...prevail in battle. Some of these include the Cross from, “Dream of the Rood,” Beowulf from Beowulf, the lost hero in “The Wanderer,” Judith from “Judith,” and the biggest hero who is included in almost all poems and pieces of Old English literature, Christ. Many of these works express much religious faith having to do with Christianity. The Anglo-Saxon people also had a very strict class system. Going along with the faith they believed in the Great Chain of Being, which said that when God made the entire world each creature was put in their position. God made a monarchy and put the members of that high status position there for a reason and did the same for a person who was a slave, God made them that and put them in that position in society. The people on the top of the chain are supposed to help the others on the lower end of the chain, not oppress them. Alfred was a good example of this because he was one of the good monarchs who helped the lower end of the chain and stopped a free for all civil war. He knew how to read and write which many did not, especially kings because they had people to do that for them, but he used this gift to become a promoter of learning to people. There are...
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...The oral poem, Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, was told and passed down for many generations before being inscribed by the monk. It is a story of great strength and heroism, and no wonder why it stood the test of time; it completely encapsulates the culture of the Anglo-Saxon society. The men in society were warriors who spent their entire lives striving for glory and honor. For example, “Then Halfdane’s son presented Beowulf with a gold standard as a victory gift, an embroidered banner; also breast-mail and helmet; and sword carried high...” (Heaney 69). In this quote, Beowulf is rewarded for his actions, but he did not defeat Grendel for gifts. Beowulf, along with all of the men in that culture, wants more than that, he wants glory. Proving this,...
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...In the poem Beowulf the idea of warrior culture is described through literary, poetic and real life situations. Beowulf is an epic poem about a hero who sparks up an old rooted allegiance to help save the Danish people from a terror far greater than anyone has ever seen. However, this is only the beginning of his journey as he ends up defeating the monster and later dies in his old age fighting off a dragon in his last breathe. The journey itself is one that displays the warrior culture that lives within the Anglo-Saxon period and through the lenses of literary, poetic and real life situations the reader is shown how society was built and society had valued. From the very beginning of the poem we see that weapons and gifts are a big part of the warrior culture, they represent honor, glory, pride and status within a society. Anglo-Saxon society in literary terms was centered on a warrior chieftain and his retinue of loyal followers who were expected to defend him to the death. Loyalty is essential and is rewarded by the chief's generosity...
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...unbroken one, but within it it’s possible to single out 3 main periods: 1.Old English (OE) 2.Middle English (ME) 3.New English (NE) Old English The historical background. It began in the 5th century, when the German tribes (Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians) settled in the British Isles. Originally the social and economical system was tribal and slave owning, which gradually developed into a feudal one. Accordingly tribal dialects developed into local ones. Geographically it covers the territory of the so-called English Proper. The main historical events are: -the introduction of Christianity; -the Scandinavian invasion. Word-stock (WS) Originally OE was a purely G language. So the WS comprised 3 layers of native words: 1st – IE words (mother, father) 2nd – CG words (to rise, to sink) 3d - OE proper (hlaford - lord) There were some borrowings from the Celtic language, denoting mostly place-names (London, York) and names of rivers (the Thames). After their settlement in Britain the G. tribes came into contact with the Celtic tribes who lived there, but the Celtic borrowings are very few (Loch Ness). Latin borrowings are: 1.Latin words borrowed by Ancient G. tribes when they lived on the continent of Europe. 2.Latin words borrowed by the Anglo-Saxon tribes from Romanized Celts on the British Isles. 3.Latin words which penetrated into OE after the introduction of...
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...literally. Some texts were lost and now we only have fragments. These texts are writing in manuscripts, there weren’t books in that period. In particular there are four manuscripts that contain most of English literature: Cotton Vitelius, Exeter Book, Junius Manuscript and Vercelli Manuscript; they are from 10th century. However the poetry and the texts contain the literature from 9th century, but they originated in 7th century orally (all of them originated orally before they appear written). That manuscripts tell some things about the society of this period of time, so we know details of this century. This period is the Anglo-Saxon period, before them there were the Britons who were invaded by some different people. They spoke different dialects of old English, the stronger kingdom was Wessex, which dialect was the most important and it called “west saxon”. Beowulf was writing in this dialect. In 597 appeared the Christianization. This means that the English became Christian, it became familiar with the church language: Latin. Latin is the culture language. The entry of Christianity is the entry of the culture in Britain. 2- WRITTEN RECORDS OF THE ANGLOSAXON PERIOD English began to be written when the Christianity arrived. Before that they had a writing system, they used the German alphabet: runic alphabet, to the 6th century. In Europe this system is known with the name futhark, but in England is known as futhork. The runes of this alphabet are similar to Chinese letters...
