the English (a.k.a. Anglo-Saxons)
• By 650, most of England was Christian, at least
  by name (though many held onto pagan beliefs)

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Anglo-Saxon Kings - Egbert

• The small kingdoms fought amongst each other
  until 829King Egbert of Wessex won control of
  all Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
• Unfortunately, by the end of Egberts reign,
  Vikings had captured much of the kingdom
• Vikings were Scandinavian (called Norse because
  they had crossed the North Sea). They were
  predominantly Danes.
• Vikings had taken over much of France, and that
  area became known as Normandy.

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The Danish Invasion

• Due to rising population and limited farmland,
  many Scandinavians (the Norse and the Danes) took
  to the seasthe Vikings.
• In 800, Danish raiders attacked Britain.
• The Norse settled in Northumbria, Scotland,
  Wales, and Ireland.
• The Danes targeted eastern and southern England.

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Side note

• DO NOT FORGET!!!
• Beowulf is NOT set in England, and the characters
  are NOT English.
• It is set in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway,
  Sweden) and involves the Geats of southern Sweden
  and the Danes of Denmark.
• Beowulf is considered a part of English
  literature because it was written in Old English.
  
• Why such a story is written in English is
  somewhat of a mystery.  It was likely brought to
  English literature by means of the oral tradition
  during the continuous Scandinavian raids on
  English shores.

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Anglo-Saxon Kings - Alfred

• In 878, Alfred, King of Wessex (Egberts
  grandson) defeated the Danes at the Battle of
  Edington.
• Alfred went on to recapture most of
  England, as well as promote education and
  literacy among his people.
• He became known as Alfred the Great.
  Alfreds son and grandson won back the rest
  of England and made peace with the Vikings.

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1066 Norman Conquest

• King Edward died
• William (the Duke of Normandy) laid claim to
  the throne (Edward may have promised the throne
  to William)
• Instead, the English council of elders chose
  Harold II as king
• Duke William attacked, defeated the Anglo-Saxons
  and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings. He
  became King William I
• Remember France Vikings

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Summary

• Celts ? Romans ? Celts ? Angles/Saxons/Jutes ?
  Anglo-Saxons (Egbert) Scandinavians/Vikings ?
  Anglo-Saxons (Alfred) ? Normans

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Old English Poetry

• 3 major types of Old English poetry
• Heroic verseCelebrates courage, honor, loyalty
• ElegyMourns a loss
• Religious verseFocuses on Christian teachings
  and stories
• Beowulf contains all three.

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Beowulf (the poem)

• 3200 lines
• Composed between 700-750 AD set in the early
  6th century
• Based on a mix of early Celtic and Scandinavian
  folk legends
• Original written manuscript dates back to
  approximately the year 1000
• It is now in a British Museum, though not in
  perfect condition

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A look into Old English social life politics

• Society rigidly feudal, highly civilized in many
  ways, yet highly violent.
• The poem glorifies war, death, and fame (fame is
  the most precious thing a man can have because it
  is the only thing that survives).
• Male dominated society
• In many ways valued warfare more than people
• In a warrior society, the most important
  relationship is between warrior (thane) and his
  lord.
• Warrior who pledged his loyalty became a
  voluntary companion to his lordtook pride in
  defending his lord and fighting in his wars.
• In return, the lord was expected to take
  affectionate care of his thanes, to reward them
  richly.
• Relationship between kinsmen also very important
  If ones kinsman was slain it was ones duty to
  kill the slayer or exact revenge.

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Did Beowulfs character really exist?

• The tribe in southern Sweden did exist, but
  Beowulf as represented in the story is
  fictitious.
• There was a real man named Beowulf who helped the
  Danes and Geats fend off pirate attacks. He was
  not, however, king of the Geats nor a Danish
  hero.
• Higlac (king of Geats, Beowulfs king) and
  Hrothgar (king of the Danes, whom Beowulf helps)
  both based on real kings
• Significance of battle God grants Beowulfs
  victory, but the good fighter is the one who
  becomes famous, never gives up, doesnt worry
  about the possible consequences of bravery

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Typical Themes

• Contains typical themes of seafaring warriors, a
  society bound by military/tribal loyalties
• Bravery of warriors and generosity of rulers
  highly valued
• Combines pagan folklore (monsters) with Christian
  themes (good vs. evil)
• ex Grendel is a monster, described as an enemy
  of God and descendent of Cain (first murderer in
  the Bible)

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Beowulf Old English Superhero

• Beowulf is an epic hero Courage, physical
  strength, wisdom in guiding others, loyalty to
  the king, and supreme self-confidence. He
  embodies the ideals of his people.
• Story of Beowulf is an epic poemlong narrative
  poem written in formal language that tells of the
  adventures of a larger-than-life hero.
• Beowulf is a folk epic Story rises from the
  people and is passed by word of mouth from
  generation to generation until it is ultimately
  written down (contrast with literary epic, like
  the Aeneid, which is the work of one author
  setting out to follow a literary form).
• Epic plots
• Contain supernatural events,
• Span long time periods
• Involve distant journeys
• Feature life and death struggles of good vs.
  evil.
• The hero always represents good
• The forces that threaten the people always
  represent evil

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• Beowulf is set in a time when warriors gathered
  in mead/banquet halls for great feasts to tell of
  their adventures (raiding, looting, burning
  settlements).
• Kings gave riches to their bravest warriors in
  exchange for loyalty.
• Monsters and dragons were often included in the
  tales told and were believed to exist.

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Mead Hall
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Lament An expression of sorrow song or
literary composition that mourns A loss or death
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Infamous having a bad reputation or being
notorious
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Shroud A burial cloth
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Writhing twisting as in pain
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Forged formed or shaped, often with blows or
pressure after heating.
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Caesura A break, pause, or Interruption in a
line of a poem
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Kenning a descriptive poetic phrase used in
place of a name for a person or thing whale
road the sea Higlacs follower Beowulf
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epic poem a long narrative poem telling of a
heros deeds
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Epithet a word or phrase which describes
a persons character in place of a name or title
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Boast an exaggerated speech bragging
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Archetype an idea, personality, or image that
is copied throughout literature regardless of
time, religion, or culture
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Motif recurring subject or theme within a
literary work
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Elegy funeral song or lament for the dead
mournful poem