Anglo-saxon Period Background Pp

The Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066 A.D.

A Brief History • Invaded and Settled many times by: – – – – – – –

Iberians Celts Romans Angles Saxons Vikings Normans

The First Invasion of the Celts

Celts •Tall blonde warriors •Brythons or Britons •Animism- spirits everywhere that needed to be pleased. •Mythology

The Romans • Led by Julius Caesar • Built roads and walls

The Romans Built Hadrian’s Wall • A great fortification running across the island neat the Scottish border • Built circa 123 A.D. for protection from invading Picts and Scots • Nearly 70 miles long

The

Romans • Introduced the concept of Christianity • Withdrew because of the Fall of the Roman Empire

The Second Invasion of the Celts: The Germanic Invasion

• Angles and Saxons from Germany • Present day England derives its name from the name “Angle-Land.”

What Were the Anglo-Saxons Like? Athletic Wandering Fierce in personal valor Pagan Sea-Faring Loyal to leader and tribe ~ comitatus Ruled by fate ~ wyrd

Anglo-Saxon Lives • Divided into tribes a king or chieftain • After hunts and battles, they would gather in a mead hall to be entertained by

scops.

The Mead Hall

Scops (bards) were as important as warriors.

How is America influenced by the British? • law

• literature • language

Beowulf • Anglo-Saxon word-elements Beo means “bee" and the word-element wulf means (surprise!) "wolf."

Beowulf – The author of the poem is unknown. – Composed between 700 and 750 A.D. – Christian writer, not a pagan.

Digging up the past • In the 1930s, excavations at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England, revealed a ship containing a huge treasure. • No body was found • Items in the ship are very like those included in Beowulf's burial in the last part of the poem.

Setting • Denmark and Geatland (a region in what is now southern Sweden) • Herot- the mead hall of King Hrothgar

The Characters • The Danes- A group of mighty warriors who have been ravaged by the monster of Grendel. • The Geats- The group of powerful warriors who travel from Geatland to confront the evil that the Danes are confronted with

The Characters • Beowulf – Prince of the Geats • Grendel – the monster who ravaged the Danes for 12 long winters. • Grendel’s mother – avenges Grendel’s death. • Hrothgar - the king of the Danes. • The fire dragon- is provoked by a thief who tries to steal its treasure; Beowulf’s last battle is with the fire dragon. • Wiglaf - a young and brave Geat who helps Beowulf slay the dragon when the rest of the men run away. He also conveys Beowulf's last message to his people.

Epic – Beowulf was the first epic poem in the English Language. (Others include: The Iliad, The Odyssey) – Characteristics of epic:

• Hero is of noble birth, or high position • Hero’s character traits reflect important ideals of his society • Hero performs courageous or superhuman deeds that reflect the values of the era.

Epic

(cont)

• The actions of the hero often determines the fate of a nation • The setting is vast in scope, often involving one or more nation. • The poem reflects timeless value such as courage and honor. • The poem treats universal themes, such as good or evil or life and death.

Anglo-Saxon Terms • Foil – character that sets off another character • Genre – category of artistic works • Heroic Elegy – a poem that mourns the death of a hero

Anglo-Saxon Terms • Historical setting – the time and place that a story ishistorically based • Hyperbole – a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or for comic effect

Anglo-Saxon Terms • Imagery – language that appeals to the senses • Lyric – poetry that focuses on expressing emotions or thoughts rather than on telling a story

Anglo-Saxon Terms

• Mood – the atmosphere or feeling in a literary work • Narrative poem – a poem that tells a story • Personification – a kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human

Anglo-Saxon Terms • Point of view – the vantage point from which a writer tells a story • Simile – a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things using like, as, than, or resembles

Anglo-Saxon Terms • Synecdoche – a figure of speech in which something closely related to a thing is substituted for the item. • Theme – the central idea or insight of a work of literature

Anglo-Saxon Terms • Caesura – a natural pause or break. • Example: England ~ how I long for thee!

• Kenning – In this poetic device, the poet creates a new compound word or phrase to describe an object or activity. • In Beowulf, we also find banhus ("bone-house") for body, and beaga brytta ("ring-giver") for a lord.

Anglo-Saxon Terms • Alliteration - the repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words. The ancient poets often used alliteration instead of rhyme; • Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the Scyldings, Leader beloved, • "The devil fetch ye, ye ragamuffin rapscallions," • The memories flash like dusk heat lightning, Or the fireflies that flit and flare

Literary Terms • Assonance - the repetition of vowel sounds

High as a kite Free as a breeze Mad as a Hatter “Hear the mellow wedding-bells Golden bells!”