1. Old English Period: Anglo-SaxonsAD

2. Celts Original inhabitants of England
One group called themselves Brytons (Britons).
Derivations of their language heard in Welsh and Scots Gaelic.
Celtic priests known as Druids.
Lasting landmark: Stonehenge

3. Stonehenge Built in 3 stages from 3100-1100 BC
Word from Saxon means “hanging stones.”

4. Roman Occupation
Romans occupied most of Europe as we know it today from before the birth of Christ. Arrived in England around 55BC.
Introduced Christianity to Britons.
Best known landmarks: Bath and Hadrian’s Wall.
Left England when Viking invaders threatened their 409AD.

5. Hadrian’s Wall 122 AD
80 Roman miles long. Was once 15’ high and 10’ thick. Included “Mile Castles” with running water!

6. Anglo-Saxon Invasion- replaced Romans
Three Germanic tribes were Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
Pagan,tribal societies led by strong chief.
Warfare order of the day.
Bard called scop.
Since pagan, no belief in afterlife; eternal life came from scop’s song.
Language: Anglo-Saxon, a dead language.

7. Reintroduction of Christianity
Pope Gregory saw Angle slave in Roman market and misunderstood word as “angel.”
Sent St. Augustine to convert A-S warriors.
King Ethelbert of Kent is converted, so follow all others.

8. Lord’s Prayer in Old English
Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum;
Si þin nama gehalgod
to becume þin rice
gewurþe ðin willa
on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.
urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg
and forgyf us ure gyltas
swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge
ac alys us of yfele soþlice
Father our thou that art in heavens
be thy name hallowed
come thy kingdom
be-done thy will
on earth as in heavens
our daily bread give us today
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those-who-have-sinned-against-us
and not lead thou us into temptation
but deliver us from evil. truly

9. Beowulf Old English epic. First British literature.
Short lines (Odyssey 15,000)
Scop- Anglo-Saxon pagan- composed epic around 450AD; Scribe- Christian monk- wrote hundreds of years later. Mixture of both in work.
Oldest copy from Sir Robert Bruce Cotton’s collection at time of warehouse fire (Cotton died about 100 years before). Dates Burned and allusive text hard to transcribe accurately.

10. Oldest extant text
Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, þeod cyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu æþelingas ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum, monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah, egsode eorlas.   Syððan ærest wearð feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad, weox under wolcnum,   weorðmyndum þah, oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra hronrade   hyran scolde, gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning!

11. Genre/Style OE epic- oral tradition
Larger than life hero, great in battle, undertakes extraordinary quests and represents values of culture.
Setting and action includes supernatural elements.
3. Style: formal, with alliteration, caesura, kenning, understatement.

12. In the beginning…
The epic starts by telling history of great Danish kings, beginning with Scyld Scefing, his son, grandson, and great-grandson.
Our story starts after about 50 lines, with Hrothgar, beloved king of the Danes and great-great-grandson of Scyld. His reign was ideal. He was a generous, mighty warrior.
He built Heorot (Herot), a fantastic mead hall, which had been decorated by “tribes without number.” It was designed to withstand all except fire. The mead benches were too heavy to move by human hands.

13. Conflict
Things are ideal, until Grendel attacks the mead hall at night, while the warriors are asleep.
None of Hrothgar’s men is able to defeat Grendel, who is called “one of the seed of Cain.” Nightly, he rules Heorot for 12 years.
Beowulf (a Geat from southern Sweden), described by the scop as “renowned among the Geats for his great bravery” and as “the strongest man alive,” consults the fates and takes 14 thanes with him to help.
The Dane Unferth is not happy to see him and tells the story of Brecca and the swimming contest. Hrothgar says he’s there to pay wergild from his dad. Finally, he’s invited to stay and fight.
Now, to the book!