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The Anglo-Saxons
449-1066
Contributions of the British
• Robin Hood and Shakespeare
• Theory of Gravity
• Industrial Revolution
• Radar
• Penicillin
• The Beatles
• Political system that many other
countries, including the US,
have imitated
Celtic Heroes and Heroines: A Magical World
I.
People
A. Celts – Tall blonde warriors who had
settled on Great Britain in the fourth
century
B. Brythons – Group of Celts who the island
was named after (Britons)
II. Religion – Animism
A. They saw spirits everywhere – rivers,
trees, stones, ponds, fire, and thunder
B. Sprits controlled all aspects of existence
C. The spirits had to be constantly
satisfied- dancing rituals, human
sacrifice, etc.
Celtic Heroes and Heroines: A Magical World
III. Writing
A. Mythology of the Celts has influenced
English and Irish writers to this
day.
B. Authors who were influenced by the
Celts: Thomas Majory and William
Butler Yeats.
C. Celtic legends are full of strong
women, fantastic animals,
passionate love affairs, and
fabulous adventures.
The Romans: The Great Administrators
IV. The Britons were finally conquered by
Rome, led by Julius Caesar, in 55 BC.
Christianity took hold under the
leadership of European missionaries. The
old Celtic religion began to vanish. By
A.D. 409, Romans had evacuated Britain
leaving roads, walls, villas, great public
baths, but no central government. The
result was weakness, which led to many
successful invasions by non-Christian
peoples from the Germanic regions of
central Europe.
The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore
V. In the middle of the 5th Century, attacks
came from Angles and Saxons from
Germany and Jutes from Denmark.
A. Changes
1.Language – Anglo-Saxon
2.Became known as Engla land from
the Angles
3. Celts retreated to Wales
The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore
B. Government
1. Several independent
principalities with its own king
2. King Alfred of Wessex (871),
Alfred the Great, led the
Anglo Saxons against the
invading Danes and won. He
helped form a true nation
The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore
C. Christianity
A. Irish and Continental missionaries
converted the kings
B. Provided a common faith and morality
and right conduct
C. Linked England to Europe
The Anglo-Saxons Sweep Ashore
D. Battle - Continued until 1066 when both
the Anglo-Saxons and Danes were
defeated by the Normans.
1. Danes – Vikings who drove dragon
powered boats destroying and
ravaging anything and anybody
in their path
Anglo-Saxon Life: The Warm Hall, the Cold World
VI. Life of the Anglo-Saxons
1. Warfare was the order of the day
2. As Beowulf shows, law and order were
the responsibility of the leader
3. Fame and success were gained only
through loyalty to the leader and
success was measured in gifts from
the leader
The Anglo-Saxon Religion
VII. Despite Christianity, the old Anglo-Saxon
religion with its warrior gods persisted.
A. Odin was the Norse god of death,
poetry, and magic. Anglo-Saxons
renamed him Woden (Wednesday).
They believed he could help humans
communicate with spirits.
B. Thunor (Thursday) was the god of thunder
and lightning. His sign was the hammer
and swastika, which is found on many
Anglo-Saxon gravestones.
The Anglo-Saxon Religion
C. The dragon was another significant
figure in Anglo-Saxon mythology. It
seems to always be the protector
of a treasure. It is a
personification of death.
D. Overall, the religion was concerned
with ethics, virtues of bravery,
loyalty, generosity, and friendship.
The Bards: Singing of God’s and Heroes
VIII. The communal hall offered shelter, a
place for council meetings, and a place
for storytelling. Skilled storyteller, or
Bards, sang of god’s and heroes. The
Anglo-Saxons did not regard these
Bards, called Scops , as inferior to
warriors. Creating poetry was as
important as fighting, hunting, farming,
or loving. The poets sang to the
strumming of a harp.
Time Line
•
•
•
•
•
•
449- Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invade
Britain
516 – King Arthur rules Celtic tribe
547 – Plague reaches Britain
793- Vikings invade Britain
871 – Alfred the Great becomes King
1066- Normans defeat Saxons; William
the Conqueror becomes English king
Beowulf
Epic- sometimes called a heroic
poem-Beowulf, the Illiad,
the Odyssey- are long
narratives about the
adventures of larger than
life characters.
Characteristics of an epic:
• Hero - great leader, does great deeds
in battle, or undertakes an
extraordinary journey
• Setting- Broad and often includes the
upper and lower worlds
• The gods or other supernatural,
fantastic beings take part in the action
Characters
• Beowulf- Son of Edgetho and nephew of
Higlac, King of the Geats
• Brecca- Chief of the Brondings and
Beowulf’s friend
• Grendel- Man-eating monster who lives at
the bottom of a foul mere, mountain lake
• Herot- Golden guest hall built by King
Hrothgar
Characters
• Hrothgar- King of the Danes; friend of
Beowulf’s father Edgetho
• Unferth- One of Hrothgar’s skilled warriors.
His sword, Hrunting, is used by Beowulf
• Welthow- Hrothgar’s wife, queen of the
Danes
• Wiglaf- Beowulf’s best friend who helps
him with the battle of the dragon
Setting
Beowulf is set in the 6th or 7th century. It is
not set in England, nor or its characters
English. The story takes place in Scandinavia
and involves the Geats (Sweden) and the
Danes (Denmark). Scandinavians were known
collectively as Anglo-Saxons. It was first put
into writing by a scop in the 700’s.