1 / 5

Introduction to Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon culture

Introduction to Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon culture. Anglo-Saxons. The ruling tribal society of England. They were a warrior tribe who valued stories, family, friendship, and strength. Honor was something earned through combat and good actions toward others.

rollin
Download Presentation

Introduction to Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon culture

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Introduction to Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon culture

  2. Anglo-Saxons • The ruling tribal society of England. • They were a warrior tribe who valued stories, family, friendship, and strength. • Honor was something earned through combat and good actions toward others. • They converted to Christianity, but often mixed Christianity with their original pagan values in real life and in stories.

  3. Understanding Beowulf • This is the oldest and most well-known surviving story from the Anglo-Saxons. • The Anglo-Saxons did not have a written story tradition, but an oral one. Most stories were passed down from one storyteller to another. • The story is an epic poem with a particular rhythm that helped storytellers remember the story with accuracy. • The epic hero, Beowulf, reflects the Anglo-Saxon’s values through his actions, words, and personality. Other characters reflect what society finds acceptable and unacceptable.

  4. Question • A monk named Bede came to the Anglo-Saxons and put the story of Beowulf into a written form to be more accurately preserved. • How might a story change over time when it is passed down through memorization rather than the written word? • Can a story be accurately translated from one language to another? Explain.

  5. Cultural References in Beowulf • Mead: A sweet alcoholic drink made from honey. It had many calories and served as part of an Anglo-Saxon warriors daily diet. Wine served the same function. • Mead-Hall: A place where warriors gathered to drink mead, tell stories, and sleep. The larger a King could build one, the more prosperous or rich he was considered to be. • Fen: A swamp. • Moor: An open area covered with moss and dead plants.

More Related