Anglo-Saxons barbarians though they were always depicted that way. In most of England, the Anglo-Saxons lived with their animals in single-family homes, wooden buildings that were surrounded by a commercial court or a warm fire-lit chieftain’s hall. The Anglo-Saxons consisted of small units, each focused on the central figure of the king. Fame and success, and even survival were gained only through loyalty to the king, especially during war, and success was measured in gifts from the leader. The effectiveness of the king’s reign depended on his ability to inspire personal loyalty and thus keep the tribe unified. The Anglo-Saxons had many morals and values that influenced their life immensely such as bravery, camaraderie, loyalty and heroism.
The king was the leader during warfare, the legislator and guide in time of peace. The article entitled, “Values in Anglo-Saxon Society,” the authors describe the kings role during this time period,“He was chosen partly because of heredity but also because of his potential for fulfilling the ideal.” His chief noblemen were blood relations—usually both his legitimate and illegitimate uncles, sons, nephews and cousins, this body of men were his retainers or thanes. In their articles “Anglo-Saxon Society” the authors describe the benefits to serving as a thane “He showed his approval and gratitude to his retainers or thanes by giving them gifts from his store of treasure or from the hoard of an enemy.” His wife was likely to be the daughter of a neighboring king as their marriage being partly a treaty of friendship between tribes. The remainder of the tribe consisted of the churls, who were freeman and slaves captured in battle, there was no middle class. The epic poet was a vital functionary of ...
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...onquer others and pushed them further to victory.
Works Cited
Elements of Literature: Essentials of British Literature and World Literature. Orlando, FL. 2007 print
Harlan, Judith A. V. and Kathleen McCoy “Anglo-Saxon Society”. English Literature to 1785. HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. 5. Student Resources in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
Harlan, Judith A.V., and Kathleen McCoy “Values in Anglo-Saxon Society” English literature to 1785. HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. 6+. Student Resources in Context Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
Harlan, Judith A.V., and Kathleen McCoy. “Anglo-Saxon image of heroism”. English Literature to 1785. HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. 13+. Student Resource in Context. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
Harlan, Judith A.V., Kathleen McCoy. “Beowulf.’. “English Literature to 1785. HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. 10+. Student Resource in Context. Web. 25 Oct. 2013
Frank, Roberta. “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
The Anglo-Saxon armies were usually rather small. The number of warriors in an army could be anywhere from fifty men to about two hundred and fifty men, but during those times that was all that was needed to defeat entire kingdoms. A type of warrior was known as a Thane. The term thane refers to a lord who holds land granted from the king in return for military service. Thanes could earn their titles and lands or inherit them. The thane ranked below all other Anglo-Saxon nobility; however, there were two subclasses for thanes. There were "king's thanes," who held certain privileges and answered only to the king, and inferior thanes that served other thanes or bishops (Snell). The Anglo-Saxon warriors had what some would consider a code, called a wergild. A wergild is price that is paid to the family of a person who was murdered by the murderer’s family to free the murderer from further punishment and to prevent a feud (Wergild).
Magoun, Frances P. “Oral-Formulaic Character of Anglo-Saxon Narrative Poetry.” In TheBeowulf Poet, edited by Donald K. Fry. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Anglo-Saxon warrior bands share the same code of honor as the Greek resistance fighters called Klephts both nations having a common Indo-European heritage and concept of hero. Beginning in the fifth century Germanic invasions transformed the Celtic culture of the British Isles. Anglo-Saxon warrior bands conquered the native Celts and prevailed in England from the fifth until the eleventh century. Warfare, the idea of comitatus, and the Germanic heroic code comprised the Anglo-Saxon way of life. Their warrior clans were ruled by a heroic figure, a chieftain or king, and the heroic code valued bravery, boasting, and above all allegiance to their king.
Raffel, Burton. and Alexandra H. Olsen Poems and Prose from the Old English, (Yale University Press)Robert Bjork and John Niles,
During the turn of the 5th century, the British Isles were under control of a strong and powerful group of people, called the Anglo-Saxons. These individuals worshipped under a Pagan religion that shaped their society in many ways. During the time period when the story was written, it is believed to have followed strict Paganism beliefs. Throughout the time the story has been told, Christian monks have rewritten it, changing it around to follow a Christian belief system. Even with these changes and rewrites, the core essence of the Anglo-Saxon beliefs remain in the story. Within the epic poem of Beowulf, readers can clearly see the traditions of Anglo-Saxon culture and the Pagan religion, including importance of reputation, concept of fate,
Kanner, Barbara, ed. The Women of England: From Anglo Saxon Times to the Present. Hamden: The Shoe String Press, 1979.
"The Anglo Saxons appear as a race of fierce, cruel, and barbaric pagans, delighting in the seas, in slaughter, and in drink "(Allen, 17). The character of the ancient Saxons displayed the qualities of fearless, active, and successful. The Anglo-Saxons are mostly a barbaric race, not savage and rude but mostly military and...
Existence as an Angelo-Saxon warrior was rewarding, however at the same instant it was difficult. Warlords had a number of warriors obliged to serve them. Being a warrior had a worthwhile life, they spent their time shining armor, readying their sword and intimidating the other warriors. Being an Anglo- Saxon warrior was gratifying life because warriors got fame, glory, recognition, and treasure. The younger boys looked up to either their father that was a warrior or another warrior. They idolized these men because they received fame. The idea of jewels, clashing of metal hitting your foe painted great images in Angelo- Saxon boys. In their culture fame is the most important thing you can have. By reading Beowulf I realized that loyalty is sometimes more important to them than their religion.
Beowulf. Elements of Literature, Sixth Course: Literature of Britain. Ed. Kristine E. Marshall, 1997. 21-46. Print.
The Anglo Saxon period is the oldest known period of time that had a complex culture with stable government, art, and a fairly large amount of literature. Many people believe that the culture then was extremely unsophisticated, but it was actually extremely advanced for the time. Despite the many advancements, the period was almost always in a state of war. Despite this fact, the Anglo-Saxon period is a time filled with great advancements and discoveries in culture, society, government, religion, literature, and art.
Sommerville, J. P. "Anglo Saxon England II." History Department, University of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
Beowulf has been handed down orally since the early centuries. In the eighth century, Beowulf was officially written down for the first time. As an epic poem, Beowulf tells the story of a legendary hero who has supernatural courage and strength which have helped him become the hero he is after fighting in numerous battles, all coming out on top. Beowulf was summoned to a land to help eliminate a beast of a man, once and for all. The cultural elements represented in Beowulf are shown in spiritual beliefs, the mannerisms of the warriors, and the burial ceremony.