English 12 / Unit 1: Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Literature
1.1 The Anglo-Saxon World and the Epic Hero
Notes
The Anglo-Saxon (Old English) period runs from about 450 to 1066. Poems were first performed aloud by a scop (a poet-singer) and only later written down.
- An epic is a long narrative poem about a hero whose deeds matter to a whole people.
- An epic hero is larger than life, embodies the values of his culture, and faces monsters or great danger.
- Anglo-Saxon values: courage, loyalty to one's lord, generosity of a king, and lasting fame.
- The comitatus is the bond between a lord and his thanes (warriors): the thanes give loyalty, and the lord gives treasure and protection.
- Heroes often boast before a fight, stating what they have done and what they will do.
Practice
Which description best fits an epic hero?
Epic heroes are exceptional figures whose actions reflect what their society admires.
Before a battle, a warrior announces: "I have killed sea-monsters in the dark water. Tonight I will face this beast without a sword." Which epic convention is this?
Heroes in Old English poetry boast of past deeds and promise future ones.
In the Anglo-Saxon comitatus, what did a lord owe his thanes?
Gift-giving and protection were the lord's side of a two-way bond.
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