The Wanderer Anglo Saxon History, mythology, Folklore and religion

Anglo Saxon Poems


Listen Later

Anglo-Saxon Poetry encompasses verse written during the 600-year Anglo-Saxon period of British history, from the mid-fifth century to the Norman Conquest of 1066. Almost all of the literature of this period was orally transmitted, and almost all poems were intended for oral performance. As a result of this, Anglo-Saxon poetry tends to be highly rhythmical, much like other forms of verse that emerged from oral traditions. However, Anglo-Saxon poetry does not create rhythm through the techniques of meter and rhyme, derived from Latin poetry, that are utilized by most other Western European languages. Instead, Anglo-Saxon poetry creates rhythm through a unique system of alliteration. Syllables are not counted as they are in traditional European meters, but instead, the length of the line is determined by a pattern of stressed syllables that begin with the same consonant cluster. The result of this style of poetry is a harsher, more guttural sound and a rhythm that sounds more like a chant than a traditional song.

Although most Anglo-Saxon poetry was never written down and as such is lost to us, it was clearly a thriving literary language, and there are extant works in a wide variety of genres including epic poetry, Bible translations, historical chronicles, riddles, and short lyrics. Some of the most important works from this period include the epic Beowulf, Bede's Death Song, and the wisdom poetry found in the Exeter Book such as The Seafarer, and The Wanderer.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Wanderer Anglo Saxon History, mythology, Folklore and religionBy Frank Docherty

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

8 ratings


More shows like The Wanderer Anglo Saxon History, mythology, Folklore and religion

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,401 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,204 Listeners

Stuff You Should Know by iHeartPodcasts

Stuff You Should Know

77,397 Listeners

Mysterious Universe by 8th Kind

Mysterious Universe

5,602 Listeners

Anglo Saxon England Podcast by David Crowther

Anglo Saxon England Podcast

300 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,630 Listeners

Survive the Jive Podcast by Survive the Jive

Survive the Jive Podcast

76 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,981 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

2,941 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,517 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,715 Listeners

Anglo-Saxon England by Evergreen Podcasts

Anglo-Saxon England

204 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,142 Listeners

The News Agents by Global

The News Agents

990 Listeners

The Tucker Carlson Show by Tucker Carlson Network

The Tucker Carlson Show

14,376 Listeners