Anglo-Saxon Poetry Characteristics

“Old King Cole” Old King Cole was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he; He called for his pipe; he called for his bowl; And he called for his fiddlers three.

“Old King Cole” (In an Anglo-Saxon style) Cole was the king; he was keen and merry. Mirthful he was, with minstrels in mead-hall. He called for his cup; he called for his pipe. His fiddlers were three, and fine was their trilling.

4 Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Poetry 1. Does not rhyme 2. Alliteration (repetition of initial consonant sounds) Ex. Grendel greedily grappled…. 4 beats (accented syllables) per line 2 beats– caesura (pause)– 2 beats kennings– metaphoric phrases Ex. Whale-road= ocean God’s bright beacon = sun

Look for these characteristics in the excerpt from The Battle of Maldon (page 13 in your textbook).