King Ælfred's English  Student Page  

Anglo Saxon Helmets

  

A note to the student from the author

Resources -- this is the same list that's in the back of the book but with live links to click on.

Movie Recommendations (These recommendations are included below, but you can see them here together in one consolidated list)

Further Illumination 

Activities, Links, Movies, Primary Sources, and Literature Selections For Each Chapter

What is a primary source? A primary source is a manuscript or other record written by someone who had first-hand knowledge of whatever you're studying. A history book  on the American Civil War is not a primary source though it may quote primary sources. The diary of a Confederate soldier would be a primary source. Primary sources can be journals, letters, business records, even grocery lists (ancient ones discovered in Egypt this past century shed light on the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament).

(See links above to skip immediately to the chapter you want.)

Chapter 1.    When Togas and Latin Came to Britannia

Not to Be Missed!

1. The Confederate States were settled heavily by Celtic people. Historians speculate the famous rebel yell may be a descendant of the ancient Celtic battle cry that was so scary even to hardened Roman soldiers. This is both interesting and hilarious -- first read more facts:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebel_yell
2. 
   Then listen to this on youtube (it is all audio, not picture). Let the presentation load and then move the button to the half-way point if you don't want to hear the whole thing (it's only 4 min. though). The main explanation begins there and then there is a real rebel yell recorded years ago at a Confederate reunion.
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssLMroT2euQ&feature=related
   
3. Do #4 below

Movies depicting the Roman era:

• Gladiator. Check the rating (it's violent), but this in one outstanding film. About a man of great integrity (though not a Christian) up against the politics of Rome. The history in this film is a good mix of facts with imagination, a well-done compression of truth and historical fiction. If you want to see what wild Germanic hordes might have really looked like, this film gives a good depiction. Gladiator games, the coliseum, Rome in all its glory (and gore) are brought to life. It is one of my all-time favorite movies but not for the squeamish.
  If you watch Gladiator, be sure and have a look at this article which compares the story to the actual history: Gladiator, the History Behind the Movie.
  
  Classic films worth the viewing:
• Spartacus
• Ben Hur--Christian content. With Charlton Heston, based on the book by Lew Wallace)
• The Robe-- incredible Christian story, also. Richard Burton; based on Lloyd C. Douglas's book.
• The Silver Chalice -- Paul Newman's first movie (he's more than just a salad dressing). Also Christian in content (they are looking for the Chalice from which Christ drank at the last supper, i.e. the Holy Grail).
  
  

Expanding the Lesson

1. Very brief intro on the Roman Empire -- good, quick facts
   http://www.unrv.com/empire.php
2. Daily lives of the Romans
   http://historyrockscom.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/daily-lives-of-romans/
3. Find out about Stonehenge, the pre-Celtic site in England that is still such a mystery.
       Get the facts:
       http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/stonehenge-facts.html
4. Then go to this site to get a 360 degree virtual look around Stonehenge.
   http://www.englishheritage.org.uk/stonehengeinteractivemap/sites/stonehenge/swf.html
5. For a detailed treatment of Stonehenge--
   http://www.christiaan.com/stonehenge/index.php?pg=stonehenge-construction
6. St. Patrick
   Get another version of the story:
   http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89
7. National Geographic on St. Patrick and some legends associated with him. (This site claims the shamrock story is myth, but I still believe it :)
   http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090316-st-patricks-day-facts.html
8. Druids and their religion--fairly detailed
   http://www.collegetermpapers.com/TermPapers/Religion/The_Ancient_Druids.shtml
9. Hadrian's Wall--
   A look at it on youtube--6 min. from the History Channel on Emperor Hadrian
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNWd5GGzRnk
10. Constantine's vision (one of several versions)
    http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08717c.htm
11. Early Christian persecutions in Rome
    http://www.unrv.com/culture/christian-persecution.php
12. Pick one of many various topics on this interesting site -- all about the Anglo Saxons. The site is geared towards middle school and above so it's easy to navigate and the articles are rich without being too technically dense.
    http://anglosaxondiscovery.ashmolean.org
13. Read about the apocryphal legend that claims Joseph of Arimetha was the one who first brought the gospel to the Britons.
    When you see the term "Apocrypha," it usually means particular books written between the time of the Old and New Testaments which Protestants have never considered as part of scripture. But "apocryphal books" may also refer to certain books written after the time of Christ which claimed to be written during the very early days of the church  but which were never accepted by believers on a widespread basis as being authentic. Some of the legends they tell may have some basis in fact, however.
    http://www.britannia.com/history/biographies/joseph.html
14. GO HERE! Listen to Ren Radio and hear Celtic music live on your computer --
    http://www.live365.com/stations/rengeek?play
    

