Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxon
In Anglo –Saxon Poetry There are two types of Old English poetry: the heroic, the sources of which are pre?Christian Germanic myth, history, and custom; and the Christian. Although nearly all Old English poetry is preserved in only four manuscripts—indicating that what has survived is not necessarily the best or most representative—much of it is of high literary quality. Moreover, Old English heroic poetry is the earliest extant in all of Germanic literature. It is thus the nearest we can come to the oral pagan literature of Germanic culture, and is also valuable as a source of knowledge about many aspects of Germanic society. The 7th?century work known as Widsith, 7th?century Anglo?Saxon poem found in the Exeter Book (manuscript volume of Old English religious and secular poetry, of various dates of composition, compiled c.975 and given to Exeter Cathedral by Bishop Leofric (d. 1072).). It is an account of the wanderings of a Germanic minstrel and of the legends he relates. The poem gives an excellent description of minstrel life in the Germanic heroic age.
It is important to understand past literary accomplishments in order to appreciate current trends in literature. It enables us to comprehend what life was like in long-ago eras. The oral tradition has also given us a glimpses of long-dead societies.
Almost all of the literature of this period was orally transmitted ,so as a result of this, Anglo-Saxon poetry tends to be highly rhythmical, much like other forms of verse that emerged from oral traditions. Anglo-Saxon poetry creates rhythm through a unique system of alliteration. Syllables are not counted as they are in traditional European meters, but instead the length of the line is determined by a pattern of stressed syllables that begin with the same consonant cluster. The result of this style of poetry is a harsher, more rough sound and a rhythm that sounds more like a chant than a traditional song.