DISCOVERING ANGLO SAXON LITERATURE

By Sanumi Vinanga

Anglo-Saxon literature is basically Old English literature, originating in the 5th century AD with the arrival of Germanic tribes, which are Anglo, Saxon and Judas, in Britain - specifically, right after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in 410 AD, with the fall of the West Roman Empire. The Anglo-Saxon era existed from 410 AD to 1066 AD. Before the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, the Celtic tribes already inhabited the island of Britain, and were known as ancient Britons, which later shifted to British.

Anglo-Saxon literature consists of great poems and riddles, which were not written down till later in the 6th century; therefore, most of them were carried across generations through oral transmission. With Christianization in the 6th century, the written manuscripts were introduced, and Anglo-Saxon literature, which was transmitted orally, began to be written down. Many such manuscripts were written in Latin, which gained visibility in Western Culture. The great pieces of Anglo-Saxon literature are the famous Beowulf Manuscript, The Battle of Maldon, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Wife’s Lament, Waldhere, Deor and more. Most of the work can be categorised into Heroic epic, Religious Poetry, Elegiac Poetry, which are those poems that express sorrow, and those with a historical context. Importantly, most of these poems remain anonymous.

During the Anglo-Saxon period, there were constant attacks by Vikings who destroyed most of the Anglo-Saxon literature, which was later restored by King Alfred of England. Therefore, when reminiscing about the Anglo-Saxon period, one cannot ignore the role of King Alfred, who contributed to preserving Anglo-Saxon literature and encouraged the learning of English. One such prominent book is ‘Anglo-Saxon Chronicles’, created during the reign of King Alfred the Great in the 9th century. It was distributed across the monasteries in England, and consists of four volumes of Old English poetry from this era.

An extract taken from the translation of the epic Beowulf, a heroic warrior who killed the ‘Grendel the monster’ and rescued Hrothgar, the king of the Danes and his kingdom, reads:

“Hrothgar answered, helm of the Scyldings:

“I remember this man as the merest of striplings.

His father long dead now was Ecgtheow titled,

Him Hrethel the Geatman granted at home his

One only daughter; his battle-brave son

Is come but now, sought a trustworthy friend.

Seafaring sailors asserted it then,

Who valuable gift-gems of the Geatmen carried

As peace-offering thither,

that he thirty men’s grapple

Has in his hand, the hero-in-battle."

This short extract explains how Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, introduces Beowulf, the warrior, and amused by his entrance, says he has the strength of 30 men. The manner in the storytelling unfolds is really captivating. This is one of the longest works of Anglo-Saxon literature. It says that the original Anglo-Saxon work is much closer to German than English, and some also argue that this falls into a category of prose. This is an early poem of the emergence of ‘England’ which was printed by an Icelandic-Danish scholar, Thorkelin, in 1815. And if you're into good old riddles, ‘The Exeter’ it is, that you should read! It is known as one of the jewels in the crown of Anglo-Saxon Literature (10 Works of Anglo-Saxon Literature Everyone Should Read, 2025).

One of the fascinating aspects is that ‘Women in the Anglo-Saxon period held a surprising degree of independence, including the right to own and bequeath property’, and I hope that would be something you look for. There were military leaders, queens, witches, and murderesses who consumed the utmost power and influence during that period.

A young woman must always be stern, hard-of-heart, unmoved, full of belief, enduring breast-cares, suppressing her own feelings. She must always appear cheerful, even in a tumult of grief.

(An extract from ‘The wife’s lament’ found in the book ‘The Exeter’. Perhaps the oldest feminist poems, as there are many interpretations)

This is just glance at the greatness of Anglo-Saxon literature. The more you read about it, the more you find how amusing the poetry is. If you hop onto the internet, there are tons of articles and sites that you can learn about the Anglo-Saxon Period. Anglo-Saxon literature is an area one should definitely look into, as it takes you on an adventurous journey to the early roots of English literature. Hope this article is an inspiration for that.

(The interest for this article was evoked at a lecture at Westminster House, Colombo, where Malcolm Godden, FBA, formerly Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford, spoke on ‘The Anglo-Saxons: Their Writings, Their Stories and Their Status in Modern Times’. Appreciation is due to the British High Commission in Colombo, the British Council and the Awarelogue Asian Institute)