1. Anglo- Saxon & BEOWULF

2. Anglo-Saxon Period
The Anglo-Saxon period is the earliest recorded time period in English history.

3. The Anglo-Saxon period ranges from 449-1066.
It ends with the Battle of Hastings where the French, under the leadership of William the Conqueror invaded England.

4. October 14, 1066
King Harold II of England is defeated by the Norman forces of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings
fought on Senlac Hill (lake of blood), seven miles from Hastings, England.
At the end of the bloody, all-day battle, Harold was killed--shot in the eye with an arrow, according to legend--and his forces were destroyed. He was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.

6. Bayeux Tapestry, Battle of Hastings located now in France

8. Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from?
Between 800 and 600 B.C., two groups of Celts from southern Europe invaded the British Isles.
Brythons (now spelled “Britons”) settled on the largest Island, Britain.
Gaels, settled on the second largest island, known to us as Ireland.
skt.org.uk

9. The Celts farmers and hunters organized themselves into clans
clans had fearsome loyalty to chieftains
looked to priests, known as Druids, to settle their disputes
meekon5.blogspot.com; no unity in the kingdom; what does this tell you? Druids often considered “magical” throughout history—religion and magic intertwined.

10. Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from?
Roman conquest of Britain AD 43
Difficult to control such a large piece of land
Brought Christianity to Britain around AD 300
Pagan vs. Christian themes throughout; never fully indoctrinated at this time
The last Romans left around 407 A.D.
Needed to defend against rebelling European countries; England left to its own devices

11. The Reemergence of Christianity
596AD: attempt to convert Anglo- Saxons to Christianity
597AD: Saint Augustine
converted King Ethelbert of Kent to Christianity.
set up a monastery in Canterbury in Kent.
650AD: most of England is Christian; some hold on to previous beliefs
The church provided counsel to quarreling rulers in efforts to unify the English people.
At this time, the British Isles were not unified and included separate kingdoms with separate rulers. They fought continuously over the fertile, green land
Roman Cleric St. Augustine, (not the early Christian Church father) arrived in southeast England; Romans return stronger than before and force Saxons north; we see Canterbury show up in other works; The Chruch becomes a stand in for the gov’t. A long standing tradition in England—Church of England is still a big part of the gov’t. This again sets up more conflict

12. Anglo Saxon King and Warrior early 7th century
essentialnormanconquest.com

13. An Anglo-Saxon Hall
West stow: a reconstructed site from 1972 by revising the post holse from the original site

14. Heroic Ideals Dominate
Warrior culture
– Poems and stories depict a society like the Anglo-Saxons
• Military and tribal loyalties
• Bravery of warriors
• Generosity of rulers
Oral tradition
– Songs and stories often sung and told about the valiant struggles of heroic warriors
More than just entertainment – provided a model for living and a form of immortality they could aspire to
Note: all of these provided the foundation for early written literature in Old English

15. Anglo-Saxon Literature cont.
Anglo-Saxon poetry falls mainly into two categories:
Heroic poetry – recounts the achievements of warriors
Elegiac poetry – laments the deaths of loved ones and the loss of the past
Beowulf is the most famous example of heroic poetry.
ORAL TRADITION—the focuse of our unit here; we’ll start with Beo—bear; Wulf—wolf—animal symbolism

16. Anglo-Saxon Literature
Few people read in this period
Oral tradition – was performed and/or sung by a Bard (poet/minstrels) from memory in Old English
This is why there are often several versions of the same story.
Authors were unknown
Literature that was written down was
written on sheep skin

17. THE STORY OF BEOWULF Beowulf marks the beginning of English literature
Beowulf is one of the earliest known pieces of literature known in the English language; written in Old English

19. Beowulf What we do know:
Beowulf is the oldest surviving English poem. It’s written in Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), which is the basis for the language we speak today.
Some of the characters in the poem actually existed.
The only copy of the manuscript was written sometime around the 11th century A.D. (1000’s), however…

20. The actual poem probably dates from the 8th century (700’s) or so, and…
The story may be set even earlier, around 500 A.D.
There are a lot of Christian references in the poem, but the characters and setting are Pagan…this means a monk probably translated it.

21. Beowulf What we don’t know: who wrote it when exactly it was written
how much, exactly, is based on historical truth

22. Contains specific Motifs
Motifs – a motif is a recurring theme or image in a work of literature
Biblical and Christian Allusions
Pagan Customs
Social Customs
Traits of the Warrior
Beowulf Boasts

23. The story of Beowulf wasn’t written down until about 700 AD by “The Beowulf Poet” who is unknown. He wrote down the poem which for many years had been only sung or spoken.

24. Beowulf’s Provenance So why wasn’t it written down in the first place?
This story was probably passed down orally for centuries before it was first written down.
It wasn’t until after the Norman Invasion (1066) that writing stories down became common in this part of the world.

25. Beowulf’s Provenance
So what’s happened to the manuscript since the 11th century?
Eventually, it ended up in the library of this guy.
Robert Cotton ( )

26. Beowulf
Unfortunately, Cotton’s library burned in Many manuscripts were entirely destroyed. Beowulf was partially damaged.
The manuscript is now preserved and carefully cared for in the British Museum.

