The Anglo-Saxons believed in many different creatures and monsters. They populated their world and haunted their nightmares. Grendel is one of three foes, along with Grendel's mother and a dragon, in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. Grendel is thought of as a huge troll-like creature who dwells in a swamp or a cave. Those are the sorts of locations the Saxons thought trolls lived. Beowulf eventually kills Grendel.

There were just a few creatures who the Anglo-Saxons believed inhabited the woods and hills. It was for fear of them that they avoided such places in the night. When bad things happened they would blame them and they would pray to Woden and Freya to protect their families.

Wyrms and Knucklers have a large body of mythological information. Knucklers or Dragons are seen throughout the worlds mythologies.

But the Western Dragon is seen as malevolent and dangerous. Wyrms were also thought of as dangerous and eaters of livestock and human beings

so today we will hear about two of these beasts in Britain.

Research is a process of systematic inquiry that entails the collection of data; documentation of critical information; and analysis and interpretation of that data/information.

Research is conducted to evaluate the validity of a hypothesis or an interpretive framework; to assemble a body of substantive knowledge and findings for sharing them in appropriate manners, and to generate questions for further inquiries.

Researching for information on Anglo Saxon Heathenism is difficult and time-consuming but very rewarding.

Many different weapons were created and used in Anglo-Saxon England between the fifth and eleventh centuries. Spears, used for piercing and throwing, were the most common weapon. Other commonplace weapons included the sword, axe, and Seax—however, bows and arrows, as well as slings, were not frequently used by the Anglo-Saxons. For defensive purposes, the shield was the most common item used by warriors, although sometimes mail and helmets were used.

Weapons also had symbolic value for the Anglo-Saxons, apparently having strong connections to gender and social status. Weapons were commonly included as grave goods in the early Anglo-Saxon burials. The vast majority of these weapons were buried in the graves of men, but they also were buried in the graves of women. In a non-funerary context, weapons were occasionally deposited in the ground or near rivers. However, the establishment of a literate Christian clergy in Anglo-Saxon England resulted in the production of several textual sources that describe weapons and their use in battle. Some of these literary sources include the poems Beowulf and The Battle of Maldon.

Freya was the most important goddess in Northern mythology and religion. She was immensely popular throughout the entire Germanic world. Her name translates to “Lady” which is actually more of a title than her actual name. This is due to the fact that Freya journeyed many times into the mortal world under various names in search of her lost husband. Like most Anglo Saxon gods and goddesses Freya had countless names and nicknames. The nicest way to describe Freya, while still being polite, is to call her the “party girl” of all gods. It was said that she slept with every single god and elf in Asgard at some point or another, including her own brother Frey.

Freya was a lover of fine material possessions, more specifically jewelry. Gold was said to be the tears of Freya which fell all over the earth while she searched for her lost husband. Her husband was Woden, but he went under the name Od during his travels throughout the mortal world. Of all Germanic gods and goddesses, only Woden rivaled Freya when it came to magical abilities. She was the divine model of a sorceress. It was said in one Old Norse poem that she went from house to house in the mortal world giving prophecies, chanting, and performing all kinds of rituals for her human hosts. Freya taught Woden much of what he knew when it came to magic.

Frigg was Woden's official wife, but it has been determined that she is an exact duplication of Freya, making them one and the same. The other difference between the two women was Woden was simply called Od in reference to Freya, but he was called Woden by Frigg. Frigg was also noted for sleeping with both of Woden's brothers while Woden was exiled. She also slept with a slave at one point. Freya and Frigg were very popular with the woman during the Viking Age because of her connection to fertility.

Hello, In this episode, I am going to try something a little different. 

I am going to use a different voice because my voice is a bit rough and I thought I would try using some new software I just bought which allows you to record things in various voices.

For this episode, I have chosen a British Lady's voice and hopefully, it is kinder on your ears.

