Beowulf & the Anglo-Saxons (Part 4)

Miraculously preserved over the centuries, its artistic importance was unrecognized until an essay by J. R. R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) revealed its unity and multi-dimensional structure. Beowulf is now regarded as the most important manuscript the Anglo-Saxons have handed down to us, of immense linguistic as well as poetic value.

This program sets out to trace the origins of the tribes that brought this epic into being, the war-like Northmen from Sweden, Denmark and Germany who were to conquer and settle regions of a more clement and fertile island that would become known as England, named after the tribe of the Angles. Using 3-D animation, location footage, archive materials and interviews, the Beowulf epic is examined in the light of the civilization that created it. It investigates their religious beliefs as well as their everyday life, and suggests that, old as the poem is, it may have roots in an even more ancient fertility cult.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Beowulf
• Old
• English
• Poem
• Angles
• Saxons
• Jutes
• Frisians
• Documentary
• England
• JRR
• Tolkien
• Myths
• Legends
• Folklore
• Archaeology

[Frankfritz]

Real History

[TheSecondCrash4563]

Beowulf was not Swedish it was an Old English Epic Poem set in Denmark and Sweden and Beowulf was Geatish and in the Poem became King of the Geats.

[jcrezonna]

What an excellent documentary!!!

[opicss]

@TheSecondCrash4563 geats are from sweden as was beowulf who was a geat and most likely based on an actual person

[scipio909]

People speak of Old English, but it was Old German dialect. The Anglo-Saxsons spoke one of the many Old German Dialects that was spoke in those days. German as we know it today did not exist, let alone anything English. Anyway, that's my understanding

[kakamorak]

@TheSecondCrash4563 Geat: todays Götar: todays swedes,

[Popperite]

Because for some reason or another it was written down in Old English at some point in time.

[itikalala]

the story of beowulf was written by an anglo saxon.

Didn't you watch the other three parts?

[puje]

Why do they talk about anglo saxons when they already said the Beowulf was Swedish and the story too place in Denmark?

[seldomcertain]

Beowulf rules.