Literature of the Germanic tribes

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THE INVASION BY GERMANIC TRIBES

When in about 410 the Romans were withdrawn to protect Rome itself the Germanic tribes—Angles [ 'asnglz], Saxons [ 'sseksnz] and Jutes [ 'd3u:ts] began their invasion of Britain. They came from the shores of the North Sea and the Baltic and settled in what is now the county of Kent. They spoke different dialects of the West Ger­manic language. From this language modern German was deve­loped.

The Britains fought many battles until at last they were either made slaves or driven to the west and the north of Britain (Wales, Cornwall and Scotland).

The Angles, Saxons and Jutes were pagans. They believed in many gods: Tu, or Tuesco, — god of Darkness, Woden — god of War, Thor — the Thunderer, and Freia — goddess of Prosperity. When people began to divide time into weeks and weeks into days, they gave the days the names of their gods.

Sunday is the day of the sun, Monday — the day of the moon, Tuesday — the day of the god Tuesco, Wednesday — the Woden's day, Thursday — Thor's day, Friday — Freia's day and Saturday — Saturn's day.

All these invaders created the Anglo-Saxon England — "An­gle-land". During that period the land was divided into little kingdoms. The most important were Mercia ['imtjja], North-umbria [ 'по:0лтЬпэ], Kent and Wessex. The political power soon shifted to Wessex.

Runes (letters carved on stone and wood, 5th century)

The Anglo-Saxons were comparatively well-developed. They liked to hold meetings in which people could express what they thought and left. They were brave, hardy, artistic, poetic people who had a highly developed feeling for beauty. The Anglo-Saxons had no written language when they con­quered Britain, but they had letters called runes, which they carved on wood and stone. The songs, stories and poems they made up had to be memorized and were handed down from generation to generation. One Saxon poem called Beowulfh&s reached our days. We can call this period the dawn of English literature.

Vocabulary

pagan ['peigsn] n язычник prosperity [pros'penti] n процветание rune [ru:n] n руна settle ['setl] v поселяться, обосновы­ваться shift [fift] v перемещаться withdraw [wi6'dro:] v (withdrew; with­drawn) забирать; отзывать withdrawn [wi6'dro:n] p.p. от withdraw

artistic [a:'tistik] а артистический comparatively [kam'pasretrvli] adv срав­нительно express [iks'pres] v выражать generation [^dsera'reijbn] n поколение goddess [gndis] n богиня hardy ['ha:di] а выносливый, стойкий invader [m'veida] n захватчик invasion [m'vei39n] n вторжение memorize [ 'memaraiz] v запоминать; заучивать наизусть

After Christianity was officially adopted by the ruling classes monastic schools were established where Latin was taught. The most learned people of that time were monks. Some of them began to put in writing poems and songs that reached them. Such people were called "scribes". "Scribe" comes from the Latin word "scribere" — "to write". The written Anglo-Sax­ons language developed on the basis of the Latin alphabet.

Questions and Tasks 1. What literature did the Germanic Tribes have? 2. Why didn't the poems remain unchanged? 3. Were there professional poets at that time too? 4. What did they do? 5. What were most of the early poems based on? 6. Were the Germanic tribes pagans or Christians before the 7th century? 7. When did Anglo-Saxons become Christians? 8. Who were the most learned people of that time? 9. What did some of the monks begin to do? 10. Prove that the written Anglo-Saxon language developed on the basis of the Latin alphabet.

Questions and Tasks

1. When did the Romans leave Britain?

2. By whom was Britain conquered?

3. What dialects did they speak?

4. What happened to those who stayed in Britain?,

5. What were the gods of the Anglo-Saxons?

6. How did people name the days?

7. What land did all the invaders create?

8. What were the most important kingdoms the land was divided?

9. Prove that the Anglo-Saxons were comparatively well-developed.

10. Did the Anglo-Saxons have letters of their own by the time they conquered Britain?

11. What were the names of the letters?

12. Did the Anglo-Saxons have a written language?

13. What did they have to do with their songs, stories and poems?

14. What poem has reached our own time?

The Germanic tribes had a literature, but it was not written down. The stories and poems they made up were repeated and remem­bered. The Germanic tribes were fond of poetry. Their poems did not remain unchanged. Poets improved them in form and some­times they changed them to make them more interesting.

At that time there were professional poets too, who went from one place to another or had positions at the courts of kings. They sang songs in which they enlarged and magnified the deeds and events, which the songs were describing. They even sometimes added super natural qualities to a hero.

Most of those early poems were based on historic facts but historic elements were obscured by poetic and mythical addi­tions.

At first all the Germanic tribes were pagans, but then in the 7th century the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity by missionaries who came from the continent. So in the 7th century the Anglo-Saxons became Christians and began composing reli­gious works.

Vocabulary

add [aed] v добавлять addition [s'dijbn] n дополнение adopt [g'dDpt] v принимать Christian ['knstjan] n христианин Christianity Lkristi'asnrti] n христианство compose [ksm'psuz] v сочинять, созда­вать convert [kan'v3:t] v обращать (в дру­гую веру) establish [is'taeblij] v основывать; созда­вать

magnify ['msegmfai] v восхвалять

missionary ['гш/пэп] п миссионер

monk [тлпк] п монах

mythical ['гш01кэ1] о фантастический, вымышленный

obscure [sb'skjus] v затемнять

position [pa'zifsn] n должность

quality ['kwoliti] n качество

supenatural [,sju:p3'naetfr3l] а сверхъ­естественный

Дата добавления: 2015-06-27