Beowulf     Anglo Saxon Poetry

How are the values of a specific culture reflected within the literature of the time period? What do heroes and beasts represent in our culture, and what do they reveal about human nature as a whole? Bell Ringer Please write your responses to the following questions in your journal.

Ended with Norman Conquest Anglo Saxon Era 449 – 1066 Began with the invasion of the Germanic Tribes (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes) Ended with Norman Conquest

Anglo- Saxon Culture Society made up of King Council of Elders Warriors Fathers Families Important that everyone work for the good of the whole. Brought shame if someone did not take care of the group.

Anglo Saxon Village

Cultural Elements King took care of everyone Have to do good deeds to be remembered in the afterlife. Fatalistic – death’s everywhere. Wyrd = Fate (very superstitious) Women strong members of society

Oral Tradition Alfred the Great – Anglo Saxon Chronicles Oral tradition – literature and history passed down because no written language until monks arrived Power of language Scops – traveling poets/singers (bards) As valuable to the culture as warriors Alfred the Great – Anglo Saxon Chronicles

Effect of Christianity What effect did Christianity have on the Anglo Saxon spirituality / religious belief system? It gave them hope to live in the afterlife No longer dependent upon heroic acts or deeds No longer dependent upon others continuing to speak your name to keep you alive in afterlife Fame was not the basis of reward

Anglo-Saxon Literature: Beowulf This is a short, informational video about the epic itself and the people of the time.

Maps of Beowulf’s Worlds Modern View

Beowulf is an example of Narrative Poetry Written to tell a story No known author Believed to be work of a single author – most likely a Christian clergyman Author is well-educated, as suggested by his knowledge of the classics Earliest of the vernacular epics of the Anglo Saxon Era and one of the few that survived intact.

Background Written in England Based on legends set in Germanic Tribes’ homeland Angles and Saxons from Germany; Jutes from Denmark Shared common cultural and linquistic background with Danes from Denmark (Hrothgar was their king) Beowulf was a Geat from Sweden.

Two Types of Anglo Saxon Poetry Heroic Tells the adventures and qualities of heroes (Beowulf) Elegiac Mourns the loss of someone or something (The Seafarer)

Epic Characteristics Hero with supernatural strength and abilities Larger than Life Hero who embodies the ideals of the culture Quest to uphold the ideals of the culture Supernatural Intervention Setting in known world and other worlds Beginning in medias res

What is an epic hero? An epic hero is the central figure in an epic who has superior qualities and risks personal danger to pursue a grand quest

Characteristics of an EPIC HERO Is significant and glorified Is on a quest Has superior or superhuman strength, intelligence, and/or courage Is ethical Risks death for glory or for the greater good of society

Continued… Performs brave tasks Is a strong and responsible leader Reflects the ideals of a particular society - Courage, loyalty, honor, bravery, leadership, self-control, daring and wit

Language of Beowulf How did the English Language evolve from the Old English in Beowulf to the Modern English we speak now?

Mini-Socratic Seminar Divide into four equal (or close to equal) groups. Assign one person in the group to be your recorder and one to be the leader to share out. Discuss the following four questions for about 2 minutes each: (the following slides may help…) o What core values do heroes possess? o What do beasts reveal about heroes? o What do heroes and beasts represent in our culture? o What do they reveal about human nature? Each group shares out with the class.

What core values do heroes possess? What do beasts reveal about heroes? What do heroes and beasts represent in our culture? What do they reveal about human nature?

A HERO IS…

A BEAST IS…

What core values do heroes possess? What do beasts reveal about heroes? What do heroes and beasts represent in our culture? What do they reveal about human nature?

The Hero Cycle

Hero ‘s Journey Think of ways that Beowulf meets the criteria of the Hero in Joseph Campbell’s theory of the Hero’s Journey.

Literary Elements/Terms Caesura Kenning Epithets Alliteration Assonance Allusion Archetype Beot

Pagan Paganism is a catch-all term which has come to bundle together (by extension from its original classical meaning of a non-Christian religion) a very broad set of not necessarily compatible religious beliefs and practices that are usually, but not necessarily, characterized by polytheism

Scop An Anglo-Saxon poet The scop fulfilled  many roles in an Anglo Saxon tribe.  Among those functions were: court singer tribal historian genealogist teacher composer critic warrior traveler and reporter

Comitatus An agreement made between a lord and his thanes, in which the thanes swear to defend a lord to their death, while he provides them with protection and a share of his wealth and weapons

Thane A warrior or retainer who follows and fights for his lord.

Fate The principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as they do.

Mead A fermented beverage made of water and honey, malt, and yeast

Caesura a pause somewhere in the middle of a verse. Some lines have strong (easily recognizable) caesurae, which usually coincide with punctuation in the line, while others have weak ones.

Kenning a compound poetic phrase substituted for the usual name of a person or thing. For example the sea in Old English could be called seġl-rād 'sail- road', swan-rād 'swan-road'. In line 10 of the epic Beowulf the sea is called the hronrāde or 'whale- road'

Epic Boast / Beot A proclamation of things a character has done or will do in an epic Anglo-Saxons saw nothing wrong with letting the world know who they were, who their noble parents were, what great feats they had accomplished and what they planned to do. This boasting was perfectly polite, even expected. In Beowulf, see lines 250-285, 407- 426, 632-638, and 2510-2515 for examples of the formal Anglo-Saxon boast.

Archetype The word archetype is commonly used to describe an original pattern or model from which all other things of the same kind are made.

Allusion Allusion- reference in a literary work to another person, event, place, etc. Note the first significant Biblical allusion: “born of Cain”- indicates Grendel’s evil origins- one of the first Christian references in the poem. Others: “Almighty” “Fate” “God” “He”

Assonance Assonance- repetition of internal vowel sounds within a line of poetry “in the darkness, growled in pAIn, impAtient- -- Assonance

Alliteration Alliteration occurs when the initial sounds of a word, beginning either with a consonant or a vowel, are repeated in close succession. The function of alliteration, like rhyme, might be to accentuate the beauty of language in a given context, or to unite words or concepts through a kind of repetition.

Epithet A word or phrase, often but not always disparaging or abusive, that expresses a character trait of someone or something.

Elegy An elegy is a song or poem expressing lament, grief or regret. Many of the oldest and most lasting poems in human history have been laments.  It is sometimes also called a dirge.