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Alliterative verse (accentual metra) - generalia a four-stress lme, which is divided into two half lines of t\ro strasses each: the fiist or second strass, orboth, must alliterate with the third; the fourth is usuallynonalliteratwe

in OE alliterative veise all vovrels ara considerad to alliterate

CHRISTIAN LITERATURĘ OF ANGLClS AXON ENGLAND

■    verse paraphrases and translations of Biblie al stone s

■    livesofsaints

■    sermons and doctnnal matenals

■    mora personal poems

The Lłeam of the Rood

It appears in the Veicelli manuscript. A fragment of the poem, written in runes, canbe found on the S^century Ruthwell Cross.

Warriors society

The most important of hurnan ralationshipe is thatbetween the wamor (the thane) and his loni Germania (98 AD.) by Tacitus

•    comitatuś - the bondbetwaen the bid and his thane

■    among other things, comitatus ensures that neither the bid not the wamor leaves the field of battlebefora the other

KINSHIP - relatbnshipbetwaen małe relatives

■    ifone ofhiskinsmenhadbeenkilledbysomeone, amanhadthe specialdutyofeither killing the killer or demanding from him the payment ofwergfld („manpmce”)

■ blood fcud - a very bng fight between two families or groups in which each gioup kills membeis of the other group in ora der to punish the group for earlier murders

HEROIC POETRY

■    Beowulf - found in manuscript of the late 10°V late 11* centuiy (Beowulf manuscript)

■    the time of lts composition is not elear

•    the action is se t m the ó* century

BOASTING

■    indicates the importance of fates

■ FATE = WYRD, one of the Noms, female beings who rule the destmyof gods and men

■    boasting is alraady testing fate

CHRISTIAN VS. PAGAN MOTIVES IN BEOWULF

■ Hrothgaf s minstrel sings a S toiy of Creatton

■    Grendelissaidtobe a descendantofCain

■ the sword with which Beowulf kills Grandęl's mother is decorated with the Old Testament scenyofthe destruetbn of the Giantsbythe Flood

• Beowulf is brnie d with pagan cera monie s