Old English Poetry - University of Oxford

[Pages:54]The Birth of English Poetry

Dr Stuart D Lee stuart.lee@ell.ox.ac.uk

Lesson Aims

? General points about Old English poetry ? Old English poetry collections ? Performance / Authorship / Audience ? Technicalities of Old English Poetry ? Consider some Old English poems

A small topical digression...

Months

Days

Bede, De temporum ratione

Fusion and appropriation

Christianity arrives in 597 AD

Conversion by appropriation

Celtic feast of Samhain, Norse feast of Vetrn?tr `appropriated' > Feast of All Hallows

Saxon days started the previous evening

Thus `?fen' or evening is part of the next day

e.g. Midsummer's Eve, Christmas Eve

EFnud osfisoumnmaern...d appropriation

`Like the Celtic counterpart, the people used to Christianity acrerlievbersaitne t5h9i7s nAiDght by ligShatixnognladragyesbsotanrfiterdesthtoe previous

frightened spirits and demeovnens,inbgecause on this

night they freely roamed the world. It is also on

Conversion bthyisapnpigrohpt rtihaatitoOndin was sTuhpupsos`e?dfetno'loeardevtheening is part

spectral horsemen and hooufntdhseinetxhtedWayild Hunt.

The Wild Hunt lasted throughout winter, peaking

Celtic feasattoYfuSlea'ms nhiaginh,t before Norse feasMt oafyVEevtren(?Wtra-lpurgis' `appropriated' > Feast of

endinge.tgh.eMfoidllsouwminmgeyr'esaEr voen, Night)C.'hristmas Eve

All Hallows

Fusion and appropriation

Christianity arrives in 597 AD

Saxon days started the previous evening

Conversion by appropriation

Thus `?fen' or evening is part of the next day

Celtic feast of Samhain, Norse feast of Vetrn?tr `appropriated' > Feast of All Hallows

e.g. Midsummer's Eve, Christmas Eve

ealra halgena ?fen All Hallow's Eve (31st October)

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