Beowulf
Introduction to the
Anglo-Saxon Lifestyle
Anglo-Saxon History
The Anglo-Saxon period is the earliest recorded time period in English history.
The Anglo-Saxons were Germanic barbarians who invaded Britain and took over large parts of
the island in the centuries following the withdrawal of the Roman Empire. The Roman armies
withdrew from Britain early in the fifth century because they were needed back home to defend
the crumbling center of the Empire. Britain was considered a far-flung outpost of little value.
At this time, the Jutes and the Frisians from Denmark were also settling in the British Isles, but the
Anglo-Saxon settlers were effectively their own masters in a new land and they did little to keep
the legacy of the Romans alive. They replaced the Roman stone buildings with their own wooden
ones, and spoke their own language, which gave rise to the English spoken today.
The early settlers kept to small tribal groups, forming kingdoms and sub-kingdoms.
Anglo – Saxon Culture / Chivalry
 Belief in fate (Wyrd)
 Fame and fortune zealously sought after. Accumulated treasures amount to
success
 Loyalty to one’s leader is crucial
 Willingness to avenge one’s war band or lord at all costs (Wergild)– death
preferable to exile
 Fierce, hardy life of warrior / seamen
 Strength, courage, leadership abilities appreciated. Heroism brings honor,
eternal fame and political power. Must be honorable in fighting.
 Boisterous yet elaborately ritualize customs of the mead-hall
 Expected the hero to boast. Boasts must be backed up with action.
Anglo-Saxon Literature
• Oral tradition – was performed and/or sung by a Bard (Scop) from memory
in Old English
• Scops – poet/minstrels
• Beowulf marks the beginning of
English literature.
Epic Poem
•
Long narrative poem that recounts the great
deeds of a larger-than-life hero (Epic Hero) who
embodies the values of a particular society.
• Ex: Illiad, Odyssey
•
Presented in a serious manner using elevated
(poetic) language
•
Begins in media res
•
Hero represents widespread national, cultural,
or religious values
•
Concerns eternal human problems like the
struggle between good and evil
Elements of Anglo-Saxon
Poetry
•
Chant-like effect of the four-beat line
•
Caesura – a natural pause in the middle of a line of poetry (a dramatic pause in
the middle of a line)
• Each part generally has 2 strong beats.
When the Scylding warrior
seized the ring-hilt
struck with fury
thrust at the throat
The stout blade stabbed
savage and grim,
and swung the sword
despairing of life
broke through the bone rings.
through her fated flesh.
Elements of Anglo-Saxon
Poetry
• Alliteration - Repetition of
initial sounds of words
(occurs often)
• “The Bloody Battle Began!”
• “sat in secret sessions.”
• “His mind was flooded with
fear.”
• Takes the place of rhyme in the
poem.
Elements of Anglo-Saxon
Poetry
• Kenning: Compound metaphor (usually two words)
•
Most were probably used over and over (like a dead metaphor)
• For instance: hronade literally means “whale-road” but can be translated as “sea”; also
called a “swan’s way”
•
Other kennings from Beowulf:
•
•
•
•
Banhus = “bone-house” = body
Joints, ligaments = “bone-locks”
Sun = “sky-candle”
Icicles = “water-ropes”
Elements of Anglo-Saxon
Poetry
•
Epithet - a characterizing word or phrase
firmly associated with a person or thing and
often used in place of an actual name, title,
or the like, as “man's best friend” for “dog”.
•
Beowulf = Son of Ecgtheow
•
“Unferth, murderer of brothers
•
Grendel = Sin Stained Demon
Elements of Anglo-Saxon
Poetry
• Metonymy - Name of one thing is substituted for the name of something
else that most people would associate with the first thing.
Iron for sword
• Crown for king or monarchy
•
• Synecdoche - substitute a part for the whole
Keel for ship
• All hands on deck
• Heads of cattle
•
Elements of Anglo-Saxon
Poetry
• Motifs – a recurring theme or image in a work of literature
• Biblical and Christian Allusions
• Pagan Customs
• Social Customs
• Traits of the Warrior
• Beowulf Boasts
What We Don’t Know…
• Who wrote it
• When exactly it was written
• How much of it, exactly, is based on historical truth
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 AD (1000s), however…
•
The actual poem probably dates from the 8th century (700s) or so and…
•
The story may be set even earlier, around 500 AD
•
There are a lot of Christian references in the poem, but the characters and
setting are Pagan. This means a monk probably translated it.
Setting
Although Beowulf was written in
English, it is set in what is now
Sweden, where a tribe called the
Geats lived. The story may take
place as early as 400-500 AD.
Today
Time of Beowulf
- Epic hero
- Geat (from southern Sweden)
- Nephew of Higlac (King at story’s start)
- Sails to Denmark to help Hrothgar
•
Danish king
•
Builds Herot (banquet hall) for men
•
Tormented by Grendel for 12 years and loses
many men
•
Joyless before Beowulf’s arrival
• Referred to as demon and fiend
• Haunts the moors (swampy land)
• Descendant of Cain
• Feasts on 30 men the night of 1st attack
Why do we read Beowulf?
•
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.
•
We can relate to the theme of overcoming fear.
•
It is a VERY important piece of literature historically. This is the “because we
have to” reason.