Anglo-Saxon Literature: Manuscripts and Heroic Poetry

Literature Manuscripts

• Cotton Vitellius: Beowulf, Judith, 3 prose poems
• Junius Manuscript: Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Christ and Satan
• Exeter Book: Christ, Juliana, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, Widsith, Deor, and other short pieces
• Vercelli Book: Andreas, The Fates of the Apostles, Address of the Soul to the Body, The Dream of the Rood, Elene

These four manuscripts contain approximately 30,000 lines of poetry, along with prose translations, religious instruction, and historical records. The Cotton Vitellius is in the British Museum, London. The Junius Manuscript is in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The Exeter Book is in Exeter Cathedral. The Vercelli Book is in the Library of Vercelli Cathedral, Northern Italy.

Heroic Poetry

Heroic poetry connects us to the Germanic origins of the Anglo-Saxon invaders, reflecting their society and broader Germanic civilization. It offers a glimpse into the oral pagan literature of the Heroic Age of Germania. The Church's lack of interest in preserving pagan texts led to the survival of mainly religious works, with pagan elements often Christianized. However, traces of pagan thought persisted.

Characteristics of Heroic Poetry

• Inflexions that have disappeared
• Limited vocabulary with lost words
• Dialectical differences
• Alliterative and stressed verse without rhyme, each line with four stressed syllables
• Caesura in each line, dividing the verse into two halves with two stresses each

WIDSITH

One of the earliest surviving Anglo-Saxon poems, dating from the late 7th or early 8th century. It is an autobiographical record of a scop (bard). The poem, though containing interpolations, reflects the heroic attitude and the Germanic world as envisioned by the Anglo-Saxons. Widsith recounts his travels and the rulers he met.

BEOWULF

The only complete epic of its kind in an ancient Germanic language. It showcases narrative verse, combining heroic idealism with dark vandalism. Structurally weak, it lacks unity of tone and organization, but is considered the work of a single author from the early 8th century.

DEOR or DEOR'S LAMENT

A 42-line poem about a minstrel replaced by a rival. It highlights the scop's crucial role in society as its living memory. Deor consoles himself by recounting the trials of Germanic heroes, offering glimpses into Germanic legends. The poem combines heroic topics with a personal elegiac tone, unusual in Anglo-Saxon poetry. It dates from the 8th century.