Old English Literature and Culture resources
The splendid ornament at the top of my page is the Sutton Hoo buckle. I have used another piece from Sutton Hoo, the 'purse lid', to get you back up to the Contents table above from lower down this page.
Both these beautiful items were among the treasures that were excavated at the Sutton Hoo ship burial.
You will also find useful information on my Medieval English literature on the World Wide Web page.
Major websites
- The ORB online encyclopedia: Anglo-Saxon England-- a guide to online resources
- ORB is the invaluable Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies. Primarily it is a cooperative effort on the part of scholars to establish an online source of original essays in medieval studies, but there are also links to online bibliographies, texts and digitised images. All articles have been judged by at least two peer reviewers.
This section is an excellent introduction to the period of English history dating from the mid-fifth century to the mid-eleventh century, including primary sources, bibliographies and resources for teaching.
- Voice of the Shuttle: English Literature: Medieval (Old and Middle English)
- A large collection of links to Anglo-Saxon resources, history and culture as well as literature.
- Old English at the University of Virginia
- Primarily intended for students taking courses at the University of Virginia (and some parts are restricted to them) this site contains some very useful teaching resources including pronunciation practice, fonts and typefaces, bibliographies and links to Anglo-Saxon sources.
Dictionaries
- Bright's Old English Glossary
- Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader (1912) has passed into the public domain, which means that its contents can be freely posted online. The glossary comprises pages 241-385 of the text.
The whole file will take a little while to load into your computer: make sure it has completely downloaded before you start to use it.
Thanks go to Sean Crist and a team of volunteers from the ANSAX-L mailing list who put their time and effort into producing this glossary and making it available on the Web.
- Dictionary of Old English Project
- The Dictionary of Old English is an historical dictionary in the tradition of the Oxford English Dictionary. It is is based on records written in English between 600 and 1150 A.D.
The Barr Smith Library has a CD-ROM version which is available on computer 332, behind the Information desk. The CD covers the first seven letters of the Old English alphabet. It includes the first release of the letter F, containing some 3,016 headwords, as well as revised versions of the six previously published fascicles D(1986); C(1988); B(1991); Æ(1992); A(1994); E(1996).
We also have the A to E section on microfilm.
In the Barr Smith Library's Reference collection you will find three useful Old English dictionaries:
- Bosworth, Joseph, 1789-1876
An Anglo-Saxon dictionary : based on the manuscript collections of
the late Joseph Bosworth, edited and enlarged by T. Northcote
Toller. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1882-[98]
Call number: BSL Reference collection 429.3 B74
Note: There is a digitised version of Bosworth-Toller (as this dictionary is known) on the web. Even better, if you have a Macintosh computer running OSX you can download David Finucane's excellent searchable digitised version.
- Hall, John Richard Clark
A concise Anglo Saxon dictionary, 4th edition with a supplement by Herbert D. Meritt. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1960.
Call number: BSL Reference collection 429.3 H17
- English-Old English and Old English-English dictionary, edited by Gregory K. Jember. Boulder, Col., Westview Press, 1975.
Call number: BSL Reference collection 429.3 E58
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online
- The Web-based new edition of the OED. Click on the link Enter OED Online on their website to use the dictionary.
The online Dictionary contains the complete A to Z sequence of the Second Edition, its three-volume Additions Series, and also draft material from the revision programme, which represents the latest progress towards the Third Edition. Provides etymology, definition, part of speech, date of origination, pronunciation, quotation and cross references.
You need to be a member of the University of Adelaide community to be able to use our copy of OED Online.
- Old English Aerobics Glossary
- A useful glossary to words appearing in the University of Virginia's Old English Anthology.
- Circolwyrde Wordhord
- Here's a bit of whimsy! Do you know the OE word for e-mail? Circolwyrde Wordhord [Computer Glossary] is the place to find out...
Electronic texts
Many of the links below include critical apparatus on the text.
- Labyrinth Library: Old English Literature
- A collection of links to the major OE texts, poetry, prose and [under development] runes.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Originally compiled on the orders of King Alfred the Great in approximately A.D. 890, and subsequently maintained and added to by generations of anonymous scribes until the middle of the 12th Century. The original language is Anglo-Saxon (Old English), but later entries are essentially Middle English in tone.
