Anglo-Saxson Lit

Anglo-Saxons

Combination of Tribes: Angles + Saxons + Frisians + Jutes

Invaded Britian

came from modern day Germany, Denmark & The Netherlands

Anglo-Saxon Lyric

A short poem in old English that is sung. Conveys strong emotions of a single speaker

Caesura

Breathing pauses built into the text

Kenning

2-part word metaphors for nouns. Whale-road, sky-candle, battle-sweat.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words, usually to create rhythm, emphasis, or musicality.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same beginning consonant sound in nearby words.

Elegy/elegiac

Poems that lament death or loss of loved ones or the past

Heroic

The heroic code was the Anglo-Saxon system of values emphasizing bravery, loyalty to one's lord, honor, generosity, and fame through heroic deeds.

Ubi-Sunt

Rhetorical motif. Nostalgic longing for time past. What happened to those before us?

Wergild

(man-price) Blood money established on a warrior. Paid as fine to his family if he is killed by the offender. Failure to pay = exile.

Scop

An Anglo-Saxon poet or bard who recited or sang poetry, often accompanied by music, to entertain an audience and preserve stories and history.

Wyrd

Anglo-Saxon word for “fate”. Refers to one’s destiny. Not a Christian idea. Life as planned out and we only fulfill it.

Hwaet

Invoking the muse. Attention!

Rune

A character/symbol in the runic alphabet. Germanic origin

Welsh

The Welsh were Celtic people living in Wales who resisted Anglo-Saxon expansion into Britain.

Cymraeg

the Welsh language

Hadrian’s wall

A Roman defensive wall built across northern Britain to protect the empire’s frontier from attacks by northern tribes.

Lords and Thanes (comitatus)

Thanes pledged loyalty to their lord. Were expected to fight to the death for their lord. Would avenge their lord to their last breath. Failure to avenge=disloyal. Lords reward loyal thanes with lavish gifts and spoils of war.

The Mead Hall

A place of community for Lords and Thanes. Drinking, feasting, boasting, fighting, merry making. Used as a metaphor for the Lord’s kingdom. The center of community.

Heorot

Hrothgar’s mead hall where Grendel attacks.

Rothwell Cross

An Anglo-Saxon stone monument in Scotland dating to around the 8th century, carved with Christian imagery and inscriptions in runic Old English. Containing lines related to The Dream of the Rood.

Macrobius’s characterization of dreams

Macrobius's categories are useful when analyzing whether a dream is supposed to be divine/providential, symbolic, or merely psychological. The Dream of the Rood, for example, is often discussed as a dream/vision containing religious revelation.

Exeter books

10th-century Anglo-Saxon manuscript containing many important Old English poems, including The Wanderer and The Seafarer

Boasting

Warriors made public vows about what they have or will accomplish in battle. Showed determination of character and NOT arrogance or pride.

Flyting

Contests of wit between warriors. (roasts) Poetic exchange of insults between warriors to demonstrate superior cleverness over the other.

Prophetic dream (Somnium)

a dream that contains a hidden prediction of something that will happen.

Oracle/vision (oraculum)

a respected or supernatural figure directly reveals what will happen or what should be done.

Prophetic apparition (visio)

the dreamer sees a future event clearly, without symbols or interpretation needed.

Nightmare (insomnium)

a dream caused by worry, fear, or physical/emotional disturbances.

False/meaningless dream (visum)

a strange, unrealistic dream with no meaningful prediction or message.

Peaceweaver

Hildeburh and Freawaru: A woman married into a rival group to create peace between peoples. Hildeburh lost her son, brother, and husband in conflict between the Danes and Jutes. Freawaru’s marriage to Ingeld was intended to unite rival groups, but old grudges and revenge threatened to restart fighting. Tribal loyalties often overcame marriage alliances

Hostess

Wealhtheow and Hygd: Women determine social order in giving of the cup. Their lord/ husband first then she gives from most loyal to least. They were queens who served mead in the hall, showing respect for the king and the warriors. They also held political influence: Wealhtheow protected her sons’ claim to the throne, while Hygd offered Beowulf the kingdom after Hygelac’s death because she doubted her son could defend it.

Monster

Grendel's Mother and Thryth: Instead of using hospitality, speech, or marriage to influence society, they use violence. Grendel’s mother attacks Heorot to avenge her son, while Thryth kills men who enter her hall but later changes after marrying Offa. They act as hostile hostesses and strife-weavers, contrasting with the other women’s roles as hostesses and peaceweavers.