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Journal: From the fierce, doomed Anglo-Saxon warrior Beowulf to King Arthur and his loyal knights, bound by their code of chivalry, early British literature shows a deep fascination with the hero as the embodiment of society’s highest ideals. As these ideals have shifted, the image of the hero has changed too. What do you believe are the qualities of a true hero? Do you have any heroes who live up to this ideal? Describe them.
English IV
Mr. Gilliand
The British Isles and Beowulf
Cultural FoundationsMr. GilliandEnglish IV
The Celts
•Occupied most of the isles about 2000 years ago.
•Also called “Brythons”
•Arrived around 500 BC
•Tribal, not territorial
•Unifying Force?
The Roman Invasion
Socio-Political Unification
• Romans invaded in 55 B.C. under General Julius Caesar
• Brought “civilization” to the isles.
•Most of the Celts were integrated into the new order.
• Founded Londinium
Romans
Fall of Rome/Angles and Saxons
• As Rome fell, the Legions either withdrew or remained and assimilated. Either way the isles lost the support of the Empire around 409 AD
• 449 AD-Seeing an opportunity, the Angles and Saxons invade.
Romans
Angles/S
axon
s
ChristianityReligious Unification
• 430 AD-First Christian Missionaries come
• 461 AD-St. Patrick comes to Ireland
• 540 AD-Historical Welsh King leads many united tribes against invaders from the north
• 597 AD-St. Augustine
Vikings
• 780 AD-Vikings invade savagely
• 880ish AD-King Alfred of Wessex unites the Isles under Christianity...a country is born.
•National unification follows
Vikings
BeowulfBritish History Captured in
Literature
•Originally a Viking story
•Oral Traditions•Didactic: Meant to teach•Christian Influence/Overlap. Why?
•Our manuscript is 1000 years old
• This is the first page of our only existing copy of Beowulf. This is the only document that preserves English storytelling of this era.
• And this is an audio sample, read in Old English.