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- Translation by Rev. James Ingram (London, 1823), with additional readings from the translation of Dr. J.A. Giles (London, 1847).
The text of this electronic edition is based on that published as The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (London, Everyman Press, 1912), and was edited, proofed, and prepared by Douglas B. Killings.
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- Another link to the Ingram translation (see description above), but on the Britannia site.
The Battle of Maldon
An anonymous Anglo Saxon poet immortalised the last stand of Byrhtnoth, Earl of Essex, against a Viking horde on the 10th of August 991. His heroic defeat and death is the subject of this great poem, The Battle of Maldon.
- The Battle of Maldon
- A Verse translation by Douglas B. Killings.
- The Battle of Maldon
- A translation by Jonathan Glenn with copious inline annotations to the text.
- The Battle of Maldon or Byrhtnoth's Death
- A convenient summary of the poem from the Bartleby.com electronic version of The Cambridge History of English and American Literature.
- The Battle of Maldon
- This site contains a commentary, a translation of the poem, a map, and images of the battle-ground as it is today. There are also links to other relevant sites.
- The Battle of Maldon, 991 AD
- An excellent interpretative site with plenty of background information. There is a nice appendix with a map and photographs of the battle site.
- A Bibliography of The Battle of Maldon
- Wendy E. J. Collier's comprehensive bibliography is in two parts:
- 1) Editions and translations of the poem (in chronological order);
- 2) Studies of the battle and the poem (in alphabetical order).
General histories both of the literature and of the period are excluded from this bibliography. Not all translations of the poem have been traced. Readers will find entry numbers from A Bibliography of Publications on Old English Literature to the End of 1972 by Stanley B. Greenfield and Fred C. Robinson, appended in brackets at the end of relevant entries.
- Online articles on The Battle of Maldon
- An Oxford University course pack. The main listing is of articles from JSTOR which are freely available to University of Adelaide staff and students because we subscribe to that database.
Beowulf
Only about 30,000 lines of Anglo-Saxon verse survive today. Around ten percent of this corpus is formed by the 3,182 lines of the epic poem Beowulf. The poem tells the story of the hero Beowulf in his fights against supernatural creatures, as well as containing many digressions to other stories and historical events.
The Electronic Beowulf
- The Electronic Beowulf
- The The Electronic Beowulf was one of the very early manuscript images to appear on the Web. I show it to Honours and Postgraduate English students here at the University of Adelaide, during my Library seminars on using electronic resources. It has been part of my repertoire since 1995 and has never failed to elicit a similar reaction from the students to the one I had when I first saw it: awe verging on reverence...
The British Library, with two leading American Anglo-Saxon experts, Kevin Kiernan of the University of Kentucky and Paul Szarmach of the Medieval Institute, Western Michigan University, has issued a magnificent set of 2 CD ROMs which not only contains digitised images of the Beowulf manuscript, but also provides valuable research tools such as search engines and ultra-violet enhanced imaging. We have a set of the CDs in the Barr Smith Library: ask at the Reserve and multimedia desk on Level 3 South.
Here's a summary of the Electronic Beowulf Project:
Beowulf, the first great English literary masterpiece, is known only from a single eleventh century manuscript, which was badly damaged by fire in 1731. Transcriptions made in the late-eighteenth century show that many hundreds of words and letters then visible along the charred edges subsequently crumbled away. To halt this process each leaf was mounted in a paper frame in 1845. Scholarly discussion of the date, provenance and creation of the poem continue around the world, and researchers regularly require access to the manuscript. Taking Beowulf out of its display case for study not only raises conservation issues, however, it also makes it unavailable for the many visitors who come to the Library expecting to see this most fundamental of literary treasures on display.
Digitisation of the whole manuscript offered a solution to these problems, as well as providing new insights. The Project team has assembled a huge database of digital images of the Beowulf manuscript and related manuscripts and printed texts. The archive already includes fiber-optic readings of hidden letters and ultraviolet readings of erased text in the early 11th-century manuscript.
