ASL - Anglo-Saxon Beginnings Lesson
Anglo-Saxon Beginnings 
Before the Anglo-Saxon invasion in 449 AD, the British Isles held various people, such as the builders of Stonehenge or the Celts who migrated to the isles in 300 BC. Julius Caesar started ruling the island in 55 BC for around four hundred years before the Anglo-Saxons arrived and started impacting the culture and language.
Much knowledge of the Anglo-Saxons come from the discoveries at Sutton Hoo. Sutton Hoo is a royal burial site that unearthed an undisturbed ship burial in the side of a hill. A wealth of Anglo-Saxon artifacts of historical and archeological significance appeared at this site.
When the Roman Empire fell in 410 AD, the inhabitants of the German regions of Angeln and Saxon traveled to settle in Britain because the Romans had previously left Britain to defend the empire. Therefore, the people of Angeln and Saxony could settle without interference. Similarly, the Jutes and the Frisians from Denmark were also settling in the British Isles.
Therefore, four tribes, the Angles, Saxons, Frisions, and Jutes, arrived in 449 AD, which marked the beginning of what historians coined as the Anglo-Saxon period with the term "Anglo-Saxon" encompassing the four Germanic tribes who settled in Britain.
The Dark Ages commonly references the fifth and sixth centuries in Anglo-Saxon England. Due to the multiple small kingdoms vying for land or power, many wars and feuds occurred across the land. Similarly, throughout the years, the Anglo-Saxons were subject to many Viking (also known as Danes) attacks. Danelaw established a region for the Vikings to settle in order to curb the violence.
The Anglo-Saxon culture grew in Britain until 1066 when the Norman Invasion of England, led by William the Conqueror, occurred and eliminated any Anglo-Saxon rule in the area. The various groups brought Germanic culture and the basis of the English language spoken today to Britain as they made their home. In order to understand more about Old English and etymology, or word origins, contact the instructor for log-in information.
Anglo-Saxon Culture and Literature
Literary Devices and Purpose in Anglo-Saxon literature
In Anglo-Saxon literature, the main purpose of the literature is to teach and entertain. In the literature because of the transient religious culture, we find a combination of both Christian and pagan imagery. Take a look below at some of the more specific ways Anglo-Saxon literature sought to teach and entertain:
Now, let's take a look at the various literary devices used to achieve these purposes and examples, found in many of the Anglo-Saxon texts:
- Kennings: Compound words or phrases used to both name and describe an object or place. Writers use kennings to elevate the language and make the writing more beautiful.
Ex. “battle-gear” referring to armor and weapons
Ex. “sea wolf of the depths” referring to Grendel’s mother
2. Archetype: A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myths that reveals a universal pattern of human nature.
Ex. The Hero is a universal character who embodies goodness and works to make everything good and right in society
Ex. The Journey is a universal theme that reveals change and represents the universal idea of inherent growth
- Alliteration: The repetition of the initial consonant sounds in a line of poetry. Alliteration creates rhythm in poetry.
Ex. The dark day dawned deceptively.
Ex. Sadly, she shrank beneath the shrubs.
- Caesura: A pause that divides a line with each part having two stresses; the pause can occur with a comma, hyphen, ellipses, period, etc. Using caesura creates a dramatic pause and heightens the emotions of the reader.
Ex. She walked quickly - the man came out of nowhere!
Ex. The cliffs stood tall above the crashing waves, and the man gazed downward.
In the next lesson, we will look at Anglo-Saxon non-fiction, more specifically.
RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.