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...from Scandinavia. After the victory of William at Hastings in 1066, he acted swiftly to solidify his victory, where he began to build motte and bailey castles, which was newly introduced as before the conquest there was only one apparent castle in Hereford. Although William was a powerful man, he was unpopular in the English kingdom, where he was faced with rebellions from 1067, with the first rebellion in Dover. William managed to respond by re-asserting his authority as he captured villages, towns and road crossings in places where rebellions took place and building a castle. This was then a visible sign of the Norman’s power over the English. The castles provided his troops with strong defensive structures to guard against any upstart Saxons bold enough to try to prevent William's rule. Castles were built in Exeter, Warwick, Nottingham, Lincoln, Huntingdon, Cambridge and York. As a result of the castle building, the English were unable to mount a successful challenge to Williams I rule. Despite this, the series of castle building did not make the problem disappear. Those who rebelled against William’s power gathered together in...
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...Throughout the history of the Earth, heroes have been characterized by great achievements. Heroes have saved lives or opposed their oppressors. Some victories incorporated are standing up for what they believe or fighting prejudice. These heroes have been around since the Anglo- Saxon period. During Anglo- Saxon time, heroes were revered for exhibiting loyalty and bravery whether it is through fighting monsters or wielding godly weapons. In modern times, how heroes exhibit these traits may be less extravagant; however it is no less heroic. The heroic qualities of loyalty and bravery are shown through Beowulf’s actions and compared to the famous Rosa Parks. In the epic poem “Beowulf,” loyalty and bravery is displayed when Beowulf travels to Denmark to fight Grendel for the Danes. These traits are also visible in Rosa Parks who is...
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...Written and compiled by one hand, the Exeter Book is an incredible source of Anglo-Saxon poetry. Dated to have been written in the latter half of the 10th century, the unknown scribe wrote down the gathered these Christian stories into the codex in the order to which he found most befitting. The first poem in the story about a creature, following poems on Christ himself or saints, is The Phoenix poem. This poem is the 7th text in the Exeter book, positioned between Azarias and Juliana, and its purpose in the Exeter book is to serve as an allegory to Christ in his death, resurrection, and return, as well as an allegory to the Christian soul and the promise of eternal life. The phoenix as a creature is not originally an Anglo-Saxon beast. The first recorded mention of a phoenix-like creature is from ancient Egypt mythology, a creature called Benu or bennu (Hill, 61). The Benu was a sacred bird that symbolized rebirth and renewal, and most commonly thought to be the inspiration for the more commonly known phoenix in Greek mythology first seen in Herrodotus’ Persian wars...
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...called Beowulf. He is a Norsemen which were scary, brutal killing men. The tale begins as an oral story, told around campfires and not being written down until several years later. These men live by a code called the Anglo-Saxon code. The code set guidelines on how the Norsemen are supposed to act and behave. This code gave an understanding of the power of a role model, which the men would look to, or in other words, the leader. Beowulf faces three monsters in the poem, and tries to defeat them all. In the epic poem, Beowulf, Beowulf has three motivations for killing the three monsters. In the story, Beowulf, Beowulf’s motivation to kill the first monster, Grendel, was because of duty. Beowulf travels from his country to Harot in order to fight Grendel because his people knew of his ability to fight, therefore, making it his duty to kill the monster. When Beowulf meets Hrothgar, the aging lord of the Dunes, and gives him information about where he comes from and his background. Obligation is another word associated with duty, which made Beowulf...
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...English' for the first time ? 2. What is the name of Bede's history book ? 3. What is the meaning of the Anglo-Saxon word 'scop" ? 4. What is the meaning of Anglo-Saxon word 'Wyrd' ? 5. What is the name of the only Anglo-Saxon historian ? 6. Name the Germanic tribes which formed the Anglo-Saxon race ? 7. Name the manuscripts in which Old English poems are found ? 8. Who is the author of Sermo Lupi ad Anglos ? 9. Who is the author of Lives of the Saints ? 10. Name two Anglo Saxon Christian poets ? 11. Name the 'earliest extant' Anglo-Saxon poem ? 12. When was Beowulf written ? 13. Mention one Christian element in Beowulf ? 14. Refer to one Pagan element in Beowulf ? 15. What is the name of the pleasure hall in Beowulf ? 16. What is the name of Hrothgar's wife ?(the queen) 17. Name the sword of Beowulf with which he killed Grendel ? 18. Which Anglo-Saxon poem records the fight between the English and Danes ? 19. When did the Battle of Maldon take place ? 20. Who is the author of Death Song ? 21. Who is the author of the poem Brut ? how many lines are there in this poem ? 22. Name two battles referred to in the Anglo-Saxon poems ? 23. What is the name of the monster Beowulf killed ? 24. What is the name of Beowulf's father ? 25. What is the name of the king Beowulf helped ? 26. Name two Anglo-Saxon Elegies ? 27. Name the Anglo-Saxon poem written in dream vision ? 28. Who is the author of Beowulf ? 29. When was Thomas Becket murdered ? 30...
