1. THE ANGLO-SAXONS AND BEOWULF Introduction to the Anglo- Saxons, Old English, etc.

2. Think about it… Where did the US come from? How can you tell?  Language, law/form of government, customs  Our ancestors brought these theings with them when they came here.

3. OK, where did the English come from?  Germans/Norse + French  Anglo-Saxons Anglo-Saxons Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, let’s go way back to … “Back in the day.”

4. A long, long time ago… Indo-Europeans spread out and took with them their language and customs (4000 B.C. – 1000 B.C.).

5. The Celts (Kelts) Greek travelers visited what is now Great Britain in the fourth century B.C. They found tall blond warriors who called themselves Celts.  Among these island Celts was a group called Brythons (or Britons)  That’s why one of the names for the island is “Britain.”

6. Celtic Religion The religion of the Celts seems to have been a form of animism, from the Latin word for “spirit.” The Celts saw spirits everywhere—in rivers, trees, stones, ponds, fire, and thunder. These spirits or gods controlled all aspects of existence, and they had to be constantly satisfied.

7. Celtic Religion (cont.) Priests called Druids acted as intermediaries between the gods and the people. Sometimes ritual dances were called for, sometimes even human sacrifice.  Oh, snap! Some think that Stonehenge was used by the Druids for religious rituals having to do with the lunar and solar cycles.

8. Ruled by the Romans The island of Britain was later controlled by the Romans (who invaded in 55 B.C.), but the Romans didn’t stick around. But they left behind some things like towns, roads, the Roman baths, and Hadrian’s Wall.  The Anglo-Saxons took over the old Roman cities (some names even remained the same).

9. c. 450 A.D. Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain. Some Indo-European speaking people had settled in N. Europe (Germany, Denmark) and called themselves Angles and Saxons.

10. The Anglo-Saxon Migration

11. The language of the Anglo-Saxons became the dominant language in the land which was to take a new name—Engla land, or England—from the Angles.   The Beowulf manuscript

12. Anglo-Saxon Religion Their dark, fatalistic religion, came with the Anglo-Saxons from Germany and had much in common with what we think of as Norse or Scandinavian mythology.

13. Odin One of the most important Norse gods was Odin, the god of death, poetry, and magic. The Anglo-Saxon name for Odin was Woden  (from which we have Wednesday, “Woden’s day”).

14. Thor Thunor (Thor) was the Norse god of thunder and lightning. Thunor’s name survives in Thursday, “Thor’s day.”

15. The Dragon Another significant figure in Anglo-Saxon mythology is the dragon, which seems always, as in Beowulf, to be the protector of a treasure. Some scholars suggest that the fiery dragon should be seen as both a personification of “death the devourer.”

16. Anglo-Saxon Ethics On the whole, the religion of the Anglo- Saxons seems to have been more concerned with ethics (the earthly virtues of bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship) than with “getting in touch with God.”

17. The Mead Hall The Anglo-Saxon communal hall (aka “mead hall”), besides offering shelter and a place for holding council meetings, also provided space for storytellers and their audience.

18. The Scop Anglo-Saxon skilled storytellers, or bards, sang of gods and heroes. The Anglo-Saxons did not regard these bards (called scops) as inferior to warriors.  To the Anglo-Saxons, creating poetry was as important as fighting, hunting, farming, or loving.  Why?

19. Fame For the non-Christian Anglo-Saxons, whose religion offered them no hope of an afterlife, only fame (through poetry/song) could provide a defense against death. Perhaps this is why the Anglo-Saxon bards, who preserved fame through story telling, were such honored members of their society.