Anglo-Saxons and Beowulf (449-1066) PDF

Anglo Saxons And Beowulf (449-1066)  A short history of the Anglo Saxons (449 - 1066) 300 BC AD 1 AD 449 AD 878 AD 1066 300 BC - Celts 55 BC to AD 409 Anglo Saxons invade King Alfred defeats AD...

Anglo Saxons And Beowulf (449-1066)  A short history of the Anglo Saxons (449 - 1066) 300 BC AD 1 AD 449 AD 878 AD 1066 300 BC - Celts 55 BC to AD 409 Anglo Saxons invade King Alfred defeats AD 1066 - Normans live in Britain Romans occupy the British Isles the Danes and keeps invade the British Isles. Britain them from taking over the British Isles Promoted Christianity, learning, literacy 2 THE CELTS ❧ Settled in the British Isles before the Anglo Saxons ❧ Britain named for one of the Celtic tribes, Brythons ❧ Celts were tall, blond warriors ❧ Animists - worship objects, places, natural elements ❧ King Arthur-famous Celtic king (?) ❧ Stonehenge - possibly built at this ❧ time. https://youtu.be/wf7xwHFuH2o?si=aZZdJ3ZDDq5gej5v 3 ROMANS DEFEAT CELTS ➛ Romans empire grows and defeats Celts in AD 43 ➛ Romans build roads, walls ➛ Bring Christianity to the British Isles ➛ Leave in AD 409 to defend their HADRIAN’S WALL homeland. 4 ANGLO SAXONS A RIVE ★ Three Germanic tribes, the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, invade England. Denmark Germany 5 WHO WERE THE ANGLO SAXONS ★ The Anglo Saxons were warriors, farmers, and hunters. ★ They wore animal skins and carried spears. ★ They took over the southeastern part of the island. They called this area “Angle-land”…which is where we get “England.” ★ The Anglo Saxons forced the Celts into the western and northern part of the country. 6 WHAT WAS ANGLO SAXON SOCIETY LIKE? ★ Warrior-based society, led by strong warrior chief ★ “Warfare was the order of the day” (between clans, tribes, and outside invaders) ★ Anglo-Saxon life was dominated by the need to protect the clan and home from enemies. ★ Fame and success were achieved through loyalty to a leader, and success was measured by gifts received from leaders. 7 THE ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY ❧ The Anglo Saxons were polytheistic (believed in many gods). ❧ However, missionaries converted King Ethelbert of Kent in 597 AD. ❧ British pagan religions replaced by Christianity by 699 AD. ❧ Christianity united the kingdom. King Alfred the Great is key and helps England become a nation. 8 KING ALFRED THE GREAT Unites England to become a nation. KING ETHELBERT OF KENT -converted by missionaries 9 END OF ANGLO SAXON PERIOD ❧ The Anglo Saxon period ended in 1066 when the English king was defeated in the Battle of Hastings. ❧ William of Normandy crosses English Channel and defeats Anglo Saxon army. ❧ French replaces English as the language of the ruling class. 10 ANGLO SAXON TRADITIONS THAT IMPACT US TODAY ★ The names of our weekdays. ○ Tuesday comes from Tiw, the god of war. ○ Wednesday comes from Woden, the chief Teutonic god. ○ Thursday comes from Thor, the god of thunder. ○ Friday comes from Frigga, the goddess of the home. 11 ANGLO SAXON IMPACT ON ENGLISH ❧ We call the language of the Anglo Saxons Old English. ❧ It is completely different in appearance and sound than Modern English. ❧ It sounded German because of the strong German influence on the Old English language. ❧ Four languages make up Old English: German, Norse, Latin, Celtic 12 OLD ENGLISH - ANGLO SAXON LANGUAGE Sample sentences: se bat seglode fif dagas ("the boat sailed for five days") bates segl is lytel ("the boat's sail is small [little]") fif batas seglodon ofer brim ("five boats sailed over the sea") seglas bata sind lytele ("the sails of the boats are small") 13 OLD ENGLISH SCRIPT 14  WHAT OLD ENGLISH SOUNDS LIKE https://youtu.be/XOfvCN_F5cg?si=YF-d5 RDWF2UoUhuA The Book of Luke, Chapter 2 in Old English 15 ANGLO SAXON LITERATURE ❧ During the Anglo Saxon period, literature was not written. ❧ Literature did not become written until monks took the task of writing it down. ❧ Because life was so difficult, the literature was very serious and reflected the struggles of life at the time. ❧ Instead, tales were told orally. Actually they were sung by people called scops or bards. 16 WHO WERE THE SCOPS ❧ Scops (pronounced “shops”) were singing poets. ❧ A scop was the historian or the memory-keeper. ❧ Scops would sing at large banquets as a form of entertainment. ❧ Skilled storytellers and honored members of society. ❧ Sang of heroic deeds ❧ Regarded as equals to warriors 17 ANGLO SAXON MUSIC https://youtu.be/6yzF5SY7WJg?si=Lj-AU AwhJYoFHlQi 18 WHY WERE THE SCOPS IMPORTANT? ❧ Anglo-Saxons did not believe in an afterlife and warriors gained immortality through songs preserved in the collective memory. ❧ The scop had the important role of preserving their memory. 19 WHAT DID ANGLO SAXONS VALUE? ❧ The “Heroic Ideal” - when a hero represents the ideals that is valued in his culture ❧ Valued earthly virtues of bravery, loyalty, generosity, honor, and friendship. ❧ Boasting of exploits and achievements was expected. ❧ The importance of fame as a way to be immortal. 20 WHY STUDY BEOWULF (700-750 AD) ❧ It’s the first great work of English literature. ❧ It is an expression of Anglo Saxon values and attitudes. ❧ It is one of the first examples of a heroic epic. 21 WHAT IS AN EPIC ❧ A long, narrative poem that is written in formal language. ❧ The epic hero - a man of high social status, often important in the history of the people ❧ The epic plot involves supernatural events, long time periods, distant journeys, major battle scenes and life and death struggles with good and evil. ❧ Includes supernatural events and settings. ❧ Modern heroes like Superman and Luke Skywalker continue in this tradition. 22