literature: Old English period

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

The History of the
English Language

1. Take a guess: English is part of which language family?

1. Germanic Languages
2. Romanic Languages
3. Slavic Languages
4. Uralic Languages

2. Take a guess: The tribes that invaded England between 400-1000, came from ...?

1. Belgium & The North of France
2. Finland & The North of Poland
3. Germany & The North of The Netherlands
4. Denmark & The North of Germany

4. Take a guess: The French invaded Great Britain in what year?

1. 666
2. 1066
3. 1466
4. 1866

5. Take a guess: Which of the following words was not invented by Shakespeare?

1. justice
2. puppy
3. alligator
4. fashionable

The English Language:

Mix of languages led to: 
   - Old English: 450-1100
   - Middle English: 1100-1500
   - Early Modern English: 1500-1800
   - Late Modern English: 1800-now

the Old English Period

Old English (450-1100)

- Up until 450: a mix of languages, mostly Celtic, some Latin
- Part of Roman empire 43 - 410 AD

- Angles, Saxons & Jutes invade England (Anglo-Saxons)
- Add lots of new words:
   eald (old), brodor (brother), hus (house)

poetry

• people were illiterate. Only monks could read and write
• alliterations and regular rythm used for mnemonic reasons
• kenning
• variation

alliteration

two or more words within the same line begin with the same letter.

Meotodes meahte and his modgepanc

the Measurer's might and his mind-plans

kenning

a figurative name for a thing, usually expressed in a compound noun.

swan-road = sea

Beowulf Kennings

Beowulf Old English kennings:

Sea = whale-road

Sun = sky-candle

Body = bone-house

King = ring-giver

Honour = mind's-worth

Unfulfilled destiny = uncut-thread

variation

the repeating of a single idea in different words, with each repetition adding a new level of meaning.

heaven-kingdom's Guardian    holy Creator

the measurer                                   mankind's Guardian

Glory-father                                     Master almighty

eternal Lord

          genres

• epic poems: narrative poems on great subjects like kings and heroes, fighting, glory and honour
• didactic poems: meant to teach the reader about religious matters or about the way to behave
• historical chronicles: about wars and battles, and kings

4 surviving manuscripts

• The Beowulf Manuscript
• the Exeter Book
• the Junius Manuscript
• Vercelli Book

There are also a few historical poems in the Anglo-Saxon chronicle

Have you ever heard of the story 'Beowulf'?

Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

The Story

- 3 main characters: Hrothgar (King of Danes), Beowulf (hero), Grendel (monster)

- 'Mead Hall' has been attacked for years by Grendel, and it still is.

- Beowulf, who is extremely strong (strength of 30 men), wants to help the King.

                             Let's take a look!

Do you know the story?

Try to answer the questions!

The original story was written in Scandinavian?

1. True
2. False

Where does the story take place?

1. Scandinavia
2. England
3. Asia
4. Russia

What was the name of the country in which Beowulf fights the monster?

1. Jutes
2. Geats
3. Danes
4. Sweden

The 'mead hall' is a central building in which the king and its people live and come together.

1. True
2. False

What was the name of the monster who attacks the 'mead hall' for a long time?

1. Beowulf
2. Hrothgar
3. Dragon
4. Grendel

Beowulf goes to Grendel's cave to defeat him.

1. True
2. False

How does Beowulf kill the monster?

1. With a sword
2. By ripping off his arm
3. With a gun
4. With a knife

Grendel's mother was a fire breathing monster.

1. True
2. False

What happens to Beowulf after Grendel's mother is dead?

1. He returns to his own land of Geats.
2. He dies of his wounds.
3. He is made king of the monsters.

The kingdom of Beowulf has to face another monster because someone stole gold from the monster.

1. True
2. False

What kind of monster does Beowulf fight last?

1. Grendel's father
2. An epic wolf
3. A dragon
4. His own mother

Riddles

The Anglo-Saxons loved riddles. They told each other riddles as well as listening to poems at their feasts. Some of the riddles were written down, so we are able to read them today.

Riddle #1

Four dilly-dandies 
Four stick standies 
Two crookers 
Two lookers 
And a wig wag 

Now it's your turn: Riddle #2

When I am alive I do not speak.
Anyone who wants to takes me captive and cuts off my head.
They bite my bare body
I do no harm to anyone unless they cut me first.
Then I soon make them cry.

Answer: an onion

Riddle #3: A creature and its home

My home is not quiet but I am not loud.
The lord has meant us to journey together.
I am faster than he and sometimes stronger,
But he keeps on going for longer.
Sometimes I rest but he runs on.
For as long as I am alive I live in him.
If we part from one another
It is I who will die.

Answer: a fish in a river

Riddle #4: There are lots of these in the story of Beowulf.

I am all on my own, wounded by iron weapons and scarred by swords.
I often see battle. I am tired of fighting.

I do not expect to be allowed to retire from warfare

Before I am completely done for.

At the wall of the city, I am knocked about and bitten again and again.
Hard edged things made by the blacksmith's hammer attack me.

Each time I wait for something worse.

I have never been able to find a doctor who could make me better

Or give me medicine made from herbs.
Instead the sword gashes all over me grow bigger day and night.

Answer: a shield

GC Assignment: Create your own riddle

Go to Google Classroom and start with your homework.