The basic form of society in Anglo-Saxon England was a kingdom. Over the centuries the movement was away from many small units to larger kingdoms controlling greater populations. The first kings were pagan and when Christianity became established the Christian kings kept many of the characteristics of their pagan forebears. The Christian kings continued to be primarily military leaders.
A cult of martyrs arose in Anglo-Saxon England which included Christian kings who had died either in battle or in defence of Christianity. Other royal saints followed a different path to sainthood by leading exemplary Christian lives.
Many saints’ lives composed in Latin circulated in Anglo-Saxon England but it was the monk and author Ælfric of Eynsham who translated a collection of saints’ lives into Old English. In particular this paper will deal with the lives of St Edmund and St Oswald. After a brief introduction to the lives of these two saints an analysis of the two concepts of vita and passio follows. Then the general and syntactic linguistic structure of both texts is examined. Finally a comparison of the deaths of St Oswald and St Edmund illustrates the difference in approach of these writings.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Kingship in Anglo-Saxon England
- The Author: Ælfric of Eynsham
- The Genre
- The Importance of Saints
- Saints' Lives - a Typical Christian Genre
- Oswald of Northumbria
- Edmund the Martyr
- A Comparison of vita and passio
- Linguistic Analysis
- The Sources
- Overall Structures of the Texts
- Syntactic Structure
- Style and Alliterative Elements
- Comparison of the Description of the Murders Oswald and Edmund
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the lives of St Edmund and St Oswald as presented in Old English saints' lives, focusing on their roles as royal saints and comparing their respective narratives. The analysis investigates the genre of saints' lives, exploring the concepts of vita and passio, and examines the linguistic features of the texts, including their overall structure, syntax, and style.
- The nature of kingship in Anglo-Saxon England
- The development of a cult of martyrs and royal saints
- The genre of saints' lives and its specific characteristics
- Linguistic analysis of Old English saints' lives, including style and structure
- Comparison of the narratives of St Edmund and St Oswald, particularly their deaths
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction sets the context for the paper, outlining the historical background of Anglo-Saxon kingship and the emergence of Christian kings who became royal saints. The paper focuses on the lives of St Edmund and St Oswald, translated into Old English by Ælfric of Eynsham.
Chapter 2 discusses kingship in Anglo-Saxon England, examining its evolution from pagan origins to the establishment of Christian kingdoms. It explores the role of kings as military leaders, the importance of lineage and divine authority, and the relationship between kings and their retainers.
Chapter 3 introduces Ælfric of Eynsham, the author of the Old English saints' lives, and discusses the importance of saints in Anglo-Saxon England. It explores the genre of saints' lives, including the concepts of vita and passio, and provides a brief overview of the lives of St Oswald and St Edmund.
Chapter 4 delves into the linguistic analysis of the texts, examining the sources, overall structure, syntactic structure, style, and alliterative elements. It also compares the descriptions of the deaths of St Oswald and St Edmund, highlighting the differences in approach between the two narratives.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Anglo-Saxon England, kingship, royal saints, saints' lives, vita, passio, Ælfric of Eynsham, Old English, linguistic analysis, style, structure, St Edmund, St Oswald, death, martyrdom.
- Quote paper
- Harry Altmann (Author), 2013, Kingship in Anglo-Saxon England. A Comparison of Oswald and Edmund as Royal Saints, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/295096