Primary Source

Read something written by Julius Caesar -- very brief. It is the first chapter of his book The Gallic Wars. The very first line is often memorized by Latin students: "All Gaul is divided into three parts," only they learn it in Latin.
http://classics.mit.edu/Caesar/gallic.1.1.html
Look up the "helvetii" to see who they were, and notice that Caesar mentions "the Germans" who lived beyond the Rhine (River). You'll be reading about some other Germans next.

Chapter 2.    Well, We’re Through with the Romans,  So Who’s Next?. 11

Not to Be Missed!
Do one or both of these.

1. Read this stripped down re-telling of the Arthurian legend--
   http://www-personal.umich.edu/~merrie/Arthur/kidstory.html
2. This 10 minute video on You Tube deals with the Roman invasion of Britain. In the very first scene you see the well-known white cliffs of Dover, a section of Britain's coastline that has unusual, stark-white cliff walls due to the high chalk content. This is just the beginning section of this documentary and there are other parts to watch if you are interested in more on Rome.
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_pvu2BUA74

Movie Suggestions 

There are many other movies dealing with Arthur, Camelot, etc. -- no way to list them all, but these are my favs.

• King Arthur -- 2004 film with Clive Owen and Keira Knightley. She plays a Celtic woman-warrior which you should now know is historically plausible, and same for their depiction of Arthur as a Roman. Rated pg13.
  http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/catalog/movieDetails/230479
• Camelot--The classic musical with Richard Harris as King Arthur. 1982
  The Sword in the Stone, a Disney classic. This animated movie is based on the acclaimed novel The Once and Future King by T.H. White.
  

Expanding the Lesson

The Holy Grail: A "grail" is medieval talk for a cup or plate. In the case of the "holy grail" it is the cup from which Jesus drank at the last supper. Throughout history, there have been various legends about what happened to this cup. For instance, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade involves a search for this holy cup as do many of the King Arthur legends. On this link, you can read a very old story of what happened to the grail and why people believed it ended up in England.
http://celtopedia.druidcircle.net/index.php?title=Joseph_of_Arimathea

 Literature

1. T. H. White's The Once and Future King is a modern classic re-telling of the story of Arthur. White's story is readable at late middle and high school level. It is imaginative and entertaining literature at its best. I highly recommend it.
   
   Also: Read any or all of these four essays on White and his book:
   http://www2.netdoor.com/~moulder/thwhite/toafk_b.html
   
   
2. [This literature selection below is also listed for chapter 8, but since it pertains to Arthur, you may prefer to read it now.]
   Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. This epic story of Arthur's life, first published in 1485 as 21 books, is well worth experiencing (at least a small portion).
   Read first the summary of who Malory was: <http://www.britannia.com/history/biographies/malory.html>
   
   Then read some of the work itself: Le Morte d'Arthur, Book 1, chapter 5. Mallory's version of the sword in the stone.
   http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart004.htm

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Chapter 3.    A Little About Language. 17

Not to Be Missed!

