The First People Britain first settled by Celts

Celts came from continental Europe between 800-600 B.C.

2 Celtic Tribes who settled the British Isles-BRITONS and GAELS:Britons (settled in

what is now Great Britain)

Gaels (settled in what is now Ireland)

The Invasion

In 43 A.D., Romans invaded and conquered the Celts. Britons were either forced northward or into slavery; ROMANS introduced the concept of Christianity, laws and built roads

Eventually (449), the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded (these are Germanic tribes). They drove the Romans away took over and called the island “Angle-land.” They enslaved the people who were there

Angles, Saxons, and Jutes carved the land into tribal kingdoms, but they came to think of themselves as one people: the English (a.k.a. Anglo-Saxons)

By 650, most of England was Christian (but held onto pagan beliefs, too)

Monks introduced Christian themes to Beowulf

Vikings continually attacked the Angle-Saxon Villages

Old English Poetry

3 major types of OE poetry:

1. heroic verse—celebrates courage, honor, loyalty

2. elegy—mourns a loss

3. religious verse—focuses on Christian teachings and stories

*****Beowulf contains all three.

OLD ENGLISH Language

•Used by the Anglo-Saxons and sounded very similar to German

Beowulf: OE SuperheroBeowulf is an epic hero: courage, physical strength, wisdom in

guiding others, loyalty to the king, and supreme self-confidence. He embodies the ideals of his people. Their most important goal in life to gain immortality.

Story of Beowulf is an epic poem—long narrative poem written in formal language that tells of the adventures of a larger-than-life hero.

Beowulf is a folk epic: story rises from the people and is passed by word of mouth from generation to generation until it is ultimately written down .

Epic plots contain supernatural events, span long time periods, involve distant journeys, and life and death struggles of good vs. evil.The hero always represents goodThe forces that threaten the people always represent evil

Heroic VerseCelebrates courage, honor, and loyalty.

Kenning-a descriptive poetic phrase used in place of a

name for a person or thing “whale road” = the sea“Higlac’s follower” = Beowulf

Key Lit Termsallusionasideatmosphereelegyfoilforeshadowinghistoryhyperbole

kenningmotifrhyme schemerhythmsoliloquysonnettragic flaw