Debra Bronstein
English 46A/Anglo Saxon Handout
Important Dates:

Caesar’s Expedition--55 BC (encounters Celts—who had come from the
Continent 600-400 BC)

Roman Invasion and occupation of Britain: 43 – ca. 420
o England was named Britannia after its Celtic-speaking inhabitants: Britons

Anglo-Saxon Conquest: 450
o With the fall of the Roman Empire, Celts relapsed into their pre-roman
political condition (divided into small kingdoms/tribal chiefs)
 Moving in from Germanic areas: Angles, Saxons, Jutes.
 The term English comes from the Angles
 military, rudimentary agriculture
 Nations are seen as groups of people related by kinship
rather than by geographical areas, and kinship is the basis
of the heroic code.
 The tribe is ruled by a chieftain (King) (kin at its root)
 Lord (hlaf = loaf and weard=protector) surrounds himself
with his kindred
o Royal generosity in return for devotion in battle was
an important aspect of this culture
o Blood vengeance was regarded as a sacred duty
Christianity:

Christianity: 597 Augustine landed in England to preach the gospel of Christ.
 Within 75 years, England became predominantly Christian
o Mixing of Scandinavian/Germanic gods with Christian imagery.
o Conflict between pagan violence and Christian forgiveness
Anglo Saxon/Old English Society

Old English Period (some say 700 but others earlier)-1066 (Norman Invasion)

Until the introduction of Christianity there had been no books: Anglo-Saxon
English came out of an oral tradition.

Literacy was restricted to the church, so much of Old English
literature deals with Christian themes/religious concerns
o Manuscripts were produced in monasteries

The first extended written work in Old English was a code of laws
by Ethelbert, the first English Christian King

Oral Poetry/Role of the Storyteller (or weaver)

Bede: Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731): One of the most
important works of the time period.

While Christianity prevailed, Germanic poetry was still being performed orally in
alliterative verse and was used to celebrate and describe current events

Heroism was the most valued virtue during this time period (even within
Christianity): “The Dream of the Rood” speaks of Christ as a “young
hero”
Old English Poetry
 Sometimes called Old Norse
 The overall effect of the language is to formalize and elevate speech. The lines
move at a slow and stately pace with steady indirection.
 The Old English Line consists of 2 rhythmical half lines that alliterate –The Pairs
of lines must be linked by alliteration (repetition of starting consonant)
o Much have we heard
of mighty Sceafa
Modig the coward
murdered that king;
The tribute-thane
treasure coveted
o Alliteration always occurs on stressed syllables
o All vowels alliterate with each other, no matter what the vowel (assonance)
o A consonant alliterates with itself and with the consonant blend
 Meter: You must have 2 accented syllabi in each half line (but you may have as
many unaccented syllables as you like)
 Synecdoche (Part for the Whole) and Metonomy (substitution of one term for
another) are important figures of speech in Old English Poetry (examples: keel is
used for ship or iron is used for sword).
 Irony is used quite frequently (fighting is called battle-play)
o Litotes: ironic understatement
 Kenning: compound poetic phrase used to substitute for the usual name of a
person or thing:
o Beowulf=Battle Bear
o Swan road, bath-way, whale-way (sea)
o Onion of war=sword
o Slaughter dew=blood
o World Shaper=God
o Example of kenning in reading: switch blade
o Contemporary kennings:
 The Beautiful Game=football
 Falling over juice=alcohol
 Spelling
P=th (thor)
Ae=one vowel sound
Cc=k
De=the