anglo-saxons and beowulf Flashcards
the Anglo-Saxon period last from?
449-1066
the Battle of Hastings took place in?
the year 1066
who was the Battle of Hastings fought by?
William the Conqueror and Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson
who won the Battle of Hastings?
William the Conqueror (subsequentially ending the dark ages and starting the medieval ages)
an EPIC hero consists of?
E- embodies and protects community values
P- possesses supernatural traits
I- Identifies a need to go on a test
C- carries themselves with confidence
what does the E in EPIC hero mean?
embodies and protects communities values
what does the P in EPIC hero mean?
possesses supernatural traits
what does the I in EPIC hero mean?
identifies a need to go on a quest
what does the C in EPIC hero mean?
carries themselves with confidence
what did the Anglo-Saxons value?
strength, courage, community, kinship, loyalty, and leadership
true or false? the Anglo-Saxons were a tribal society with kinship bonds and a heroic code of behavior.
true
what does wyrd mean?
fate/belief in fate
what does fatalism mean?
the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable
what does comitatus mean?
loyalty to one’s lord, one’s Warband, and one’s kin
the Anglo-Saxons demonstrated a willingness to…?
avenge
the Anglo-Saxons thought __ was preferable to ___…?
death, exile
Anglo-Saxons would rather ___ than be ___…?
die, exiled
Anglo-Saxon lords were very ___ to their ____…? the ____ expected to be….?
generous, thanes, thanes, paid
Anglo-Saxon thanes believed that fair…?
fair fights are the only honorable fights
what did women do in Anglo-Saxon culture?
create peace between tribes (blood ties between different tribes) and pass cups to men at the mead hall
Anglo-Saxon women didn’t…?
avenge, they mourned instead
what were the Anglo-Saxons?
they were pagans and seafarers
what did the Anglo-Saxons believe in as pagans?
multiple gods, lucky charms, gems, and potions
why were the dark ages (449-1066) called that?
it was a time of bloody conflicts, ignorance, violence, and barbarism. only the strong survived
what was Anglo-Saxon literature like?
they would write about brutality, their literature reflected the hard times. also set in winter a lot
what did Anglo-Saxons expect the hero to do?
boast his deeds. boastfulness informs others of the hero’s accomplishments
when Romans conquered the Britons. what did they introduce?
cities, stone roads, written scholarships, and Christianity.
at the beginning of the dark ages (449), what were the Anglo-Saxons?
pagan seafarers
by the end of the dark ages (1066), what were the Anglo-Saxons?
Christian farmers
what is alliteration?
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
what is caesura?
a pause dividing words in a line of poetry giving a hard, chant-like rhythm
what is a kenning? and what are the types?
a metaphorical compound word or phrase substituted for a thing or name. the types are compound, prepositional, and possessive
this is an example of?
Hester’s eyes might have been a heaven for the risky, and her heavy raven locks a well for the thirsty, but if there was one thing Howard knew, call girls couldn’t hold a gun as spies did
alliteration
this is an example of?
He leaned above me, thinking that I slept
And could not hear him; but I heard him
caesura
this is an example of?
Whale-path
Swan road
Ring giver
compound kenning kenning
this is an example of?
heaven’s light
bird’s road
diner’s paradise
possessive kenning
this is an example of?
Guardian of the People
Path of the Sea
Wolf of wounds
prepositional kenning
whos the original storyteller of Beowulf?
no one knows
who was Beowulf probably transcribed by?
a monk due to the Christian teachings in the story
Anglo-Saxon stories were told?
orally
what was the purpose behind Anglo-Saxon stories?
to provide entertainment, moral instruction, values, and how to live
what was the most common literature of the Anglo-Saxon period?
EPIC poetry
what is the most famous literature from Anglo-Saxon times?
Beowulf
what are archetypes?
patterns found in literature all around the world
what is an example of an archetypal hero?
extraordinarily strong and loyal
what is an example of archetypal conflict?
good vs evil
what language did Anglo-Saxons speak?
old English
most people in the dark ages couldn’t…?
read or write
how many copies of Beowulf are there left?
one
what is the setting of an EPIC like?
vast. going into different countries and sometimes even the underworld.
what is the action in an EPIC like?
acts of valor or superhuman courage (especially in battle)
what is the style of writing like in an EPIC?
elevated even ceremonial (fancy)
where does an EPIC start?
media res (in the middle of things, the hero already is a hero)
what does Wergild mean?
restitution for murder (compensation)
what is a scop?
a bard or storyteller.
what were scops responsible for?
praising deeds of past heroes, recording history, and providing entertainment.
what can happen if Wergild is not offered?
war/revenge can be pursued
what does thane mean?
a warrior
what is mead?
an alcoholic drink made of fermented honey and water
what is a mead hall?
the large hall where the lord and his warriors slept, ate, and held ceremonies.
what was mead hall to Anglo-Saxons?
center of a society
