1. Anglo-Saxon Poetry
Characteristics

2. “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.

3. “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. 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

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