The Anglo Saxons and Beowulf

1. The Anglo Saxonsand Beowulf

2. Questions to Answer • What two tribes first settled in Britain? • When did the Romans invade Britain and what did they do to the people that lived there originally? • What three tribes took over Britain in 449 A.D.? • What did these tribes call Britain? • Did the people of Britain truly convert to Christianity? • What is feudalism? • What is chivalry? • What is Old English? • What is a scop? • Who were the only people that could read and write in this time? • When is Beowulf set? • What is Beowulf based on? • What was most important to warriors in this time? (2 things) • What did lords give their warriors in return for service and loyalty? • What is a kenning? Provide an example.

3. The First People in Britain • 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)

4. The Invasion • In 43 A.D., Romans invaded. Britons were either forced northward or into slavery; Romans introduced the concept of Christianity. • Eventually (449), the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded (these are Germanic tribes). They took over and called the island “Angle-land.” They enslaved the people who were there. • Angles, Saxons, and Jutes carved the land into tribal kingdoms, but they came to think of themselves as one people: the English (a.k.a. Anglo-Saxons) • By 650, most of England was Christian (but held onto pagan beliefs, too)

5. There was no written tradition • People were farmers and hunters • Warfare was a way of life • People believed in many different gods (polytheistic) Tyr (god of glory and honor) Woden (protector of heroes) Thunor (aid to warriors in battle)

6. 1066 • Duke William (The Duke of Normandy) attacked, defeated the A/S He became King William I. *Normandy is present day France *France = Vikings

7. This brought French culture to England • feudalism—land is divided among lords who are loyal to the king. The lords give land to vassals in exchange for military duty. • chivalry—knights are expected to be honorable, brave, generous, skillful in battle, respectful to women, and helpful to the weak.

8. 1066 marks the beginning of what we consider English culture. Old English: a combination of the languages spoken by the Anglo-Saxons. Today it looks like a foreign language. Beowulf written in OE Oral tradition: heroic themes of courage, goodness, loyalty, strength Stories passed down by a scop (traveling storyteller often accompanied by a harp) Heroism in stories gave people a model for living and a form of immortality (tales would be about them and their heroism, to be told for generations).Remember, most people couldn’t read or write. They learned through stories, songs, and poems. Monks could read and write; they focused on Christian themes and are responsible for recording most of the OE literature that survives today (they added a religious quality to the stories)

9. Beowulf (the poem) • Composed between 700-750 AD; set in the early 6th century • Based on early Celtic and Scandinavian folk legends • Only manuscript to survive Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries and destruction of monastic libraries; manuscript dates from 1000 (but was composed before that); now in British Museum in London • Deterioration of manuscript means that there are gaps scholars have to fill in by guesswork

10. 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 lord—took 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 one’s kinsman was slain it was one’s duty to kill the slayer or exact payment—each rank of society was ranked at a price; this price had to be paid to the family to avoid their vengeance, even if the killing was accidental. OE Society • society rigidly feudal, highly civilized, 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 this society, weapons had names but slaves did not—they valued warfare more than people • Proven swords and helmets were passed down from fathers to sons

11. 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)

12. Beowulf: Epic Hero • 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 poem—long 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, and life and death struggles of good vs. evil. • The hero always represents good • The forces that threaten the people always represent evil

13. Beowulf is set in a time when warriors gathered in mead/banquet halls (mead=fermented honey wine) for great feasts, told of their adventures (raiding, looting, burning settlements). Kings gave riches to their bravest warriors in exchange for loyalty. People believed in monsters and dragons.

14. Mead Hall

15. Kenning • metaphorical circumlocution (talking around something without using its specific name) signifying a person or thing by a characteristic or quality of that person or thing. • “whale road” = the sea • “Higlac’s follower” = Beowulf

16. Vocabulary Words • Shroud • Sinews • Reparation • Writhing • Forged • Infamous • Lament • Loathsome