1. Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066 A.D.

2. Fall of Roman Empire (410)  3 Germanic tribes took over 1. Jutes 2. Angles 3. Saxons

3. ORAL TRADITION  Old English  Mead Halls  Scops  Anglo-Saxon literature reflects their quality of life and gender roles  Wergild

4. Influence of Christianity  Monasteries  Addition of Christian references in stories  Latin--written language

5. Beowulf=Epic Poem Epics contain the following criteria: 1. Hero is of noble birth/social position position 2. Hero reflects values of society 3. Hero’s actions are superhuman

6. 4.Supernatural forces are often involved 5.Setting is vast 6.Timeless values and universal themes 7.Serious tone

7. Beowulf  Author: Unknown  Written down around 1000 A.D. but probably dates back to about 680 A.D.  Earliest surviving epic poem to be written in English (Old English)

8. Setting  Medieval Sweden (Geats) and Denmark (Danes)  Herot, a great mead hall

9. Characters  Hrothgar-King of the Danes—Herot is his mead hall  Grendel-monster  Beowulf-Hero of Geats

10. Anglo-Saxon Versification 1. No rhyme 2. Alliteration 3. Assonance 4. Plodding rhythm

11. 5. Four heavy (accented) beats per line Ex. Grendel came creeping, accursed of God

12. 6. A caesura, or pause, in the middle of each line Ex. Grim and greedy, // his grip made ready

13.  7. Kennings--phrases or word groups that are often hyphenated and which are an elaborate, indirect way of naming persons, places, or events Wave-skimmer=shipSwan-road=sea Guardian of evil=Grendel