06/04/2016

1 The Old English Period

Mariel Amez
2 Anglo Saxon society
• King
• Aethelings
• Earls
• Thanes (or thegns)
• Churls (peasants)
– see http://www.regia.org/Saxons1.htm
3 Central beliefs
• Loyalty
• Revenge
• Fate
• Fame
– see http://chelsealit.blogspot.com/2008/01/anglo-saxon-beliefs.html
4 Loyalty
• Backbone of society
• Treachery condemned
• Two way:
the lord offers protection and treasure
the warrior fights for his lord
–see http://www.octavia.net/anglosaxon/TheWarBand.htm
5 Revenge
• Duty to kill lord's killer.
• Worst crime: killing a relative
• Gives rise to feuds (violent quarrels between groups continuing for a long time)
• Marriage alliances to end feuds (princess as peace-maker or peace-weaver)
6 Fate
• Wyrd
• "Nobody dies before his time"
–see http://www.octavia.net/anglosaxon/Wyrd.htm
7 Fame
• Earned on the battlefield.
• Sought for  heroes are boastful
– see http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/spring2008/irfan/Attributes%20of%20the%20Anglo-
Saxon%20Hero.htm
8 Anglo Saxon language
(Old English)
• Listen to this recording
http://faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/Beowulf.Readings/mp3/beo02p.mp3
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden
9 Anglo Saxon language
(Old English)

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• Harsh, guttural
• Rich in consonants, few vowels
• Small vocabulary
• Heavily inflected (word order not important)
• Resorted to compounding for creation of words (eg “learning-boy”= disciple)
10 Old English Literature
• Oral tradition  mainly poetry
• Few colours, gloomy atmosphere; gory details
• Recited by scops in mead-halls
• Subject to change due to oral transmission
• Written down by monks after conversion to Christianity (in Old English, using a modified
Roman alphabet including some runes)
– Note: The runic alphabet was used only for short inscriptions
11 Runic Alphabet
12 Old English Versification
• 4 stressed syllables
• irregular number of unstressed syllables
• caesura (pause) in the middle (scop played harp)
• alliteration on at least 3 stressed syllables
13 Old English Versification (example)
Oft Scyld Scefing (caesura) sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum, (c) meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas. (c) Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden, (c) he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, (c) weorðmyndum þah,

(stressed words are underlined)

14 Old English
Rhetorical Devices
• Kennings
• Genealogy
• Repetition of concepts
• Litotes
15 Kennings
• Compound composed of two words which was used as a synonym for a specific object
• Not always metaphorical: cf. "wave-floater" and "wave-steed" for boat
• A sign of the poet's skill, could evoke different associations (cf. "ring-giver" and
"shepherd of his people" for king)
• Helped achieve alliteration
– see http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_K.html
16 Genealogy
• Reference to hero's ancestors "the son of Edgetheow"
• Related to importance of fame
17 Repetition of concepts
The same concept is expressed in different words
the strongest of fighting-men stumbled in his weariness,
the firmest of foot-warriors fell to the earth.

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And the wise Lord,

the holy God, gave out the victory;
the Ruler of the Heavens rightly settled it
18 Litotes
• Ironical understatement in which affirmative is expressed by the negation of the
opposite.
• Einstein was not a bad mathematician (= he was excellent)
• The wiser sought to dissuade him from voyaging hardly or not at all (= they
encouraged him)
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Mariel Amez