Read one of the Grimm's Fairy Tales in their original forms. Choose one from the site below (even just the intro is fun -- be sure and have your sound turned on). A few of the stories are on audio so you can have them read to you like a bedtime story. These are not the cleaned up, sanitized versions of our modern era, either (did children in the 1800's have more nightmares?) Be sure and read the real story of Hansel and Gretel (you have to "take the secret path" to the list of stories)
<http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/index2.html>

Movie Suggestions 

This one is mainly just for fun because the movie only loosely applies, but Ever After with Drew Barrymore treats Cinderella as if it were based on a true story. The Grimm brothers appear at the beginning and end. Renaissance artist/thinker/inventor Leonardo da Vinci plays a role in it, too. Also, Sir Thomas More's book Utopia plays a part. Not exactly "educational" but if you were going to watch something anyway and you could lay your hands on this...it wouldn't hurt :)

Expanding the Lesson

1. Genesis, chapter 11:1-9 about the Tower of Babel. Or... see it read and interpreted in this short video clip from Answers in Genesis:
   <http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v3/n2/babel-rebellion> 
2. Article from a non-Christian source answering the question on whether any primitive, simple languages exist among primitive tribes:
   <http://stason.org/TULARC/languages/linguistics/13-Are-all-languages-equally-complex-or-are-some-more-prim.html>
3. Article by the author on language:
   Babel, Pentecost, and Tongues.
4. See the breakdown of the various Indo European languages and their family groups --
   ../PIE-chart.htm
5. Champollion and the Rosetta Stone -- Reading about Champollion is a loose spin-off from our topic, but Champollion is significant for understanding the importance of ancient languages and how hard they are to decipher without the right clues. He is a famous polyglot :)
   

Literature/Primary Sources

Read an original Grimm Fairy Tale -- see above under "Not To Be Missed"

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Chapter 4.    The Invasion of the Church and of Latin. 27

Not to Be Missed!

1. The first verses of Beowulf recited in Old English (Anglo-Saxon) combined with scenes from the 2006 Motion Picture "Beowulf and Grendel" and the Braveheart soundtrack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L7VTH8ii_8

2. Have a look at the Lindesfarne Gospels:
Check this image out to the right--this is the Lindesfarne Gospel's front cover. Now go actually turn the pages of this virtual book on the website of the British Library--[Select Lindesfarne Gospels and let it load] If you click on the audio button you get to hear the comments by a British scholar on the page you are viewing.
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/ttpbooks.html  

Movies

Beowulf-- Any of several versions. One option is the 2006 digitally rendered film (like 300, in case you saw that one) PG13. Several others (most rated R) are available and there are several documentaries on Beowulf out there, too.

The Thirteenth Warrior-- This movie got much better reviews than the digitally rendered Beowulf  mentioned above. It is a loose retelling of Beowulf retaining much of the story and also the flavor and mood of ancient Germanic legend.

Expanding the Lesson

1. Plot overview of Beowulf <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/summary.html>
2. Beowulf is a myth, but what exactly is a myth? Here's a very brief but good answer:
   http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080105024224AAp5qt9
3. Listen to Caedmon's Hymn read in Old English-- 
   <http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/noa/audio.htm>
4. We have modern myths, too, such as Star Wars or Bat Man. Write a brief paper comparing the elements of one of these popular modern stories with what you've learned about the story of Beowulf.
   See the Tolkien site for information on Anglo Saxon Runes. Find out Tolkien's connection to medieval history and how he used his extensive knowledge in his books.
   http://www.tolkiensociety.org/ed/study_02.html
5. All about the Lindesfarne Gospels--
   http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/lindisfarne.html
6. St. Columba -- brought the gospel from Ireland to Scotland, then another monk took it from Scotland to England. Research St. Columba
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columba 
   This particular article mentions (near the end under
   "Vita Columbae" --it's possible that one of the early records about St. Columba contains the first known mention of the Loch Ness Monster.
7. The Synod of Whitby blow by blow where the king of Northumbria had to choose between the Celtic Church and the Roman Catholic one.
   http://www.wilfrid.com/Wilfrid_pilgrimage/Whitby_synod.htm
8. A new stash of Anglo Saxon treasure was recently uncovered in England and there's a lot of excitement about this valuable find. Read about it here -
   http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090924/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_anglo_saxon_gold

Literature Selection

1. Beowulf -- line by line translation of a short section describing a fight with the monster Grendel: "Grapling With Grendel" (Be sure you read the plot overview listed above first)
   http://alliteration.net/beoIndex.htm
2. Read the description of the basic setting for Beowulf then listen to an excerpt being read in the original Anglo Saxon (click on audio near the bottom of the page)--
   http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/changlang/activities/lang/beowulf/beowulfpage1.html
   

Primary Source

St. Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People -- 2 excerpts:

1. Bede's comments about his own life --(very brief)
2. Bede's full story about Caedmon

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Chapter 5        The Invasion of the Vikings and Old Norse

Not to Be Missed!

