Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066
England/Great Britain/United Kingdom
• Island
that includes
England, Scotland and
Wales
•Known today as the United
Kingdom of Great Britain
•Invading peoples included
the Iberians, Celts, Romans,
Angles, Saxons. Jutes,
Vikings, and Normans
• from around 449-1066
The migrations of the invading peoples into
England during the Anglo-Saxon period
The Celts
• 4th century- Celtic people called Britons invaded England
• Tall, blonde warriors; women had equal rights as men
• Religion based on animism (spirits live in trees, rivers,
rocks, etc)
• Druid priests acted as intermediaries between the people and
gods
• Believed in the “Great Mother Goddess” who associated with nature
Stonehenge
• Celtic priests (druids) were said to have built
Stonehenge (a bunch of heavy stones placed in a circle)
• Ceremonies celebrating the rites of the sun, moon, and
astronomical events took place here
• A mystery on how this monument was created
• Stonehenge is one of the “Wonders of the Modern
World”
• Druid translates as “knowing the oak tree” because these priests
performed religious ceremonies in oak groves
• The oak tree and the mistletoe were sacred to the Celtic priests
• The custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from the Celtic
traditition
• Druid priests were also responsible for educating the young
Celtic Mythology & Legend
• Celtic mythology influenced the literature of England
• These myths and legends are full of male and female heroes unlike
the male dominated Anglo-Saxon literature schools normally teach.
• The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table come
from the Celtic myths
The Romans
• Julius Caesar defeated the Celts (Britons) in 55 BC
• The Romans occupied this area for 4 centuries
• They built:
~roads that connected cities
~a defensive wall (Hadrian’s Wall)
~public baths
• They promoted literacy and education
• Their most important contribution was Christianity
Public Baths & Hadrian’s Wall
Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
• Invaders from Germany (Angles and Saxons) and Denmark
(Jutes) came in the 5th century
• The name “England” comes from the Angle words Engla Land
• The tribes and cities were not unified and they fought each other
frequently
• King Alfred the Great unified the tribes, established Christianity
as the dominant religion, and had the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
written to record their history
Anglo-Saxon Culture/Life
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dominated by warfare and battle
Loyal to your family, tribe and leader (chief)
Comitatus: loyalty between leader and thane (warrior) in order to
survive
People lived in close family communities for protection; kept
animals/livestock inside living quarters
Main responsibility of the leader: protect your people and maintain law and
order
Success and fame was measured in battle and by gifts the leader presented
to you
Courage and strength more important than intelligence or a long life
Anglo-Saxon Culture/Life
•
•
•
•
•
Socialized in mead halls (a centralized building) where feasts, storytelling,
and celebrations occurred; mead halls were “neutral” locations= no one
would attack another tribe while in this communal hall
Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage mixed with honey
Bard/scop (storyteller, songwriter, singer) who spread the fame of
warriors from battle
Bards/scops regarded on equal status with warriors because they ensured
the fame of the individual or tribe by recording and retelling history
Storytelling and singing took place in the mead hall celebrations
Anglo-Saxon Religion/Beliefs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Did not believe in an “afterlife” or heaven: you earned immortality through your
actions which were sung by the bards/scops
Mainly concerned with ethics (sense of right and wrong)
Viewed life “fatalistically” (life is hard and short)
Wyrd means “fate”-your destiny is set in stone, cannot be changed: this belief made
Anglo-Saxon warriors fierce and dangerous
Wergild means “man price”-payment for the death of another person, “payback” or
revenge for a wrong done
The dragon is a symbol of evil and death; associated with guarding treasure
Norse gods: “Woden”=Wednesday and “Thor”=Thursday
Sutton Hoo Ship
•
•
•
•
In 1939 in Suffolk, England an enormous wooden ship (1300 years old) with vast
amounts of treasure was discovered by archaeologists
This ship was the grave of an important king or warrior, as was the custom of AngloSaxon to bury the dead with important objects
Decorated vessels in gold, silver and bronze were discovered along with battle armor
and weapons, musical instruments, money and other interesting objects
This discovery provided a glimpse into the life and customs of the Anglo-Saxons
Sutton Hoo
Beowulf: The Epic
•
•
•
•
•
•
The first great work of English national literture
The protagonist’s name if Beowulf which means “bear”
Beowulf is a Geat from Sweden who goes to Daneland (Denmark) to help
King Hrothgar defeat an evil monster, Grendel
The epic is short only 3,200 lines (epics are usually around 15,000 lines)
Composed in Old English around 700 to 750 in Northumbria
The setting of the story is older from the early 6th century