Anglo Saxons

A Day in the Life of…

History• 5th Century: Germanic tribes invade– Angles– Saxons– Jutes

• Established Anglo-Saxon presence in England (Angle-Land)

• Alfred the Great: “Rex Angul-Saxonum”– Late 800s: fights away

Danish invaders– Promotes sense of

national identity– Converts Latin texts to Old

English

Civilizations• Anglo-Saxons

settled away from old Roman cities

• Strategic sites for agriculture or river ports to control land.

• One-room structures of timber and thatch

• Village centered around “Mead-Hall,” with central hearth.

Values• Strength, courage, and

power• Hated peace—fighting

is more honorable.• Revenge taken

seriously• War ended only by

“wergild” or “peace-weaver.”

• Worst fate: survive fellow warriors or exile.

Religion

Beliefs carried over from Germanic Paganism• Pagan Gods: Tyr, Woden, Thor, Frigg• Christianization occurred between 597-686AD• Pagan information documented through priests

set out to destroy it.• Example: St. Augustine, Kentish King, and

Woden

Law• Saxon Chiefs chopped off hands and

noses to punish petty crimes.

• Fear maintained control.

• A good king was a fearsome king.

• A good king was also generous.– Warrior gifts for acts of bravery in battle.

Ic wiht geseah    on wege feran,  A strange creature ran on a

rippling road,  

seo wæs wrætlice     wundrum gegierwed:   Its cut was wild, its body bowed,  

hæfde feowere    fet under wombe  Four feet under belly, eight on

its back,  

ond ehtuwe  Two wings, twelve eyes, six

heads, one track.  

monn h w M wiif m x l kf wf hors qxxs ufon on hrycge;

5It cruised the waves decked out

like a bird, 5

hæfde tu fiþru     ond twelf eagan  But was more--the shape of a

horse, man,  

ond siex heafdu.    Saga hwæt hio wære.  Dog, bird, and the face of a

woman--  

For flodwegas;    ne wæs þæt na fugul ana,  Weird riddle-craft riding the

drift of words--  

ac þær wæs æghwylces    anra gelicnes 10Now sing the solution to what

you've heard.  

horses ond monnes,    hundes ond fugles,      

ond eac wifes wlite.    þu wast, gif þu const,      

to gesecganne,    þæt we soð witan--      

hu þære wihte    wise gonge.      

   

Riddle 34

SHIP!

Power and treasure for a prince to hold,

 

Hard and steep-cheeked, wrapped in red

 

Gold and garnet, ripped from a plain

 

Of bright flowers, wrought--a remnant

 

Of fire and file, bound in stark beauty

5

With delicate wire, my grip makes

 

Warriors weep, my sting threatens

 

The hand that grasps gold. Studded

 

With a ring, I ravage heir and heirloom

 

*        *    *  

To my lord and foes always lovely

10

And deadly, altering face and form.

Riddle 69

SWORD!

In battle I rage against wave and wind,

Strive against storm, dive down seeking

A strange homeland, shrouded by the sea.

In the grip of war, I am strong when still;

In battle-rush, rolled and ripped     

In flight. Conspiring wind and wave

Would steal my treasure, strip my hold,

But I seize glory with a guardian tail

As the clutch of stones stands hard

Against my strength. Can you guess my name?

Riddle 14

• ANCHOR!

Who am I who stand so boldly by the sea road--

 

Hightowering, cheek-bright, useful to men?

 

Riddle 68

• LIGHTHOUSE!

My head is struck by a forging hammer,

Sheared close by a shaping blade,

Honed smooth by a fierce file.

Sometimes I swallow my tempered foe,

When bound by rings, I heave from behind,

Thrust a long limb through a hard hole,

Catch hard the keeper of the heart's pleasure,

Twist with my tongue and turn back

The midnight guardian of my lord's treasure

When the conquering warrior comes to hold    

The gift of slaughter, the joy of gold.

Riddle 87

• KEY!