I suggest you have a look at the enlarged version of Professor Kevin Kiernan's series of images, from black and white to colour to ultraviolet, which illustrates some of the illuminating virtues of an electronic facsimile: 
(Click on the picture for an enlarged image)
Beowulf: Texts
- Beowulf: Old English text
- The complete text with the original Old English lines and the modern English translation by Francis B. Gummere, on alternate lines, thanks to the University of Toronto.
- Beowulf: translation into modern English
- A translation by Francis B. Gummere, originally published in The Harvard Classics, Volume 49. Copyright, 1910 by P.F. Collier & Son.
- Beowulf: Project Gutenberg version
- If you just want a plain, unadorned electronic text edition, the above is a link to the Gutenberg Project text of the Gummere translation.
Note: My colleague, Steve Thomas, has produced an enhanced version of the Gummere Beowulf which is much more readable. You can also download the text from Steve's page.
- Seamus Heaney on Beowulf and his verse translation
- An excellent introduction to the poem followed by a careful exposition by Seamus Heaney on the principles underlying his translation into Modern English.
The Barr Smith Library's copy of the Seamus Heaney translation of Beowulf is in the Main collection at call number 829 B48.HE; I urge you to read it...
- Beowulf on Steorarume (Beowulf in cyberspace)
- A critical electronic edition of the text, based on an examination of the original MS with supplementary texts including Finnsburh
Waldere, Deor, Woden's Nine Herb Charm and other OE texts, edited and translated by Benjamin Slade.
This is a truly excellent Beowulf resource. You have a new modern English translation next to a critically edited edition of the original Old English, with explanatory notes on the text and audio clips of selected passages in Old English.
As well as the text there are many useful pages with essays, critical studies and reference materials on the poem, a glossary, list of characters and list of monsters.
You could (and should!) spend hours exploring this wonderful site.
- Beowulf in hypertext
- Read either the Old English or Modern English translation with hypertext links to background material such as Characters; History; Authorship; Archaeology; Christian colouring, and so on.
- Readings from Beowulf
- Read the Old English text on the screen while listening to extracts [Prologue; Grendel's Approach to Heorot; The Lament of the Last Survivor; Beowulf's Funeral] being recited on .wav or TrueSpeech files.
- Beowulf: A New Translation For Oral Delivery
- This translation by Dirk Ringler of the University of Wisconsin is intended for 'oral delivery', that is, to be read or recited aloud. You can listen to the poem in its entirety or access different sections at forty-three separate locations within the text. You can also search for keywords and phrases within the entire poem.
Beowulf: Bibliography
- Beowulf scholarship: an annotated bibliography
- Short, Douglas D. Beowulf scholarship: an annotated bibliography. N.Y., Garland, 1980.
There are two sections: 1705-1949 - Selective listing, and 1950-1978. Includes an Author index and a Subject index.
In the Barr Smith Library Main collection at Call number 829 B48Z.SH.
- Beowulf scholarship: an annotated bibliography, 1979-1990
- Hasenfratz, Robert J. Beowulf scholarship: an annotated bibliography, 1979-1990. N.Y., Garland, 1993.
Begins with the few items that Douglas Short's bibliography missed, then covers the period 1979-1990 with impressive thoroughness. Includes an Author index, a Subject index, a Word index and a Line index.
In the Barr Smith Library Main collection at Call number 829 B48ZHA.
- Beowulf: Bibliography 1990-2003
- Adapted with permission from Carl Berkhout's Annual Bibliography. This forms part of the online Guide to the Electronic Beowulf, version 2.0 (2003), a set of 2 CD-ROMs published by British Library Publications.
- Old English Newsletter Bibliography Database
- The Old English Newsletter is a quarterly publication offering news, reports, articles and information on Anglo-Saxon studies. Each year it publishes a comprehensive Bibliography that is widely regarded as one of the best research tools in the field; the Bibliography records recent work on Anglo-Saxon literature, language, history, art, archaeology, and other topics. This site presents the annual OEN Bibliography in a searchable database.
The database currently contains the annual bibliographies from 1973 to 2004 - over 19,000 entries - with new items added annually. These can be browsed by subject, scanned for keywords (using AND, OR, and NOT conditions), or searched by specific fields. Searches can be limited to a single year or range of years, and results can be sorted by author, title, or date. Individual items can be viewed in more detail, including a list of reviews (for books) and links to related items. You can save single items or entire sets of search results, and your list of saved items can be printed, saved, or sent via email.
