Unit 1: British Legends

• Unit 1 will cover from Beowulf to Arthurian Legends.

• Unit 1 will end in an easy research paper.

Middle Ages 449-1485

• The Anglo-Saxon Period 449-1066

• The Medieval Period 1066-1485

Horrible Histories

The Middle Ages 449-1485

• Enormous upheaval and change in England

• Time of disastrous wars, both internal and external

• Time of foreign invasion• Time of painful

reconsolidation and emergence of England as nation

Characteristics of the period

Anglo-Saxon Period

“Anglo-Saxon England was born of warfare, remained forever a military society, and came to its end in battle.” - J. R. Lander

In a society dominated by aggression, what would you expect to be the Anglo-Saxon attitude toward family life, the role of women, art, literature, ethics and work?

Celtic Invasions

• Invaded around 500 BC• Tribal/clan society– Britons (settled in Britain)– Gaels (settled in Ireland)– Picts (settled in Scotland)

• Conquered by Romans in the first century A.D. and became part of the Roman Empire.

Roman Invasions

• 55 BC Julius Caesar invaded Britain• 43 AD Emperor Claudius invaded;

marks beginning of Roman Britain• Began to Christianize the Celts;

Celtic religion vanished• Provided stability to Britain • 410 Rome threatened and Romans

pulled out of Britain

Roman Invasions: What legacy did the Romans leave?

• Created a system of roads/highways • Created a system of aqueducts, which

moved water from one place to another.

• Provided an organized society which kept other invaders out for several centuries

Germanic Invasions - 449• Angles, Saxons, and Jutes– Deep sea fishermen and farmers

• Language: Common language now known as Old

English (similar to Dutch and German)• Religion – pagan–Multiple gods and goddesses – Believed in Fate (also called Wyrd)

Angles/Saxons from Germany

Jutes from Denmark

Viking Invasions 8th-12th Centuries• Invaders from

Norway and Denmark • Anglo-Saxons

unprepared for ferocity of Vikings

• Vikings destroyed monasteries and sacred objects

• Slaughtered everyone in settlements that could not pay enough Viking Ship, known as the Oseberg

Ship, dates 825 AD.

Norman Invasion 1066

• Norman, Breton, and French soldiers took over England.

• Soldiers led by William the Conqueror.– Unified England

under his rule.

Anglo-Saxon Literature

• Oral tradition – poems and song committed to memory and performed by scops, bards, gleemen, or minstrels

• With coming of Christian Church, written literature began to evolve

• Two important traditions in literatureheroic tradition – celebrates heroes

elegiac tradition – passing of earlier, better

times

Anglo-Saxon Civilization

• Common language• Shared a heroic ideal; set of traditional

heroes• Admired men of outstanding courage• Loyalty to leader and tribe• Fierce personal valor

Anglo-Saxon Civilization

• Persons of rank received with grave courtesy

• Ruler generous to those who remain loyal• Everyone aware of shortness of life &

passing of all things in the world• Impersonal, irresistible fate determined

most of life (Wyrd or Fate)• Heroic human will & courage allowed

individuals to control their own response to fate

Anglo-Saxon Literature

• Poem based on early Celtic and Scandinavian folk legends

• Scenery described is from Northumbria; assumed that poet was Northumbrian monk

• Only manuscript available dates from the year 1000; discovered in the 18th century

Background Information

• Written sometime around 1000 A.D.• Author unknown.• Often referred to as the beginning of English

literature.• Written in what is now called “Old English”– Link to Beowulf's Battle with Grendel

• Only one complete original copy remains.

Beowulf—The Epic Poem

• An epic is a long narrative poem which follows a hero’s struggle against universal issues.

• The epic will contain 3 elements:– A large-than life hero– The Supernatural– Elevated language style What makes a hero?

Elevated Language

Look for: • Kennings (two-word phrase for a common

word) – Ex: World-candle for sun or whale-road for ocean

• Caesura: A natural pause or break in the middle of a line of poetry that is joined by the use of a repeated vowel or consonant sound

• Symbolism• High descriptive passages

• Epics often tend to follow a similar pattern in their plotlines.

