Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066 “It is better never to begin a good work than, having begun it, to...
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Transcript of Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066 “It is better never to begin a good work than, having begun it, to...
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Anglo-Saxon Period449-1066
“It is better never to begin a good work than, having begun it, to stop.”
-Bede A History of the English Church and People
Introductory NotesBritish Literature
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Inhabiting the British Isles
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The Groups…• The islands were inhabited by the Britons and the
Gaels. These were Celtic people who came from Europe
• Languages descended mainly from the Celts—Irish, Scottish, Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton
• The Celts were farmers and hunters. Their society was organized into clans ruled by tribal chieftans elected from a class of Pagan priests. These priests, the Druids, composed hymns, poems, and historical records
• They studied the heavenly bodies, served as judges, and conducted religious ceremonies in secret places in the woods and in places like Stonehenge
• These islands were eventually taken over by Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire
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The Coming of the Anglo-Saxons• Early in the 5th century, the Roman legions left
Britain to protect Rome from invasion• Over the next 100 years, fierce Germanic
invaders arrived (the Jutes from the Danish peninsula, the Angles and the Saxons from Europe)
• The Angles established 3 kingdoms in the Northern part of the island
• The Saxons established 3 kingdoms in the South
• The Jutes settled on the island that is now Ireland
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Early Anglo-Saxon Life• Society was split into four different
groups (classes):
–Earls—ruling lords who owed their position to the king-Freemen—men allowed to own land and engage in commerce—included thanes–Churls (serfs)—bonded servants who worked the land in return for military protection–Thralls (slaves)—usually military prisoners or people being punished
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Beliefs/Religion• Many Anglo-Saxons (in the early part of the
period) had Pagan beliefs• They worshipped ancient Germanic gods• They took a rather grim view of life• They believed every human life was in the
hands of fate• Roman Church tried to send missionaries
through Europe to convert people—it worked in Britain
• The church also brought two important facets of civilization: education and written literature– Printing presses did not exist yet, so everything was
an original, or it had to be completely copied by hand
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Life in the Times• Anglo-Saxon life was simple and crude• An eye-for-an-eye mentality ruled and public
punishments were common and well-attended
• Blood feuds, invasions, and desire for land or treasure led to frequent warfare
• Life among the Anglo-Saxons was harsh and unpredictable. Death from disease, famine, battle wounds, or storms at sea could occur at any time, depending on the whims of the goddess Wyrd, or “fate”
• “Fate often saves an undoomed man if his courage is good.”
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The End of the Anglo-Saxon Era• Between 925 and 939, King Athelstam
conquered the rest of the island of Britain, making it one nation
• The Anglo-Saxon peace was not to last. In 960, waves of Danish invasions began, culminating in 1016 with the crowning of Canute, a Dane, as King.
• The Anglo-Saxons soon fought back and regained the crown
• In 1066, a Norman duke, William the Conqueror, crossed the English Channel and defeated the English King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, bringing the Anglo-Saxon era to a close
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Anglo-Saxon Literature• Many people believe that storytellers,
memorizing and reciting long, heroic poems about Celtic leaders and their deeds were the origin of literature from this time period
• These storytellers wanted to pass along tribal history and values to an audience that could not read
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Anglo-Saxon Literature(continued)
• Topics mainly included military victories or ceremonial occasions
• Only about 30,000 lines of Anglo-Saxon verse still exist, falling into one of two categories:
• 1) Heroic Poetry: recounts the achievements of warriors involved in great battles
• 2) Elegiac Poetry: sorrowful laments that mourn the deaths of loved ones and the loss of the past
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Anglo-Saxon Poetry• The reciting of poems often occurred on
ceremonial occasions such as the celebration of a military victory
• Some poetry recitations lasted for hours, some for days
• Scholars now suppose that these recitations took place to the accompaniment of a harp
• These poems followed a set formula of composition, which probably made them easier to memorize
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Anglo-Saxon Epic PoetryAnglo-Saxon Epic Poetry• A-S Epic Poetry has two distinctive
features:• 1) The two part line: each line is
separated by a pause, known as a caesura, with two strong beats per part
• 2) The kenning: a colorful, indirect way of naming something– Ex. The sea is: a whalepath, the sun is:
the candle of the skies