"Barbarians-The Vikings 1/5" [first of five]--This is the first of a series of five short history youtube videos. This is a great introduction to Vikings! Very well done and just under 9 min. If you like it, watch the others, too. Same title, but listed as 2/5, 3/5, etc., making the whole show about 1 hour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgFdvwIh1xo

Movies- none (if you find one, let me know and I'll add it)

Expanding the Lesson

1. Lady Godiva's infamous ride, if it really happened, was during the reign of King Cnut. Read this account of it -- it is a good story! To be culturally literate you gotta know who Lady Godiva was.
   http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/anglo_saxons/godiva_02.shtml
2. Leif Erikson, a famous Viking, and his discovery of America before Columbus did it.
   http://www.mnc.net/norway/LeifErikson.htm
3. Easy to read, good but quick overview of the Vikings with links to explanations/histories of other details mentioned in the article.
   http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/history/earlymiddle/vikings.htm
4. More details on Vikings -- divided into sections. Click on the ones you're interested in, but be sure and read the article on Longhouses (have you ever heard of a turf house?)
5. Read this brief legend about King Canut. It appeared about 100 years after his death and probably didn't actually occur. However, it crops up in children's story books and inspirational collections and is associated so strongly with Cnut that you should know about it. Besides, it's a neat story.
   http://www.inspirationalstories.com/0/91.html
6. Read a portion of the Anglo Saxon Chronicle -- browse it using dates from your text to see what the Chronicle records on that year.
   http://omacl.org/Anglo/

Literature

Read a portion of the Old Norse Havamal--

First read about what it is:
http://www.blurtit.com/q101140.html

Then read any of several sections of it --
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/havamal.html#men
(look down the webpage under Contents). The section called "Maxims for All Men," verses 80-88, is interesting.

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Chapter 6        The Invasion of the Normans and Old French

Not to Be Missed!

Since the tales of Robin Hood originated within about a century of the French invasion, read Ben Turner's Robin Hood page (with links to other pages and sites).
http://www.benturner.com/robinhood/

Movies

Robin Hood, of course :)

• The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn can't be beat, and, besides, everyone should know who Errol Flynn is -- he is a legend himself. 1938 -- a classic.
• Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner, 1991 -- wonderful movie. pg13
• Histories Mysteries, The True Story of Robin Hood (available at Blockbuster.com) I haven't viewed this so I'm not vouching for how interesting it is. Read reviews before you rent.

Expanding the Lesson

1. This Boise State University site has a wonderful and easy to understand overview of William the Conqueror. It's presented in separate, brief segments each dealing with a specific topic or time in the life of William.
   http://www.boisestate.edu/courses/westciv/willconq/
2. Browse this list of French phrases that we use "as is" in English. Make a list of the ones you've heard before and also write down one or two to memorize. See if you can use them in the next few days.
   http://french.about.com/library/bl-frenchinenglish-list.htm
3. D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy.  Very brief summary--
   http://www.historyguy.com/normandy_links.html
   
   Summary, but with more depth, fleshes out the magnitude of this incredible feat.
   http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/dday_beachhead_01.shtml 
4. Everyday life in the Middle Ages, including links to more details on various topics.
   http://www.localhistories.org/middle.html
   

Primary Source

The Bayeux Tapestry, a small portion of which is shown in the book, is actually a fantastic 230-foot panel of embroidered linen preserved in Bayeux, France. It was commissioned during the reign of William the Conqueror to tell the story of the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England and of the invasion itself. Here's a 5 minute video documentary by the BBC (British Broadcasting Co.) describing the tapestry and showing the entire piece.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8OPQ_28mdo

And here's a scene by scene depiction of  a life-size replica made for England and housed in the Museum of Reading, Berkshire, England.
http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/Index.htm

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Chapter 7      The Making of Middle English