ANGLO-SAXON AND MEDIEVAL PERIODS The Brief History of England

INTRODUCTION Beowulf was written in the Anglo-Saxon era. Around the year 525. Literature was transmitted orally instead of in writing.  Runic alphabet did exist - only used for inscriptions.  Beowulf was result of storytelling

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION Brief history of the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval periods. Literary History Feudalism Development of language

PRE-HISTORICAL/PRE-ROMAN The island we know as England - occupied by a race of people called the Celts. One of the tribes was called Brythons or Britons (where we get the term Britain).

PRE-HISTORICAL/PRE-ROMAN (CON’T) Celts were pagans - believed in “animism,” from the Latin word spirits Druids were their priests  Role: Go between the gods and the people

AND THEN THE ROMANS CAME… Romans invaded in 55 B.C. Conquered the Celts in A.D. 43 Eventually left the island in A.D. 407

IMPORTANT RESULTS FROM ROMAN OCCUPATION Military - Strong armed forces (“legions”)  Pushed the Celts into Wales and Ireland  Prevented the Vikings from raiding for several hundred years Infrastructure - Government fell apart when they left Language and Writing - Latin official language  This is why English language is strongly based in Latin Religion - Mainly Christianity

IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE FIRST ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD Angles and Saxons invade from Baltic shores of Germany Nine Anglo-Saxon kingdoms eventually became the Anglo- Saxon heptarchy

ANGLO-SAXON HEPTARCHY Heptarchy = Seven Kingdoms  Kent  Essex  Sussex  East Anglia  Northumbria  Mercia  Wessex

AND THEN THE VIKINGS CAME…

VIKING INVASIONS ( ) Were sea-faring (explorers, traders, warriors) Viking raids began around 787 Led to many cultural changes...

IMPORTANT RESULTS FROM VIKINGS Politically/Culturally - still unstable - no central government or church Linguistically -  The English language is “born” and is known as Old English  Lots of dialects of the language due to the seven kingdoms

NORMAN INVASION (1066): BEGIN MEDIEVAL ERA Battle of Hastings - the Normans (powerful Norman Frenchmen) defeated the English and started a conquest of England Two most important effects:  French becomes official language of politics and power; thus, enormous influence on Old English  England begins unifying under a French political system, much of which is still with us today

THE FEUDAL ERA…

FEUDALISM (1100 TO 1485) Social system seen as a pyramid King is at the top (peak of the pyramid) Below the king are carefully graded steps consisting of noblemen, freemen and knights Lowest tier (or step) are the serfs (peasant class)

TERMS FOR OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE AND BEOWULF: Lyric: a short poem wherein the poet expresses an emotion or illuminates some life principal (poem “The Wanderer”) Elegy: a lyric poem lamenting death (“The Wanderer”) Caesuras: a pause within a line of poetry, which may or may not be to affect the metrical count Kennings: two-worded poetic renaming of people, places, and things (ex: “Whales’ home” instead of Sea or Ocean)

EPICS AND SUCH…TERMS CONT’D Epic: long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a legendary hero in pursuit of a goal of national importance (ex: The Odyssey, Gilgamesh) Folk Epics: In ancient times, stories about heroes were recited or sung as entertainment and then passed down orally over several generations. They were then written down long after they were first composed (Gilgamesh, Beowulf) Literary Epics: Written down by one author, drawing from the style of the folk epics (The Odyssey by Homer, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri)

FACTS ABOUT EPICS… Epic Hero: Central character in an Epic; usually larger than life, noble or divine birth, courageous, skilled with all manner of weaponry, virtuous, good looking (traditional hero!!! Ex: Brad Pitt as Achilles in Troy ) Quest (HRLLP): long, dangerous journey undertaken by the hero Valorous Deeds: Actions that demonstrate the hero’s courage, strength and/or virtue Divine Intervention: When the Hero receives help from a god or supernatural being In media res: Latin for “in the middle of things.” Many epics, including Beowulf, begin in medias res. Boasting: Epic heroes LOVED to boast about their valorous deeds….they’d list them off like a resume!

BEOWULF MAIN CHARACTERS Beowulf: The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf’s boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler. Hrothgar: The king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military success and prosperity until Grendel terrorizes his realm. A wise and aged ruler, Hrothgar represents a different kind of leadership from that exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf. He is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind of king that Beowulf Wiglaf: A young kinsman and retainer of Beowulf who helps him in the fight against the dragon while all of the other warriors run away. Wiglaf adheres to the heroic code better than Beowulf’s other retainers, thereby proving himself a suitable successor to Beowulf.

THE MONSTERS Grendel: A demon descended from Cain, Grendel preys on Hrothgar’s warriors in the king’s mead-hall, Heorot. Because his ruthless and miserable existence is part of the retribution exacted by God for Cain’s murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world of the poem. Grendel’s Mother: An unnamed swamp-hag, Grendel’s mother seems to possess fewer human qualities than Grendel, although her terrorization of Heorot is explained by her desire for vengeance—a human motivation. The Dragon: An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards a horde of treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf’s fight with the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic.