1. Anglo-Saxon culture AD

2. History Anglo-Saxon=the Angles + the Saxons (two Germanic tribes)
Came to what we call Great Britain Area in 5th century AD (400s)
They were invaders
Didn’t possess the land peacefully during this time though
Other invaders continued to come (Vikings, for example)
King Egbert first called the land Englaland, “land of the Angles”

3. Anglo-Saxon Culture
Germanic warrior society that emphasized bravery, honor, and glory in battle
Expert seafarers who sailed to raid or settle other lands
Patriarchal (male-dominated) society based on kinship, comitatus, and fraternity (definitions to come)

4. Kinship
The relationship between an individual and other members of the tribe/family
Ancestry is determined through the father’s line
Basically, family ties were very important

5. Comitatus Germanic power arrangement
King had agreement with his thanes, or knights.
Thanes swore loyalty to the king
In exchange, the king would given them land, money, war gear, and other benefits

6. Fraternity The close social bonds among the men of the tribe
Think of a frat house today

7. Anglo-Saxon warrior’s motivation
Seeking GLORY
for one’s king
for one’s ancestors
for one’s tribe
for one’s self
In that order!

8. Violence and revenge killing
Violence was part of everyday life
The bonds of fraternity demanded that the death of a tribe member by an outsider be avenged—a life for a life
Revenge was a big part of life

9. The Mead Hall
Kings would entertain friends in mead halls, named for the drink mead made from fermented honey.
Mead-hall symbol of king’s power, considered safest place in kingdom

10. Religion Polytheistic society (worshipped many gods)
Worshipers of pagan gods and goddesses
Grim view of life and fate, which is determined by the gods
But also among the earliest converts to Christianity
Many converted to Christianity but kept their pagan believe about fate

11. Christian Ethics meet Pagan Beliefs
Faithfulness
Generosity
Courage
Pagan beliefs
Grim view of life (something bad is going to happen)
Fate (can’t stop what’s going to happen)

12. Anglo-Saxon Literature
Lyric poetry (songs composed orally – for entertainment, but also kept history alive)
Heroic poetry (about the achievements of warriors)
Elegiac poetry (mourning the death of loved ones and loss of the past)

13. Some literary terms to know
Enjambment: The running together of two lines of poetry (they’re jammed together)
Caesura: Complete pause in the middle of a line of poetry (it ceases)
Kenning: A form of compounding in Old English
New compound word or phrase to describe an object or activity
The result is something like a riddle because often the two words seem unlike
Examples:
Whale-home=the sea
Bone-house=a tomb
Battle-sweat=blood
Sky-candle=sun
Alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds (not necessarily letters) in words close together
Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds (not necessarily letters) in words close together