Access to the OEN Bibliography database is free, but is limited to registered users. It's a simple matter to register - all you need is a valid email address.
- Annotated List of Beowulf Translations
- A useful Introduction to the topic precedes the entries; by Marijane Osborn, Department of English, University of California/Davis.
Beowulf: Background
- Resources for the study of Beowulf
- An excellent introductory page from the Reno Libraries of the University of Nevada.
- Legends: Beowulf
- Some background information about the poem with links to relevant websites.
Beowulf: Language
- Changing Language: Beowulf
- Part of the British Library's excellent exploration of how the English language has changed over hundreds of years. After a short introduction to the topic of kennings, there are exercises aimed to show how the language of Beowulf links to modern English.
- Beowulf Language and Poetics Quick Reference Sheet
- A summary of Old English/Anglo-Saxon language with particular reference to the language of Beowulf.
Beowulf: Oddities
There are always surprises in store for the assiduous Web searcher: while researching this section of my Old English resources page I came across some Beowulf references that were a bit out of the ordinary...
- Grendel's Cave
- Computer games are not at all my cup of tea, but I guess it might show you another facet of an interest in Beowulf...
- Beowulf Project at CESDIS
- Talk about arcane! -- this turned out to be information on building a Beowulf system, which is all about linking computers in parallel using the Linux operating system. Apparently this is very useful to NASA in their space flights. Just the thing to impress your Old English colleagues, I suspect...!
- Beowulf: the movie
- There's even a film of the Beowulf legend, released on an unsuspecting public in 1999, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a highly developed sense of humour.
Here are a couple of reviews:
"Christopher Lambert stars in this action packed sci-fi spectacle brought to life by the talented filmmakers behind the movie hits Mortal Kombat, True Lies and Terminator 2. With incredible stunts, a throbbing techno score and unbelievable special effects, Beowulf gives a modern twist to the classic story and the result is ninety minutes of non-stop fantasy and adventure."
Category: Science Fantasy Rated: 15+ Stars: Christopher Lambert, Oliver Cotton, Rhona Mitra, Goetz Otto, Layla Roberts Duration: 92 minutes
"Christopher Lambert stars in the role of Beowulf, a half human son of the god Baal. His father was a wicked and evil god and Beowulf has made it his mission never to surrender to his darker nature, instead choosing the life of a lonely itinerant who fights evil where ever he finds it.
When Beowulf arrives at Outpost he faces forces he hadn't been expecting. The evil monster Grendel has Outpost under siege and the warriors of the overlord Hrothgar (Oliver Cotton) are no match for their captor. Beowulf also finds love at Outpost when he meets Krya (Rhona Mitra) the Overlord's daughter. But he has to battle with her suitor Roland (Goetz Otto). Beowulf though injured from his battle with Roland confronts Grendel with the help of an unlikely ally, his beautiful and wicked mother (Layla Roberts)."
The Sofa Cinema October 1999 Video Movie archive
- Beowulf: the 3D movie [or, 'here we go again...!]
- November 2007 sees the release of another Beowulf film, this time in 3D. Having seen the shorts on the website, all I can say is it could even be worse than the 1999 Christopher Lambert effort. Perhaps these extracts from the official website will give you some idea of what to expect:
A stellar cast is led by Ray Winstone ("The Departed," "Sexy Beast") in the title role. Joining him are Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins as the cursed King Hrothgar ... and Oscar winner Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother."
This film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sexual material and nudity.
- Beowulf: the game
- Associated with the 3D film is a game: "Play Beowulf, an epic hero tormented by desire for power and glory, a slayer and a king torn between the nobility and brutality within him ... you are Beowulf, legendary Norse warrior with the strength of 30 men. Arrogant, self-serving, and lustful for gold and glory, you journey to Denmark to destroy a bloodthirty beast wreaking havoc on a frigid land."
The Complete Poetic Corpus
- The Complete Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Poetry
- This file was originally prepared by Greg Hidley, evidently from a collation of an early form of the electronic text of the OE corpus held by the Dictionary of Old English with the printed text of the Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records.
