1. 11/09/2015 Please take a textbook! Write your name in the cover
Write the book name and number on your index card…
Journals! There should be 4! Please mark 2 with ** that you would like me to read.
How are the Papers going?
Turnitin ID:
 Password: Phelan

2. The Anglo-Saxon Period
The Beginning of the English Literary Tradition

3. The Fall of Rome, circa 450 A.D.
The island of Britannia was part of the Roman Empire
Celts were the indigenous tribal people of Britannia
In 449, Celts were invaded by Germanic tribes: Angles, Jutes, Saxons

4. Timeline 450 A.D. - Rome leaves Britain
British king needs help against Picts (Romans left)
British king hires Anglo-Saxon mercenaries to help

5. ~900 A.D. Beowulf written down
Timeline (cont’d)
Anglo-Saxons take over Britain
Bring their stories with them from Germania to Britain
Beowulf
Told orally for hundreds of years
~900 A.D. Beowulf written down

6. Denmark
Geatland
Germania
Britain
Rome

7. STORY: BEOWULF 900 A.D. 450 A.D. Geats Picts (Scots) Danes
Britons / Celts
Angles / Saxons
Angles / Saxons
ROMANS

8. The Anglo-Saxon Influence
Germanic invaders pushed the Celts north and west into the mountains
Germanic language and that of the Celts mixed together
first recognizable form of English: Old English

9. The Dark Ages “The Dark Age” = constant warfare uncertain peace
Boy it’s dark in here!
The Dark Ages
“The Dark Age” =
constant warfare
uncertain peace

10. Anglo-Saxon Society
Lets go to GEATLAND, YAY!

11. Social bond/relationship between a lord (king) and a warrior
Comitatus Bond
Social bond/relationship between a lord (king) and a warrior

12. Comitatus Bond Code of heroic values: Loyalty to ruler Bravery
Willingness to die in the pursuit of fame and glory

13. What’s the difference with Middle Ages?
Middle Ages – King is at the top
Anglo-Saxon period – King (lord) is considered an EQUAL
MUTUAL RESPECT
Anglo-Saxon King Raedwald

14. What’s in it for the warrior?
Warrior receives:
Food
Clothing
Housing
Weapons
Treasure

15. Wergild
Translation: Man-price

16. Wergild
Unwritten law: If one man kills another, the killer is expected to pay money to the family members of the deceased.
helps to curb murder rate  deterrent effect

17. Wergild
Every person is worth a certain amount based on their social class
E.G.:
Farmer = $5
Blacksmith = $10
Warrior = $50

18. What’s all this for?
Wergild prevented (in theory) endless family feuds
Only system in place to deal with murder

19. What was Anglo-Saxon Lit. like?
Due to the prevalence of battle, much of the literature dealt with combat, death, heroic deeds, and honor
Oral tradition
Much of the literature has not survived

20. Anglo-Saxon Poetry
RARE!
4 Surviving books (manuscripts)

21. 1) Junius Manuscript
Bodleian Library
University of Oxford

22. 2) Exeter Book
Contains: “The Seafarer”
Exeter Cathedral

23. 3) Vercelli Book Located: Capitulary Library
Vercelli, Italy
Contains “The Dream of the Rood”
One of the earliest Christian poems in Old English

24. 4) Nowell Codex (Beowulf MS)
Located: The British Library, London
Contains Beowulf

25. Religion Anglo-Saxons were originally Germanic pagans
Germanic/Norse pantheon

26. Religion (cont’d) A.S. converted to Christianity around 600 AD
Irton Cross

27. Lamenting the past…
300 years between Christian conversion and the writing of Beowulf
Poet seems to lament the past

28. Beowulf – Epic tale of a cool guy
First written down around 800 A.D.
Old English – one of the first pieces of literature
Combination of Christian and pagan elements – literature as historical marker

29. The History of English ( language)
The first minute of this cartoon will reiterate in a fun way what we have just gone over…

30. Old English

31. Beowulf in its original habitat
Beowulf was an oral piece, shared by a scop, or bard, in a mead hall…Popular entertainment…

32. Beowulf in its original habitat
Let’s check out this nerd, Ben Bagby, performing Beowulf in its original West-Saxon (Old English)

33. Beowulf – Important Literary Devices
Alliteration: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Kenning: in which a poetic phrase substitutes for a noun.
Caesura: a break between words within a metrical foot. In Old English poetry, the caesura is an ever-present and necessary part of the verse form itself

34. Beowulf – HW
Read and outline “The Anglo Saxons” (pp 2- 16) Read Beowulf intro + first half of Beowulf+ annotate... ( 1 per page) pp 18-29) Bring Textbook to Class 11/11 DUE 11/11 Paper Due 11/11!