Anglo-Saxons
British Literature
The Celts in Britain
Before and during the 4th century B.C.
• Britain home to several
Celtic tribes
• Britain named for one
Celtic tribe—the
Brythons
• Celtic religion a form of
animism
• Druids were Celtic
priests
Stonehenge
The Roman Occupation
55 B.C.
Hadrian’s Wall
Julius Caesar invades Britain
A.D. 43
Celts defeated by Claudius
• Romans build walls, villas,
baths, roads
A.D. 409
Romans evacuate their troops
• Britain left vulnerable to attack
• Central government breaks down
Roman ruins
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
Jutes
Angles
Celts
Saxons
A.D. 449 The Anglo-Saxons push the Celts
into the far west of the country.
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
Anglo-Saxon Society
• kinship groups led by
strong warrior chief
• people farmed,
established local
governments,
produced fine
craftwork
• English emerged as a
written language
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
Page from Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Old English
The Anglo-Saxon Invasion
The Anglo-Saxon religion
• offered no hope of an afterlife
• valued earthly virtues of bravery, loyalty,
generosity, and friendship
• similar to what we call Norse mythology
Norse god
Anglo-Saxon god
Day of week
Odin
Woden
Wednesday
Thor
Thunor
Thursday
The Anglo-Saxon Storytelling
The Anglo-Saxon bards
• called scops –oral storytelling
• strummed harp as they sang
• sang of heroic deeds
• were often warriors
Why were the scops important?
• Anglo-Saxons did not believe in
afterlife
• warriors gained immortality
through songs
Anglo-Saxon harp
King Alfred against the Danes
8th–9th centuries
Vikings called Danes
invade Britain
871 Alfred of Wessex
is king of England.
878 King Alfred unifies
Anglo-Saxons against
the Danes.
England becomes a nation.
King Sweyn and his Danish troops
arrive in England, from a
manuscript (c. 14th century)
The Spread of Christianity
Around A.D. 400
• Christian monks
settle in Britain
• Christianity and
Anglo-Saxon
culture co-exist
By A.D. 699
• British pagan
religions replaced by
Christianity
The Norman Invasion
1066
• William of Normandy crosses the English
Channel
• William defeats Harold and Anglo-Saxon army
• French replaces
English as the
language of the
ruling class
The Norman Invasion,
Bayeux Tapestry
Moving On…
• Now that we have learned about the AngloSaxons, it’s time to delve a little deeper
into other aspects of life during the AngloSaxon period.
• Go on an archeological “dig” for AngloSaxon artifacts…
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistor
y/anglo_saxons/
• Click on “Play the Game” and complete-be
sure to fill in accompanying worksheet.
• Complete the Anglo-Saxon Quest.
Devices used in AngloSaxon Poetry
Alliteration
and
Kennings
Alliteration
• What Is Alliteration?
• Alliteration is the repetition of
consonant sounds in words that are
close to one another. Alliteration may
occur
− at the beginnings of words, as in “bright
blue” or “kind comment”
− within words, as in “jacket pocket”
Alliteration
• Instead of rhymes, Anglo-Saxon oral
poets (SCOPS) used alliteration
along with carefully placed pauses
to add music and rhythm to their
poems.
• Lines of Anglo-Saxon verse often are
divided into two halves separated by a
rhythmic pause, or caesura.
• Some lines have three alliterative words—two
words in the first half before the caesura and
one word in the second half.
• Other lines have only two alliterative words—
one in each half
What is a Kenning
• A kenning is a metaphorical phrase
or compound word used to name a
person, place, thing, or event
indirectly.
• Kennings such as whale-road and battledew fill Anglo-Saxon poetry.
• Combining existing words from the
relatively small Anglo-Saxon vocabulary
helped poets to create alliteration.
• Kennings were memorable, ready-made
phrases that bards could reuse and pass
on to others.
Kennings Then and Now
• Anglo-Saxon
Kennings• mead-hall
• ring-giver
• heaven’s high
arch
• shapes of
darkness
• shepherd of
evil
Modern-Day
Kennings•gas
guzzler
•queen bee
•headhunte
r
•king of the
hill
•snake in
the
Uses of Alliteration and
Kennings
• Anglo-Saxon literature was part of
an oral tradition. Poems, songs, and
stories were passed from one
generation to another orally.
• Anglo-Saxon poets and storytellers used
alliteration and kennings because these
devices
• aided memory
• created sound effects
• pleased the audience
Identify each of the following lines as
a use of alliteration or kenning.
1. That DJ is king of the airwaves.
2. The large sign loomed above the
lonely highway.
3. All of the washing machines were
taken, so we had to wait.
4. My brother calls his ’78 sedan a
land yacht.
Moving On…
• We can now move onto reading
some Anglo-Saxon Literature!
• Beowulf
• Life in 999: A Grim Struggle
• The Seafarer
• Anglo-Saxon Riddles
A Review….
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/int
eractive/timelines/language_tim
eline/index_embed.shtml
• Click on the animated objects
for a taste of Anglo-Saxon life.