27. There is only one original Beowulf manuscript existing today
There is only one original Beowulf manuscript existing today. It is in the British History Museum in London.

28. BEOWULF is an EPIC poem.
EPIC – a long, narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society.

29. Examples of other EPICS are…
Greek “Illiad” and
“Odyssey” – Homer
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings – Tolkien

30. And of course there’s the EPIC HERO!!!!
EPIC HERO – must undertake a quest to achieve something of tremendous value to himself and his society

31. SUMMARY OF EPIC FEATURES:
A long narrative poem
Larger than life hero; often with super-human characteristics
Concerns eternal human problems like the struggle between good and evil
Presented in a serious manner using elevated (poetic) language
Hero represents widespread national, cultural, or religious values

32. This EPIC poem of BEOWULF is often divided into 3 sections; it is about Beowulf’s 3 epic battles w/ evil.

33. …the Battle with Grendel
(Grendel represents evil)
The battle represents reputation

34. Grendel Referred to as demon and fiend Haunts the moors (swampy land)
Descendant of Cain
Feasts on 30 men the night of 1st attack
Cain and Abel were, according to the Book of Genesis, two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain is described as a crop farmer and his younger brother Abel as a shepherd. Cain was the first human born and Abel was the first human to die. Cain committed the first murder by killing his brother. Interpretations of Genesis 4 by ancient and modern commentators have typically assumed that the motives were jealousy and anger.

35. …the Battle with Grendel’s Mother
(She also represents evil.)
Battle represents vengeance

36. Grendel’s Mother Referred to as she-wolf Lives under a lake
Challenges Hrothgar when she kills one of his best men

37. …the Battle with the Dragon
(It not only represents evil but also Greed.)
For Beowulf the battle represents heroic approach to fate

38. Fire Dragon Lives in Beowulf’s kingdom Wakes up when thief steals cup
Guards countless treasures

39. Just in case you wanted to know, Beowulf himself represents good:
loyalty
valor
Selflessness
sense of justice

40. Beowulf Epic hero Geat (from southern Sweden)
Nephew of Higlac (King at story’s start)
Sails to Denmark to help Hrothgar

41. Heroic Values in Beowulf
Relationship between king and his warriors
The king rewards his warriors with gifts
If a kinsman is slain, obligation to kill the slayer or obtain payment (wergeld) in compensation

42. The Epic Hero Defeats his enemies using
Physical strength
Skill as a warrior
Nobility of character
Quick wits
Is not modest – boasting is a ritual
Embodies the ideals and values of his people
Is eager for fame
Because the Germanic tribes believed death was inevitable, warriors sought fame to preserve the memory of their deeds after death
A man of high social status whose fate affects the destiny of his people

43. Hrothgar Danish king Builds Herot (banquet hall) for men
Tormented by Grendel for 12 years
Loses many men to Grendel
Joyless before Beowulf’s arrival

44. Beowulf: Where does it take place?
Geatland and
Denmark
(Modern Denmark
and Sweden)

45. Setting: Beowulf’s time and place
Insert: Time of Beowulf
Europe today

46. Note:
None of the action takes place in England!!!

47. How we date Beowulf Some Important Dates:
521 A.D. – death of Hygelac, who is mentioned in the poem
680 A.D. – appearance of alliterative verse
835 A.D. – the Danish started raiding other areas; after this, few poets would consider them heroes
SO: This version was likely composed between 680 and 835, though it may be set earlier

48. WHY? Why do we read Beowulf?
It’s a very creative, imaginative, poetic masterpiece.
It gives us insight into the origins of the British people, the culture, who, through seafaring conquests, founded the world we currently live in.
It gives us insight into the origins of our language.

49. Why do we read Beowulf?
It gives us insight into all people everywhere and throughout time (time, birth, death, fame/success/glory, honor, friendship, conflict, home, country, adventure, spirituality – all of these things transcend English literature and matter to all people)
It’s challenging and we love a good challenge!!!

50. Why do we read Beowulf?
It’s scary and gets us to think about our own worst fears
It’s a VERY important piece of literature historically (This is the “because we have to” reason!!)

51. Characteristic features of Anglo-Saxon Literature
Alliteration
Kennings
Caesura

52. Alliteration
The repetition
of beginning
consonant sounds
in lines of poetry

53. A few things to watch out for
The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
Alliterative verse – an example from Beowulf:
Oft Scyld Scefing sceapena praetum,
Monegum maegpum meodo-setla ofteah;
Egsode Eorle, syddan aerest weard.
There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,
A wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.
The terror of the hall-troops had come far.

54. Kenning Kenning – a metaphorical phrase used to
replace a concrete noun
Ex: sea = whale’s home
Ex: battle = spear play
It is like a mini-riddle

55. Caesura – a natural pause in the middle of a line of poetry.
2 part line – each line is separated by a pause or break in the middle of the line; each part generally has 2 strong beats.
(Put simply, it is a dramatic pause in the middle of a line.)

56. Caesura example:
Then the Scylding warrior savage and grim, Seized the ring-hilt and swung the sword Struck with fury despairing of life Thrust at the throat broke through the bone rings: The stout blade stabbed through her fated flesh.