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The Songs of Ancient Heroes

The Songs of Ancient Heroes. Essential Questions:. How was the literature formed as a result of the influences within the Anglo-Saxon time period?. From 449-1066 there were 7 invaders to the country of England. 2 Social Classes.

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The Songs of Ancient Heroes

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  1. The Songs of Ancient Heroes

  2. Essential Questions: How was the literature formed as a result of the influences within the Anglo-Saxon time period?

  3. From 449-1066 there were 7 invaders to the country of England

  4. 2 Social Classes • The Earls/ Chieftains-rulers and were related to the founder of or most recent survivor of the tribe (the chieftain of his clan) • The Churls- made up of ancestors who had been captured by the tribe or clan. This sets up a strange relationship with the Earls. Churls protected Earls (chieftan) with their fierce loyalty so that, in turn, the Earls could provide protection and food. Thane-Anglo-Saxon warrior Comitatus- the name given to this relationship where the warrior is loyal to the death as he protects the chieftan What are the advantages and disadvantages of the comitatus relationship?

  5. Women’s Roles in the Anglo- Saxon life • Had rights but were curtailed severely after the Norman Conquest in 1066. • Inherited and held property, even controlled it after they were married. • Christianity offered opportunities for women to control abbesses (mother superior of nuns) • Largely domestic though

  6. The Warm Mead Hall- The Cold World • All lived together in the Mead Hall • Fame and success were gained through comitatus and success was measured with gifts from the chieftain to the devoted warrior. • The people were concentrated on the life in front of them with the hopes of becoming immortal through the ranks of battle and heroism. Wyrd supplemented a belief in gods to determines one’s fate.

  7. Comitatus- a distinct and life- “committing” loyalty to a leader

  8. Rewards • For loyalty to a leader or king there were rewards

  9. Wyrd = a belief in fate, so fight to the bitter end!

  10. The fates

  11. Singing of Gods and Heroes • Scops(literally “shaper”) or bards were poets responsible for entertainment in the great mead halls. They told heroic epics and elegies (the origins of the oral literary tradition). • These scops were as important as a skilled warrior. Why? • Where would they have positioned themselves in a battle?

  12. Two types of poems the Scops told • Epic- a long, narrative poem about the deeds of a hero and how that hero identifies the culture of the time period. 1) folk epic- passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition 2) literary epic- written in modern times reflecting that culture • Elegy-a long, mournful poem about the loss of someone or something.

  13. The Epic • Epic plot must be of national crisis proportion and must involve the survival of a people or a civilization • Epic setting must encompass a large area • In elevated language to match the formality of the epic hero or subject • Divine or supernatural intervention usually appears • Narrates story of an epic hero-larger than life • On a quest/journey • Faces trials (internal and external flaws/conflicts) • Has help (often supernatural) • Overcomes trials • Prizes/rewards

  14. Epic Conventions • Invocation to a muse or “guiding spirit” for inspiration of the tale • Statement of the epic argument, theme, or task • In medias res is typically how epics are told • Epic similes are incorporated to support amplified style of writing and to complement certain important characters

  15. Remembering the Tales of Heroism • Kennings- compound word MADE OF 2 NOUNS- “whale way,” “ring giver,” “road runner” • Caesura- a dramatic pause in poetry • Epithet-renaming of an object or person based on association (usually Son of ___, brother of ____)

  16. Other Poetic Devices • Alliteration: repetition of initial consonant sounds (head-hunter) • Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds • Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds (stroked itssilvery strings)

  17. A Battle Against Death • For the non-Christian, Anglo-Saxon warrior, the only way to defeat death and achieve immortality was within battle and the search for fame and its reverberation within the scop’s poetry. • What type of warrior does this create and how does it affect the culture?

  18. Monasteries: Christian Strongholds • The cultural and spiritual influences of monasteries existed alongside the heroic ideals and traditions of the older, Pagan, Anglo-Saxon world. In essence, Monks rewrote literature preserving heroic and Christian ideals. Ex. Beowulf • Thus, when the stories of the scops were written, they had a mixture of pagan elements and Christianity. • Why would Old Testament stories be a good source of exchange for the heroic, pagan tales?

  19. A mix of Pagan and Christian ideologies: a hope to return “home”

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