Anglo-Saxons and Beowulf AD

A Brief(ish) History of England ► Though we don’t often consciously think of it, The United States of America is a conquered land taken from an indigenous people ► Much of England’s earliest history is shrouded in mystery, but like the Native Americans, England had natives, too ► Just as Europe came and “civilized” America (by destroying its native culture), England was “civilized” by the powerful Roman Empire

Timeline ► 387 BC – Brennus successfully invades Rome ► 55 AD – Romans invade the island. This is considered the “official” starting point of English History ► 43 AD – Romans firmly establish control over island and stay until 410 AD  367 years to influence the culture of the people who lived there  169 years (time between first British Colony and the end of the American Revolution)

Timeline ► 432 AD – St. Patrick introduces Christianity to the island ► 449 AD – In Rome’s absence, the island is invaded by many Germanic tribes, including the Saxons and the Angles (Angle-land)  The legend of King Arthur is based off a real king that appeared at this time, attempting to defend the island from invaders  Gave the Angles and Saxons a very tough fight, but eventually he was overwhelmed and retreated to the far west (Wales)

An Anglo-Saxon land ► Anglo-Saxon became the primary language of the island (Germanic influence)… ► …though the language merged with traces of the Romans’ language (Latin influence) ► The language of Anglo-Saxon is a.k.a. Old English ► Not really a unified “nation” until… ► 793 AD—…the island was being invaded again by the Vikings (Danes) ► The Danes would raid, rape, pillage, and then leave, until one day they decided to stay

An Anglo-Saxon land ► The Danes settled in the area around the Anglo-Saxon’s three most important cities ► Oxford, Cambridge, and London ► Fortunately, the Anglo-Saxons and other residents of the island had a new force to hold them together: Christianity ► Gave them a cultural identity, a sense of unity, and they were able to hold together as a nation…for a while

Inflections: ► Thanks to the Vikings, the language Old English lost many complex inflections, such as those that exist in Latin ► Mordet canis hominem (The dig bites the man) ► Mordet canem homo (The man bites the dog) ► Rather than having to drastically change the way we spell words, we have a simpler system (thanks to the Vikings!) ► Yay vikings!

The end of Anglo-Saxon England ► Though they were surrounded by Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons were finally unified and had grown a sense of national pride… ► …when the Normans invaded the island, conquering both the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes ► The merging of Norman (French) dialect and the Anglo-Saxon (Germanic/Norse/Latin) one formed Middle English, a language that—while very different from contemporary English—you’d be able to understand if you opened a book and red it today

Beowulf ► Oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon story; therefore, oldest work of English literature ► Written in Old English ► Some believe it existed for hundreds of years as Oral Tradition, passed from one scop (a bard, singing poet, storyteller) to another ► Others believe it was composed by a single, Christian poet between the 8 th and 10 th centuries

Beowulf ► Written in England, but set in Scandinavia ► Has clear Christian influence, but hints of pre- Christian values (warrior gods, animism) ► Many kings, tribes, battles, and locations it describes have been proven to be historically accurate ► Considered to be an Epic like Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey ► If it was oral tradition, it was written down just in time to be saved, as the invading Normans might have easily ended it

Beowulf ► Kenning—a stylistic device in which a noun (sword) is replaced with a poetic compound (wound-hoe) ► Whale-road: ► Ocean ► Wave-horse: ► Ship ► Feeder of ravens: ► Warrior