The Anglo-Saxon Period
449-1066 A.D.
Middle Ages
5th century dc ( 410 ) 10 centuries
End of the Roman EARLY MIDDLE AGES
empire until 15th
century ( War of the ( from 5th c -1066) Anglo
Roses ) saxon period
HIGH MIDDLE AGES
( 11th-13th century )
Normans and
development as a
nation
A Brief History
• England Invaded and settled
many times by:
– Iberians
– Celts
– Romans
– Angles
– Saxons
– Vikings
– Normans
The First Invasion of the
Celts
Celts
•Tall blonde warriors
•Brythons or Britons
•Animism- spirits everywhere
that needed to be pleased.
•Mythology
The Romans
Year 57 dc-
Claudio
•Built roads and
walls
The Romans Built Hadrian’s Wall
• A great fortification
running across the
island near the
Scottish border
• Built circa 123 A.D.
for protection from
invading Picts and
Scots
• Nearly 70 miles long
Romans
• 1st to 5h centuries
• Britannia
• Introduced the
concept of
Christianity
• Withdrew because
of the Fall of the
Roman Empire
The Germanic Invasion
The Picts, Scots , Angles,
Saxons and Jutes
• Angles, Saxons and
Jutes
• Present day England
derives its name
from the name
“Angle-Land.
• Native Britons:Wales
What Were the Anglo-Saxons
Like?
Jerarchy
social classes
Values: loyalty, honour,war
Pagan
Sea-Faring
Loyal to leader and tribe ~comitatus
Ruled by fate -wyrd
Anglo-Saxons
• Divided into tribes : a king or chieftain
• After hunts and battles, they would gather in
a mead hall to be entertained by scops.
The Mead Hall
Anglo-Saxon Literature
● Oral
● Kenning
● Repetitions
● Alliterations
● Hero: death in battle, fame and glory
● Evil creature
● Loyalty and bravery
● Comitatus
Beowulf
– The author of the poem is
unknown.
– Composed between 650-850 AD
– Christian writer, not a pagan.
– Paradoxes and contrasts
Beowulf
● From Geats , called by Hrothgar in Heorot
● Grendel
● Grendel's mother :Hrunting sword
● Dragon: 11 warriors
Digging up the past
• In the 1930s,
excavations at
Sutton Hoo, Suffolk,
England, revealed a
ship containing a
huge treasure.
• No body was found
• Items in the ship are
very like those
included in Beowulf's
burial in the last part
of the poem.
Setting
• Denmark and
Geatland (a
region in what is
now southern
Sweden)
• Heorot- the mead
hall of King
Hrothgar
The Characters
• The Danes- A group of mighty warriors
who have been ravaged by the monster of
Grendel.
• The Geats- The group of powerful warriors
who travel from Geatland to confront the
evil that the Danes are confronted with
Heroic values in the poem
● Epic element
● Kinship : clan of Hygelac
● Inmortality and fame
The Characters
• Beowulf – Prince of the Geats
• Grendel – the monster who ravaged the Danes
for 12 long winters.
• Grendel’s mother – avenges Grendel’s death.
• Hrothgar - the king of the Danes.
• The fire dragon- is provoked by a thief who tries
to steal its treasure; Beowulf’s last battle is with
the fire dragon.
• Wiglaf - a young and brave Geat who helps
Beowulf slay the dragon when the rest of the
men run away. He also conveys Beowulf's last
message to his people.
Epic
– Beowulf was the first epic poem in the English
Language. (Others include: The Iliad, The Odyssey)
– Characteristics of epic:
• Hero is of noble birth, or high position
• Hero’s character traits reflect important ideals of
his society
• Hero performs courageous or superhuman deeds
that reflect the values of the era.
• The actions of the hero often determines the fate
of a nation
• The setting is vast in scope, often involving one or
more nation.
• The poem reflects timeless value such as courage
and honour.
• The poem treats universal themes, such as good
or evil or life and death.
Pagan-Christian
• Age of transition in England
• Celtic past
• Grendel compared to Cain
• People in Heorot pray to the Lord and pagan
gods
• Beowulf: 11 soldiers: 12 apostles
• Beowulf sacrificies for his people
• Pagan funeral
Anglo-Saxon Terms
• Alliteration - the repetition of initial
consonant sounds in neighboring words.
The ancient poets often used alliteration
instead of rhyme. Lexical words
• Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the
Scyldings, Leader beloved,
• "The devil fetch ye, ye ragamuffin
rapscallions,"
• The memories flash like dusk heat lightning,
Or the fireflies that flit and flare
Anglo-Saxon Terms
• Caesura
– a natural pause or break.
• Example:
England ~ how I long for thee!
• Kenning
– In this poetic device, the poet creates a new
compound word or phrase to describe an object
or activity.
• In Beowulf, we also find banhus ("bone-
house") for body, and beaga brytta ("ring-
giver") for a lord.
ANGLO-SAXON TERMS
● Repetitions: the poet explains and
comments so that everyone can
understand
● Formulaic sentences: Beowul, son of
Ecgtheon
BEOWULF
La Poesía anglosajona no sigue los principios
formales de las lenguas romances :
• No hay recuento silábico
• No hay combinación de rima
POESÍA ANGLOSAJONA
Patrón tradicional germánica continental y
escandinava
Patrón poético rítmico y aliterativo
Basada en el cómputo de acentos,
aliteración y repetición de sonidos
Número de sílabas no es importante
4 acentos principales en cada verso-cesura
Aliteración
EPÍTETOS, DESCRIPCIONES ÉPICAS,
DISGRESIONES, KENNING
EPÍTETOS
DESCRIPCIONES Y SERIES
DIGRESIONES: desvíos de la línea
argumental principal
KENNINGS: metáfora expresada en forma
de palabra compuesta
LA POESÍA ELEGÍACA
ELEGÍA: poema que expresa un lamento
por un hecho grave o una muerte
Beowulf: poema épico cuyo tono final es el
lamento por la muerte del héroe y el
destino final de los gautas
Hay una serie de poemas elegíacos que
comparten algunas características
épicas con Beowulf: The Wanderer y The
Wife’s Lament
The Wanderer , The Wife’s
Lament
Ambos en el manuscrito de la catedral de
Exeter junto a otros poemas
Fecha de composición
The Wanderer :980
The Wife’s Lament : s.V o VI
Ambos textos escritos sin cesura
Comitatus
The Wanderer
Dos voces poéticas
Reflexiones morales y existenciales
Ubi sunt
Fusión de elementos germánicos paganos
y cristianos
The Wife’s Lament
Originalidad
Voz poética femenina
División estructural
