Beowulf and the Anglo Saxons

It’s An Island!

• The sea is really important to British culture as well as the idea of sea power. (Navy, trade)

• Temperate climate• Awesome farm land• Isolated from mainland Europe

Invasions

• British history is one of a series of invasions from mainland Europe. Each successive wave brought advancement in technology and culture.

Neolithic PeopleWe know little about the Stone Age inhabitants of Britain.

Stone Age people used mostly stone tools, farmed a little, and lived in small settlements.

What is Stonehenge? Astronomical clock? Showing off?

The Celts• 7th Century BCE• Came from mainland Europe.• Brought iron weapons and

tools.• “Celt” is a language group,

spoken many ways by different tribes

• Later, were pushed into Ireland, Scotland, and Wales by the Anglo-Saxons

The Romans

• 50 BCE to 400 CE• Built roads, towns,

and much more.• Mostly, only the rich

adopted Roman customs.

• The Celts became Christian – the origin in England is unclear.

Then Rome fell…

• The Celts went back to acting like Celts.

• Everybody else in Europe went back to pillaging and warring.

• 400-ish CE

In come the Anglo-Saxons!

• 450-ish CE• Angles, Saxons, and Jutes came

from Germany, Denmark-ish• First they came as . . .

Pirates . . .

Mercenaries . . .

Colonists . . .

In come the Anglo-Saxons!King Vortigen, a Celt, hired them to protect him from other warring Celtic kingdoms, but instead they took over.

Talk about your all time backfires . . .

England = Angle-land

• This is the start of England and the English language as we know it.

• The Angles brought a version of early German with them; what we call Old English.

Anglo-Saxon England• The Angles established various kingdoms

and became Christian (formerly pagan).• The first united English king doesn’t come

until 900’s.• They pushed the Celts into Scotland,

Ireland, Wales• They also had to deal with the new

invaders, Vikings from Scandinavia!

Anglo-Saxon Culture• Warriors were admired. • “Kings” ruled small

communities and ruled over warriors (Thanes). They gave gifts to earn loyalty.

• The next king was not the old king’s son; he was the best warrior and leader as agreed upon by the people.

Anglo-Saxon Culture

• Non-warriors were roughly equal and worked together to farm, craft, cook.

• Center of village is Meadhall, where everyone eats and hangs out.

Anglo-Saxon Culture

Anglo-Saxon Culture

Anglo-Saxon Culture

Stages of the English Language• Old English – mostly German, different dialects –

450-1066ish

• Middle English – add some French – 1066-1500ish

• Early Modern – Shakespeare’s English – 1500ish to 1800ish

• Modern – What we speak – 1800ish to now

Beowulf Lit Terms• Epic: long story (narrative) poem about a hero• Verse: Poetry, in lines and stanzas• Kenning: two-word renaming of something

(i.e. cancer stick)• Caesura: punctuation plopped in the middle

of a line; typically a dash.• Alliteration: two or more words in a row that

start with the same letter or sound• Theme: The main ideas of a literary work, not

just the plot