• Characteristics: – Plot centers around a

hero of unbelievable stature

– Involves deeds of superhuman strength

– Supernatural forces– Elevated writing style– Vast setting– Poet remains objective

and omniscient

What was an author to do, especially if no one can read?

Epics: An Oral Tradition

• Many epics, especially older texts like Beowulf, were not originally written down.

• Instead, they were memorized and retold or sung by travelling bards.

• Some sections of epics were retold from time to time. It helped the storyteller learn the epic and also caught up any member who may have missed a part.

The Bards

• These entertainers also served to bring news from other areas.– They travelled everywhere and heard many stories

and news going on in the area. • They had no cell phones, so bards were the easiest way

to learn news.

– If a heroic deed had occurred in the area, it might be blended into the stories that the bards told

Various names of the bards

• Scop (pronounced shop) in Anglo-Saxon lands.

• Troubadours in France.

• Minnesingers in Germany.

Changing Stories

• Other influences also played a part in changing the epics.

• The text of Beowulf shows both Norse pagan belief and Christianity, often in the same line.

• This may have evolved as the storytellers encountered villages with different beliefs.

Writing it Down

• When these stories which had been orally passed on were finally written down, they were also subject to many changes.– Mistakes in translations– Misunderstanding out-of-date slang

• Anglo-Saxon England was being Christianized, so many texts show a mixture of pagan and Christian beliefs.– We often see an invocation of God as the “Almighty

Lord” followed closely by mention of pagan gods and monsters.

Heroic Code• The epic poem Beowulf

strengthens the Heroic Code. This code was derived from the Anglo-Saxons’ Germanic roots, and called for strength, courage, and loyalty in warriors. It also required kings to be hospitable, generous, and have great political skills. This code was a basis for Anglo-Saxon honor.

The Mead Hall

• Herot Hall—The hall where King Hrothgar and his men celebrate.

• The mead hall was an important part of Anglo-Saxon life.

• It was the social, governmental, emotional center of an Anglo-Saxon village.– Warriors would gather there to drink, party, and

celebrate their victories in battle. • Mead is a honey-based wine.

The Setting

• Beowulf is from Geatland.

• He travels to the land of the Danes to destroy Grendel.

Beowulf: The Epic Hero

• An epic hero must face challenges and opponents that the ordinary person could not handle.

• However, there is often a character flaw or other weakness which brings problems to the epic hero.

• In a society of aggression and glory-seeking, what do you think that Beowulf’s flaw might be?

Beowulf• Epic hero• Geat (from southern Sweden)• Nephew of Higlac (King at

story’s start)• Sails to Denmark to help

Hrothgar• Possesses supernatural strength

and abilities– Can hold breath underwater

indefinitely – Lost a swimming competition

because he was too busy killing sea monsters for hours

Hrothgar

• Danish king• Builds Herot (banquet

hall) for men• Tormented by Grendel

for 12 years• Loses many men to

Grendel• Joyless before

Beowulf’s arrival

Grendel

• Referred to as demon and fiend

• Haunts the moors (swampy land)

• Descendant of Cain• Feasts on 30 men the

night of 1st attack• Plagues the Danes for

12 years

Grendel’s Mother

• Referred to as she-wolf

• Lives under a lake• Challenges Hrothgar

when she kills one of his best men

Fire Dragon

• The oldest and most base form of evil

• Lives in Beowulf’s kingdom

• Wakes up when thief steals cup

• Guards countless treasures

Runes

Get a copy of the handout on RUNES.

Using paper and colored pencils, make a decorative

nameplate.Approximate your name as

closely as you can.Decorate your nameplate

however you wish.

Oral Tradition Activity • This activity will be done individually. • You will create a short epic of your own. This does not have

to be extremely long, but it must be at least two pages (one page front and back).

• You need to have a several characters, a hero with a supernatural ability of some sort, conflicts, monsters, and a final resolution.

• Use your imagination! Think about the Anglo-Saxon’s warrior culture, and create a story about your own epic hero who fights for good and for glory. You will then present this story to the class with your group.– This activity will be graded.