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Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons. Coach Jay Adams Cornerstone Christian School British Literature 12. Where they came from:. 449-1066 A.D. Angles, Saxons, and Jutes drove the Celts out of England. What they were like:. The Thirteenth Warrior sailors, warriors, hunters, farmers
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Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons Coach Jay Adams Cornerstone Christian School British Literature 12
Where they came from: • 449-1066 A.D. • Angles, Saxons, and Jutes drove the Celts out of England
What they were like: • The Thirteenth Warrior • sailors, warriors, hunters, farmers • constant intertribal warfare was just a way of life • small tribes ruled by the greatest warriors • loyalty was valued highly and rewarded richly
Days of the Week • Day of the Sun • Day of the Moon • Day of the Dark God (Tiw) • Day of the War God (Woden) • Day of the Thunder God (Thor) • Day of the Peace Goddess (Frea) • Day of the Water God (Saetre)
Strong Belief in Fate • Wyrd was the goddess of fate • Central part of Anglo-Saxon religion • You can never escape your fate; you can only embrace it well (fame = immortality)
Terms to know: • scop (pronounced “shop”)--a traveling poet of ballads and war stories • gleeman--not a composer, but an entertainer • mead--booze • mead-hall--the central room of Anglo-Saxon life
More Terms: • caesura: the pause in the middle of a line • kenning: metaphorical little riddles (ring-giver, whale-road, bone-case)
Anglo-Saxon Literature: Why Poetry? • Love of freedom • Respect for Nature (esp. her mean side) • Strong moral convictions; belief in Wyrd • Reverence for womanhood • Glory is the ruling motive in every warrior’s life
Random Facts • Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic in the English Language • Boasting was not pride: it was a dare in the face of fate • Epic • national hero • lofty language • supernatural elements • good vs. evil