In this episode we look at the Anglo Saxons in Britain, Why they came to Britain, and various things like battles, resisting the Vikings, going to war with the Britons. I hope you enjoy this short episode.

one of the oldest gods of the Germanic Peoples and a somewhat enigmatic figure. He was apparently the god concerned with the formalities of war—especially treaties—and also, appropriately, of justice. It is in his character as guarantor of contracts, guardian of oaths, that the most famous myth about him may be understood: as a guarantee of good faith, he placed his hand between the jaws of the monstrous wolf Fenrir while the gods, pretending sport but intending a trap, bound the wolf; when Fenrir realized he had been tricked he bit off Tyr’s hand (hence Tyr’s identification as the one-handed god).

Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English, the language spoken in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest. More than 3,000 lines long, Beowulf relates the exploits of its eponymous hero, and his successive battles with a monster named Grendel, with Grendel’s revengeful mother, and with a dragon which was guarding a hoard of treasure.

Beowulf survives in a single medieval manuscript. The manuscript bears no date, and so its age has to be calculated by analyzing the scribes’ handwriting. Some scholars have suggested that the manuscript was made at the end of the 10th century, others in the early decades of the 11th, perhaps as late as the reign of King Cnut, who ruled England from 1016 until 1035.

The most likely time for Beowulf to have been copied is the early 11th century, which makes the manuscript approximately 1,000 years old.

Nobody knows for certain when the poem was first composed.

Apart from Beowulf, the manuscript contains several other medieval texts. These comprise a homily on St Christopher; The marvels of the east (also known as The Wonders of the East), illustrated with wondrous beasts and deformed monsters; the Letter of Alexander to Aristotle; and an imperfect copy of another Old English poem, Judith.

Beowulf is the penultimate item in this collection, the whole of which was copied by two Anglo-Saxon scribes, working in collaboration.

The first recorded owner of Beowulf is Laurence Nowell (died c. 1570), a pioneer of the study of Old English, who inscribed his name (dated 1563) at the top of the manuscript’s first page. Beowulf then entered the famous collection of Sir Robert Cotton (died 1631) – who also owned the Lindisfarne Gospels and the British Library’s two copies of Magna Carta  – before passing into the hands of his son Sir Thomas Cotton (died 1662), and grandson Sir John Cotton (died 1702), who bequeathed the manuscript to the nation. The Cotton library formed one of the foundation collections of the British Museum in 1753, before being incorporated as part of the British Library in 1973.

During the 18th century, the Cotton manuscripts were moved for safekeeping to Ashburnham House at Westminster. On the night of 23 October 1731 a fire broke out and many manuscripts were damaged, and a few completely destroyed.

Beowulf escaped the fire relatively intact but it suffered greater loss by handling in the following years, with letters crumbling away from the outer portions of its pages. Placed in paper frames in 1845, the manuscript remains incredibly fragile and can be handled

Magic in Anglo-Saxon England: galdorcræft) refers to the belief and practice of Magic by the anglo Saxons between the fifth and eleventh centuries AD in Early Medieval England. In this period, magical practices were used for a variety of reasons, but from the available evidence, it appears that they were predominantly used for healing ailments and creating amulets, although it is apparent that at times they were also used to curse.

The Anglo-Saxon period was dominated by two separate religious traditions, the polytheistic Anglo Saxon Heathenism and then the monotheistic Anglo Saxon christianity both of which left their influences on the magical practices of the time.

What we know of Anglo-Saxon magic comes primarily from the surviving manuscripts all of which date from the Christian era.

Written evidence shows that magical practices were performed by those involved in the medical profession. From burial evidence, various archaeologists have also argued for the existence of professional female magical practitioners.

In this episode of the Wanderer Podcast, I am interviewing an Anglo-Saxon Heathen, His name is Jonny Hillman. A very experienced Heathen and very knowledgable on the subject of Paganism/Heathenism especially the path he follows himself which is Anglo Saxon Heathenism.

The earliest English speakers were pagans, who worshipped many different gods and supernatural forces. Little is known about Anglo-Saxon pagan practices, and the evidence has to be pieced together from place-names and Archeological evidence. As far as we know, Anglo-Saxon pagans did not rely on written texts. Those writings that do describe pagan customs in the early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were written by composed by churchmen, such as Bede (died 735).