Anglo-Saxon Literary Terms
Epic
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A long narrative poem
On a serious subject
Written in a grand or elevated style
Centered on a larger-than-life hero
Epic Conventions
• A concern with the fate of a nation or people
• A correspondingly large scale, often ranging around
the world
• The intervention of supernatural figures
• Extended similes, generally called epic similes:
A simile is an explicit comparison of two things,
usually with the word "as" or "like."
• Long catalogues, whether of ships, characters, or
places
• Extensive battle scenes;
• Begins “in medias res”
Caesura
• a pause somewhere in the middle of a
verse. Some lines have strong (easily
recognizable) caesurae, which usually
coincide with punctuation in the line, while
others have weak ones.
Kenning
• a compound poetic phrase substituted
for the usual name of a person or thing.
For example the sea in Old English
could be called seġl-rād 'sail-road',
swan-rād 'swan-road'. In line 10 of the
epic Beowulf the sea is called the
hronrāde or 'whale-road'
Epic Boast
• A proclamation of things a character
has done or will do in the epic
Archetype
• The word archetype is commonly used
to describe an original pattern or model
from which all other things of the same
kind are made.
Comitatus
• An agreement made between a lord and
his thanes, in which the thanes swear
to defend a lord to their death, while he
provides them with protection and a
share of his wealth and weapons
Oral Tradition
• A process by which songs, ballads,
folklore, and other material are
transmitted by word of mouth. The
tradition of oral transmission predates
the written record systems of literate
society.
Fate
• The principle or determining cause or
will by which things in general are
believed to come to be as they are or
events to happen as they do.
Thane
• A warrior or retainer who follows and
fights for his lord.
Mead
• A fermented beverage made of water
and honey, malt, and yeast
Pagan
• Paganism is a catch-all term which has
come to bundle together (by extension
from its original classical meaning of a
non-Christian religion) a very broad set
of not necessarily compatible religious
beliefs and practices that are usually,
but not necessarily, characterized by
polytheism
Alliteration
• Alliteration occurs when the initial
sounds of a word, beginning either with
a consonant or a vowel, are repeated in
close succession.
The function of alliteration, like rhyme,
might be to accentuate the beauty of
language in a given context, or to unite
words or concepts through a kind of
repetition.
Ballad
• A short poem that tells a simple story
and has a repeated refrain. Ballads
were originally intended to be sung.
Early ballads, known as folk ballads,
were passed down through
generations, so their authors are often
unknown. Later ballads composed by
known authors are called literary
ballads.
Dream Vision
• Also known as Dream Allegory. A
literary convention, chiefly of the
Middle Ages. In a dream vision a story
is presented as a literal dream of the
narrator.
Ecclesiastical
• Ecclesiastical means pertaining to the
Church (especially Christianity) as an
organized body of believers and clergy,
with a stress on its juridical and
institutional structure.
Epithet
• A word or phrase, often but not always
disparaging or abusive, that expresses a
character trait of someone or something.
Icon
• By extension, icon is also used in the
general sense of symbol — i.e. a name,
face, or picture that is readily
recognized by most people to represent
some well-known entities or attributes.
Lament
• A lament is a song or poem expressing
grief or regret. Many of the oldest and
most lasting poems in human history
have been laments. It is sometimes
also called a dirge.
Motif
• A theme, character type, image,
metaphor, or other verbal element that
recurs throughout a single work of
literature or occurs in a number of
different works over a period of time.
Narrative
• A verse or prose accounting of an
event or sequence of events, real or
invented. The term is also used as an
adjective in the sense "method of
narration." For example, in literary
criticism, the expression "narrative
technique" usually refers to the way the
author structures and presents his or
her story.
Scop
An Anglo-Saxon poet The scop fulfilled many roles in
an Anglo Saxon tribe. Among those functions were:
• court singer
• tribal historian
• genealogist
• teacher
• composer
• critic
• warrior
• traveler and reporter