Unfortunately, the Library cannot afford the site licence fee for the magnificent Web version of the Old English Corpus produced by the University of Michigan. Perhaps one day...
Translations
- In Parentheses
- Modern English versions of several well-known Old English poems in .pdf format.
Anglo-Saxon history and culture
- The Saxon period
- A very useful reference site arranged under headings such as Timelines; Original sources and texts; House of Wessex; Lists of bishops and kings, and so on. This is the place to find the answers to questions on Old English history.
- The Anglo-Saxon kings
- Part of the official History of the Monarchy, these pages offer an overview and then individual histories of the Anglo-Saxon kings, commencing with Offa (reigned 757-96) and Alfred (871-99) right through to Harold II (1066). There are illustrations of each king accompanying the text. To navigate to an individual monarch use the drop-down menu at the top of the page labelled 'Choose an option'.
- Regia Anglorum
- Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman and British Living History, 950-1066AD.
- Ða Engliscan Gesiðas Home Page
- Ða Engliscan Gesiðas is a historical society devoted to the study of the Anglo-Saxon period. All aspects are covered, including language and literature, archaeology, anthropology, architecture, art, religion, mythology, folklore and material culture.
The page includes links to sound files of Readings of Old English Poetry.
Ða Engliscan Gesiðas is Old English for 'The English Companions'.
It is pronounced approximately 'Tha Englishan yeseethas'
King Alfred
Youngest son of King Æthelwulf, Alfred became King of Wessex in 871 during a time of constant Viking attack. He defeated the Danes decisively at the battle of Eddington. Alfred was also a codifier of law, a promoter of education and a supporter of the arts. He was a scholar and translated Latin texts into the Anglo-Saxon tongue.
The definitive contemporary work on Alfred's life is an unfinished account in Latin by Asser.
- Alfred 'the Great'
- A succinct history and George Vertue's portrait of Alfred. This page is part of the official British monarchy web site.
- King Alfred the Great
- A short biographical description followed by a list of books on Alfred.
- Asser's Life of King Alfred
- 'Although similar to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in its annalistic approach, Asser personalized his Life of King Alfred so that the man, and not just the Christian king who vanquished the paganistic heathen, was presented. Asser's Life differs also in its use of Latin, not the vernacular that most sources from Alfred's reign are written in.'
This text is part of Paul Halsall's Internet Medieval Source Book.
The Bayeux tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry has preserved the history of the Norman Conquest of England, and the saga of Harold of Wessex and Duke William of Normandy for over 900 years. Usually attributed to William's wife Matilda, the Bayeux Tapestry in fact was more likely commissioned by William's half-brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux (also Earl of Kent), for display in the Bayeux Cathedral, which was consecrated just eleven years after Hastings. The 231-foot-long tapestry is a Norman document, but the style of the figures sewn in colored wools leads some scholars to believe that Englishmen from Canterbury actually stitched the Bayeux Tapestry.
- The Bayeux tapestry
- The Victorian replica of the Tapestry is housed in its own gallery at the Museum of Reading. This site. The Tapestry has been divided into thirteen sections; within each section are a number of scenes exploring the story.
- The Bayeux tapestry
- Nearly one hundred miniature images: click on any image to see a larger version.
- A virtual Bayeux tapestry
- A beautiful, scrollable panorama from the Musée de Bayeux. You'll need QuickTime installed, but it's well worth it!
- Animated version of the Bayeux Tapestry
- A bit of whimsy on YouTube, lasting for 4 minutes 15 seconds (more than enough for me... !).
Sutton Hoo
In 1939 a large burial mound at Sutton Hoo in East Anglia was excavated. The grave contained the remains of a ship, some 27metres long, fully equipped for the afterlife, but with no body. The ship's timbers had rotted away, but the shape of the ship could be recognised from the traces of decayed wood and rusted nails that could be discerned in the soil.
