The Old English Period or the Anglo-Saxon Period

The Old English Period or the Anglo-Saxon Period refers to the literature produced from the
invasion of Celtic England by Germanic tribes in the first half of the fifth century to the conquest
of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror
William I or also known as William the conqueror or sometimes william the bastard. is the first
norman king of england reigning from 1066 until his death in 1086.
During the Old English Period, written literature began to develop from oral tradition, and in the
eighth century poetry written in the vernacular AngloSaxon (also known as Old English)
appeared. One of the most well-known eighth century Old English pieces of literature is
Beowulf, a great Germanic epic poem.
Beowulf (bey wolf)
is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182
alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English
literature.
The poem tells a story of a strong and brave warrior (Beowulf) who defeats monsters and goes
on to become King. Beowulf’s first major battle was against Grendel, a monster that had been
terrorizing the Scyldings.
Two poets of the Old English Period who wrote on biblical and religious themes were Caedmon
and Cynewulf
Caedmon (kad mon)
is the earliest english poet whose name is known. A northumbrian cowherd who cared for
animals at the monastery of Streonæshalch (s tre ne a shawts) now known as Whitby Abbey.
during the abbacy of St. Hilda, he was originally ignorant of "the art of song" but learned to
compose one night in the course of a dream, according to the 8th-century historian Bede. He later
became a zealous monk and an accomplished and inspirational Christian poet.
Sadly, the only known survivor from caedmon’s work is his hymm.
Cynewulf (ki ne wolf)
is one of twelve Old English poets known by name, and one of four whose work is known to
survive today. He presumably flourished in the 9th century, with possible dates extending into
the late 8th and early 10th centuries.
Known for his religious compositions, Cynewulf is regarded as one of the pre-eminent figures of
Anglo-Saxon Christian poetry. Posterity knows of his name by means of runic signatures that are
interwoven into the four poems which comprise his scholastically recognized corpus. These
poems are: The Fates of the Apostles, Juliana, Elene, and Christ II (also referred to as The
Ascension).