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...English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic invaders and/or settlers from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the Netherlands. Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Britain. One of these dialects, Late West Saxon, eventually became predominant. The English language underwent extensive change in the Middle Ages. Written Old English of AD 1000 is similar in vocabulary and grammar to other old Germanic languages such as Old High German and Old Norse, and completely unintelligible to modern speakers, while the modern language is already largely recognisable in written Middle English of AD 1400. The transformation was caused by two further waves of invasion: the first by speakers of the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic language family, who conquered and colonized parts of Britain in the 8th and 9th centuries; the second by the Normans in the 11th century, who spoke Old Norman and ultimately developed an English variety of this called Anglo-Norman. A large proportion of the modern English vocabulary comes directly from Anglo-Norman. Close contact with the Scandinavians resulted in a significant grammatical simplification and lexical enrichment of the Anglo-Frisian core of English. However, these changes had not reached South West England by the 9th century AD, where Old English was developed into a full-fledged literary...
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...“A Selfish Hero” Many people recognize Beowulf as the hero of Anglo-Saxon times. Judging by his amazing resume of feats and strengths, this is not hard to believe. Beowulf exemplifies the traits of a perfect and valiant hero, or so it seems. However, Beowulf, written by an unknown author, illustrates the great length the character goes through to succeed. Beowulf does anything in his power to prevail, leading him to become a selfish individual. Examining Beowulf's speech, thoughts, and actions, it becomes evident of the selfish hero within. Firstly, Beowulf's speech proves that he would do anything to prevail, illustrating his inflated ego. Although defeated in some battles, Beowulf manages to carry out every mission in order to justify his loses and make himself look successful. Unferth, who attempts to criticize Beowulf’s battles says, "Then winter churned through the water, the waves ran you as they willed, and you struggled seven long nights to survive. And at the end victory was his, not yours” (22;6;248-51). However, upon hearing this, Beowulf accuses Unferth of being drunk in order to make people believe he never understands what he says. "Ah! Unferth, my friend, your face is hot with ale, and your tongue had tried to tell us about Brecca's doings” (22;6;263-65). After hearing this, people are lead to believe Beowulf never takes this criticism seriously, for Unferth‘s drunkenness hazes his rationality. Thus, Beowulf makes Unferth, appear envious, while making himself...
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...The Middle Anglo Saxons had a harsh and violent society, and it was to an extent characterised by war. To gain power and wealth, military force was often the only way. But even though this society was in a constant war-like state, it also provided with culture and community. Unfortunately this period is known as the Dark Ages, and not many records were written. But through archaeology and the few sources we have, we can tell some interesting things about the life in this period. Who had power in the society was based on who had the strongest military force. Power was taken and lost through battles and wars. If a king was killed in battle, his killer, not his son, took his place as king. A kingdom was only as strong as their warrior-leader, and they gained their respects through their success at the battlefield. This meant that power could easily be gained but was very hard to keep. Also, the ties of loyalty were to a lord, not to his station. The king’s best advisors, his thanes, should not survive the king, and the worst fate for them was to be exiled by the new leader or king. Also, to outlast their fellow warriors was not something they wanted to experience, as their sense of identity often came from the warrior community. If a lord fell, his men fell with him. This made the Anglo-Saxon society fluid and unstable. Wars and battles also erupted between the different kingdoms. Power was always something leaders strived for during this period. In Anglo-Saxon times, the...
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...Having the Faith to Survive The life of an English peasant around the year 1,000 proved to be quite laborious. Thanks to Sir Robert Cotton, authors Danziger and Lacey were able to tell us how the drawings of the Julius Work Calendar portrayed these individuals. The world was a quaint and quiet place in that time, with a total population of only one million people. “The year 1,000 was an empty world, with much more room to stretch out and breath.” There were three groups of citizens that were spread over the country side. These included workers, fighters and those that prayed for everyone. It seemed somewhat harmonious. The peasants worked for their Lords who took care of them. It was a mundane, but give and take society. “Life was short”. The expected life span was no more than fifty years. A boy of twelve was old enough to give allegiance to the King and a girl often married in her early teenage years. Through excavation, they have found their bones and surprisingly they did not differ much from us. They were the same height and their brains were the same size as ours. It seems to me that they were probably much stronger and smarter because everything had to be learned and preservation of sanity and health had to come from themselves. The Julius Work Calendar shows us that they were very much like us in that they lived by a schedule and got caught up in juggling time. It was a bit more structured for them though. They did not...
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...from modern English ? Old English was the language spoken in what is now England from around the 5th – 11th centuries and is the origin of modern English. Back then it was called Englisc and the people who spoke were the Anglo-Saxons; Old English is also known as Anglo-Saxon. Old English is essentially the first recorded version of English and it is the forebear of the language we speak today. Although a modern English speaker would likely have great difficulty in understanding written or spoken Old English, about half the words we use today are derived from Old English. Who Spoke Old English? At the beginning of the 5th Century, in what is now England, the local people were speaking Celtic while the government and officialdom spoke Latin, the language of the occupying Roman force. Britain, however, was coming under increasing attack from raiding parties out of Northern Europe.It was at this point that the Romans left (to defend other parts of the Roman Empire) and the country was essentially undefended. The raiding parties became more frequent and as they pushed further inland and then began to settle in the country, they pushed the Celtic speakers into the wilds of what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. These raiders and then occupiers were known as Anglo-Saxons. The Angles came from Englalandand spoke Englisc. The language they used came from back home and it took over completely from Celtic and Latin in much the same way that English settlers several hundred years later settled...
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