The outbreak of World War II delayed the excavation until 1966. In 1975 Rupert Bruce-Mitford of the British Museum published the first part of a magnificent three-volumes-in-four work which describes in full detail the excavations, background, dating and inventory of the Sutton Hoo ship burial. Subsequent volumes describe the arms, and regalia, silver bowls, textiles. pottery and other items. 41 items of solid gold were found, which are held in the British Museum. The illustration at the top of this Web page is the famous Sutton Hoo gold and niello-work buckle. I've also used a detail from the Sutton Hoo purse lid in the Up to contents navigation panel throughout this page.
The Barr Smith Library's copy of Rupert Bruce-Mitford's The Sutton Hoo ship-burial is at call number Main collection 913.426 S967.
We also have in our collections a book with the same title by Bruce-Mitford's successor, Angela Care Evans: The Sutton Hoo Ship-Burial.
Angela Care Evans also contributed to another excellent publication, Sutton Hoo: a seventh-century princely burial ground and its context by Martin Carver.
- Sutton Hoo: The Grandest Anglo-Saxon burial of all
- Sound background information and many clear illustrations of items in the British Museum as well as illustrations of the excavation itself.
- Sutton Hoo
- Illustrations from the British Museum collections. Click on an image to see a description of the item and a link to a high-resolution enlargement.
The highlight is undoubtedly the Sutton Hoo helmet. Breathtaking...
- The Sutton Hoo Room
- A few pictures of the excavation and items found at Sutton Hoo.
- Sutton Hoo
- A brief introduction to the work of the Sutton Hoo Society and the story behind the Anglo-Saxon Royal Cemetery at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, hosted by the Sutton Hoo Society.
- Sutton Hoo
- This British National Trust page will tell you how and when to visit the Sutton Hoo burial site.
- A select bibliography on Sutton Hoo, 1939-1993
- Compiled by Gregory F. Rose: 'I have endeavored to make it as comprehensive as possible, consonant with the following provisos: (1) I have systematically excluded newspaper articles and articles in popular magazines, (2) I have made no effort to cite all the literature on all excavations of AS cemeteries and related sites...'.
Language, grammar
- Old English at the University of Calgary
- A very thorough course intended to teach the basics of the Old English language. There are lessons, texts and a grammar.
- Old English: a multimedia history
- A CD-ROM produced for the British Library by David Burnley. An excellent introduction to the language and culture of England from the coming of the English until the Norman Conquest. The language is covered in detail, with chapters on the writing system, sounds, grammar and vocabulary, as well as on dialect and poetic language. The art and architectural milieu is represented by more than 300 images of manuscripts, sculpture, architecture and jewelry.
Available in the Barr Smith Library's Multimedia collection.
- The Electronic Introduction to Old English
- An on-line analogue of Introduction to Old English (Oxford: Blackwell, 2003) by Peter S. Baker.
An excellent textbook on all aspects of Anglo-Saxon grammar. You'll find separate chapters on topics such as Case, Pronouns, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Numbers, and so on.
The Barr Smith Library has a copy of the printed version at Call number 429 B168i in the Main collection.
- Fontes Anglo-Saxonici
- Fontes Anglo-Saxonici: A Register of Written Sources Used by Authors in Anglo-Saxon England is a searchable database intended to identify all written sources which were incorporated, quoted, translated or adapted anywhere in English or Latin texts which were written in Anglo-Saxon England (i.e. England to 1066), or by Anglo-Saxons in other countries.
The material is compiled in the form of a database which analyses each Anglo-Saxon text passage by passage, sentence by sentence or, if necessary, phrase by phrase, identifying the probable source-passages used for each particular segment.
The database shows which texts were known in Anglo-Saxon England, how well specific texts and authors were known, and in what different ways they were used. It also provides the basis for studies on the intellectual interests of Anglo-Saxon authors, and what contributions the Anglo-Saxons made to the history of ideas.
Old English language textbooks
The Barr Smith Library has a good collection of Old English grammars and textbooks. To find what is available search the Library Catalogue under the Subject Heading English language--Old English, ca. 450-1100 and subheadings such as Grammar.
Old English alphabet and numbers
- The Old English alphabet
- I am often asked for a reproduction of the Old English alphabet. This page includes both the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, or Rnic alphabet as well as the Old English alphabet itself.
- Old English numbers from 1 to 10
- Look under the main heading Indo-European sub-heading Germanic then under Western and finally under Old English+.
