Download
1 / 24
240 likes | 351 Views
Beowulf and the Anglo Saxons. It’s An Island!. The sea is really important to British culture as well as the idea of sea power. (Navy, trade) Temperate climate Awesome farm land Isolated from mainland Europe. Invasions.
E N D
It’s An Island! • The sea is really important to British culture as well as the idea of sea power. (Navy, trade) • Temperate climate • Awesome farm land • Isolated from mainland Europe
Invasions • British history is one of a series of invasions from mainland Europe. Each successive wave brought advancement in technology and culture.
Neolithic People We know little about the Stone Age inhabitants of Britain. Stone Age people used mostly stone tools, farmed a little, and lived in small settlements. What is Stonehenge? Astronomical clock? Showing off?
The Celts • 7th Century BCE • Came from mainland Europe. • Brought iron weapons and tools. • “Celt” is a language group, spoken many ways by different tribes • Later, were pushed into Ireland, Scotland, and Wales by the Anglo-Saxons
The Romans • 50 BCE to 400 CE • Built roads, towns, and much more. • Mostly, only the rich adopted Roman customs. • The Celts became Christian – the origin in England is unclear.
Then Rome fell… • The Celts went back to acting like Celts. • Everybody else in Europe went back to pillaging and warring. • 400-ish CE
In come the Anglo-Saxons! • 450-ish CE • Angles, Saxons, and Jutes came from Germany, Denmark-ish • First they came as . . .
In come the Anglo-Saxons! King Vortigen, a Celt, hired them to protect him from other warring Celtic kingdoms, but instead they took over.
England = Angle-land • This is the start of England and the English language as we know it. • The Angles brought a version of early German with them; what we call Old English.
Anglo-Saxon England • The Angles established various kingdoms and became Christian (formerly pagan). • The first united English king doesn’t come until 900’s. • They pushed the Celts into Scotland, Ireland, Wales • They also had to deal with the new invaders, Vikings from Scandinavia!
Anglo-Saxon Culture • Warriors were admired. • “Kings” ruled small communities and ruled over warriors (Thanes). They gave gifts to earn loyalty. • The next king was not the old king’s son; he was the best warrior and leader as agreed upon by the people.
Anglo-Saxon Culture • Non-warriors were roughly equal and worked together to farm, craft, cook. • Center of village is Meadhall, where everyone eats and hangs out.
Stages of the English Language • Old English – mostly German, different dialects – 450-1066ish • Middle English – add some French – 1066-1500ish • Early Modern – Shakespeare’s English – 1500ish to 1800ish • Modern – What we speak – 1800ish to now
Beowulf Lit Terms • Epic: long story (narrative) poem about a hero • Verse: Poetry, in lines and stanzas • Kenning: two-word renaming of something (i.e. cancer stick) • Caesura: punctuation plopped in the middle of a line; typically a dash. • Alliteration: two or more words in a row that start with the same letter or sound • Theme: The main ideas of a literary work, not just the plot
