The Anglo-Saxon Period & Beowulf

The Anglo-Saxon Period A.D

The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes Germanic tribes (such as the Angles, Saxons and Jutes) crossed the North Sea and came to Britain Formed Anglo- Saxon England

The Settling of England The Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisiis (Frisians) (all Germanic tribes) left their homeland and began to settle on the southern and eastern shores of Briton. Briton, a remnant of the Roman empire long since abandoned in A.D. 410, was easy prey for the invading tribes. The Anglo-Saxons were originally recruited to defend Briton, but rebelled in A.D. 442.

The Britons Formerly the Celts, a tribe taken over by the Romans and civilized, the Britons were possibly led by a king named Arthur. The Britons attempted to fight against the invaders, but later fled to Wales. Others fled to Scotland, home of the Gaels, who would later settle in Ireland.

The Germanic Kingdoms The Germanic tribes united under seven kingdoms: The Jutes – Kent The Saxons – Sussex, Essex, and Wessex The Angles – East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk), Mercia, Deira, and Bernicia The settlement eventually became known as Angle-land, or England.

The Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons believed in a pagan religion, often known as Wodenism, which was polytheistic, and believed in gods such as Woden, Thunor, and Tiw. They also believed in mythological being such as elves, dragons, and water monsters. Wyrd (fate) was a major influence in their faith.

The Anglo-Saxons Anglo-Saxons greatly supported fierce warriors whose “wyrd” led them to victory in battle. However, as the Anglo-Saxons settled on the land, they relied less on fighting and more on farming and agriculture. Later, Christianity would became a major force in uniting the Anglo-Saxons in the sixth century.

Christianity in England Christianity was first practiced in Briton following the rise of the Roman empire. The faith never died, but was nearly washed out by the Anglo-Saxon invasion. Romanized Briton Patrick converted Ireland’s Gaels to Christianity. In 597, a Roman missionary named St. Augustine visited Kent, converting the reigning king of the Anglo-Saxons.

The Conversion to Christianity St. Augustine established a monastery at Canterbury, later home of the famous Canterbury Cathedral. Ethelbert of Kent, the leader of the Jutes and king of England, converted to Christianity in 597 A.D. By 690 A.D., most of Britain converted to Christianity.

The Danish Invasions In the 790s, a new group of invaders landed on the eastern shores of England: the Danes. The Danes were also known as the Vikings. Alfred the Great, the king of Wessex, halted the invasion of the Danes. Alfred and his descendents defeated the Danes and converted them to Christianity.

The Danish Invasions Following Alfred’s death, another war with the Danes began. In the early 1000’s, a Dane named Canute (Cnut) led the Vikings to victory and seized control of England, becoming king in Edward the Confessor succeeded Canute and his tyrannical sons to the throne in 1042, proving to be a less successful king.

The Danish Invasions There was dispute as to who was Edward’s heir, William the Duke of Normandy (a region of France), who was a cousin of Edward’s; or Harold, the Earl of Wessex. Upon Edward’s death in 1066, Harold seized the crown, despite an arranged loyalty to William. Outraged, William led the Normans into battle with the English.

William of Normandy Harold, the newly crowned king, was killed at the Battle of Hastings. On Christmas Day of 1066, William, who and earned the nickname “the Conqueror,” was crowned king in Edward’s newly built church, Westminster Abbey. William’s crowning officially ended the house of Godwin (Harold’s house) as well as the reign of the Anglo-Saxons.

Anglo-Saxon Writing Anglo-Saxon writing (Old English) differed greatly from Modern English. Anglo-Saxons wrote in runes, typically on clay tablets, and later on manuscripts. The language was more Germanic, and Old English does not translate directly into Middle or Modern English.

Beowulf An Anglo-Saxon Epic

Beowulf and Oral Tradition Beowulf was the first great work of national (British) literature Beowulf was originally passed down through oral tradition Before writing became a common skill, stories were passed from generation to generation by speech – story telling.

About Beowulf Beowulf was composed around A.D The story is set in the sixth century (during the rule of Higlac, who was killed in 594) The writer is most likely from Northumbria (a region of England) based on scenery depicted in the story. The story contains many Christian references – leading us to believe that the author was possibly a monk.

About Beowulf Beowulf is a heroic Scandinavian epic – the type that a scop (pronounced shope), or bard would chant in great halls, such as Heorot It is the only epic written in Old English. It is 3,182 lines (for comparison, the Iliad and Odyssey written by Homer are approximately 15,000 lines)

Beowulf’s Epic Properties Beowulf is an epic hero He is a dragon slayer He exhibits superior physical prowess compared to normal men He is supremely ethical He risks his life for his community and others He is a representative of the community against satanic forces The primary villain, or antagonist, is Grendel –Grendel is not a legendary figure, but a symbol of real evil

The Beowulf Manuscript A Tragedy and a Miracle

The Beowulf Manuscript ~1700 – Great interest arose in England for old manuscripts to be gathered and archived – Sir Robert Cotton’s family gave several Old English manuscripts to the English nation, one of which was the Beowulf manuscript – the only copy in existence – The Ashburnham House at Westminster, which housed the Beowulf manuscript, burned. The manuscript was recovered, though it was slightly damaged.

The Beowulf Manuscript 1786 – Icelandic scholar G. J. Thorkelin worked on a translation of Beowulf for nearly 20 years – After finishing his translation, Thorkelin’s works were burned during a British bombardment on Copenhagen during the Napoleonic Wars, which included his translation of Beowulf – Thorkelin started over and in 1815 his new translation of Beowulf was published. Many translations have been released since the first in 1815, most notably Seamus Heaney’s translation, which stays true to the poetic form of the epic.

The Beowulf Manuscript The Author undoubtedly had heard the story many times and from different sources, yet managed to fuse scattered pieces into an artistic whole. Beowulf’s themes are universal: –Unending struggle of man against a hostile environment –Brave leaders try to save their people from evil or peril Beowulf is an embodiment of Anglo-Saxon ideals and heroes: –He exhibits courage, loyalty, strength, and devotion to duty –He is pitted against savage monsters

What does Beowulf mean? Many people make the assumption that Beowulf’s name translates to something related to a wolf. In Anglo-Saxon, beo translates to bee. Wulf does indeed translate to wolf. Literally, his name means Bee-wolf. This is a term the Anglo-Saxons used to refer to bears, who had snouts like a wolf, and often ate honey from bee hives.