The Beginnings of English Literature Vocabulary

Flashcards about The Beginnings of English Literature

Celts

Agricultural people first found in Great Britain in 55 BC.

Jutes, Angles, and Saxons

Germanic tribes who invaded England in 449.

Earl

The ruling class in the Old English social system.

Blood Money

A system where a fine could be given by the killer to the family of the man he killed.

Warrior

The most important human being in troubled times when might was right.

Churl

Tilled the soil, hunted, and fished for his earl.

Women in Old English society

Considered valuable for domestic duties and as marriageable commodities.

Warrior's Code

A code of pride, loyalty, and courage to one's king.

Priest

Bringer of a new world of knowledge and culture.

Christianity

Established in Britain before A.D. 400 and kept alive by Irish missionaries.

St. Augustine

Sent as a missionary to England in 597 by Pope Gregory the Great.

Beowulf

The only full-length folk epic that has survived in English literature, best example of warrior literature, author is unknown

Teutonic Tribes

Leading semi-agricultural seminomadic lives.