Manuscripts
- Bodleian Library: Visual resources
- Digital facsimiles of complete manuscripts, scanned directly from the originals. Of especial interest to us are the sections on Celtic manuscripts, which includes precious items from Bodleian Library, Corpus Christi College and Jesus College, and Other medieval manuscripts with images of manuscripts from six libraries within the University of Oxford.
- Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts
- A dozen links to items such as London. British Library. Cotton Vitellius A.xv and Exeter. Cathedral Library. 3501, f. 76v.
Maps
- A Map of Alfred's Kingdom
- The Internet Medieval Sourcebook: Maps
- A large number of links to copy-permitted maps.
- Britannia's historical maps
- Includes:
- Celtic Tribes of Roman Britain
- Roman Roads in Britain
- Roman "Saxon Shore" Forts, c.370 AD
- Saxon Landings in Britain, c.450-500 AD
- Saxon Land Holdings, c.600 AD
- Saxon Land Holdings, c.700 AD
- The Danelaw, c.880
- Cathedrals in England & Wales
- Saxon Britain Map
Runes
Runes are an ancient Germanic alphabet used hroughout northern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland from about 300 C.E. to 1600 C.E. The alphabet is referred to as the (Old English) futhorc or (Germanic) futhark, after the first 6 letters. While they enjoyed widespread usage among the peoples of the area, there is no concrete agreement as to the origin of this writing system.
There are two excellent books in the Barr Smith Library on the subject of runes. The first is by Professor Ralph Elliott, who instilled in me a life-long love of Anglo-Saxon literature and language when I studied under him as an Honours student at Flinders University.
Elliott, Ralph Warren Victor Runes: an introduction. Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1959. [Barr Smith Library call number: Special collections University 439 E4].
The other excellent general book on runes is:
Page, Raymond Ian Runes and runic inscriptions: collected essays on Anglo-Saxon and Viking runes. Rochester, N.Y., Boydell Press, 1995. [Barr Smith Library call number: Main Collection 430 P133r].
- Runes and Manuscripts
- Very sound articles from the online version of The Cambridge History of English and American Literature vol.1, dealing with topics such as 'Runes in Scandinavian and Old English Literature' and 'The Ruthwell Cross'.
- Runes in Anglo-Saxon England
- A good summary article with a decent bibliography. Published in Maþeliende.
- Arild Hauge's homepage
- A rich source of information on runes and Viking material: history, rune names and meanings, inscriptions and pictures, software links, including truetype rune fonts for downloading and other rune-related software programs, and links to other sites. Her pages make up the best rune site on the web.
- Runic alphabet
- A useful page on the oriigin and usage of runes. It includes a number of different versions of the Runic alphabet including: Elder Futhark; Gothic Runes; Anglo-Saxon Futhorc; Younger Futhork; Hungarian Runes (Szekely Rovasiras); Turkic (Orkhon) Runes; Cirth (Tolkien's Runic alphabet).
- The Runic journey
- Subtitled 'An online exploration of the Norse runes', this site explores the history and meaning of runes. The site also includes some less-useful sections on their use in divination and magic.
- The Ruthwell Cross
- A reconstruction of the original inscription on the cross from what is currently readable and from old drawings.
The Ruthwell Cross is a sculptured monumental stone cross of the late seventh or early eightth century. Until the mid 17th century it was located near the altar of the church at Ruthwell in Dumfriesshire. In 1642 the cross was taken down and partially defaced; some parts were buried in the churchyard, and others were used as paving in the nave. In 1802 the minister, Henry Duncan, reconstructed the monument and in 1887 the monument was moved back into the church.
- The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
- The Rune Poem is a recitation of the names and kennings (allusions and associations) of the runes, presumably used as an aid in memorising the runes, and their names and meanings. There are three of the old poems known; the Icelandic, the Norwegian, and the Anglo-Saxon. The Anglo-Saxon is later, and shows considerable influence from Christianity.
Here's a Modern English version.
For a thorough examination of the meaning and significance of The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem you should consult:
Halsall, Maureen The Old English Rune Poem: a critical edition. Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1981. [Barr Smith Library call number: Main collection 429 H196o.]
- Write your name in runes
- A bit of fun! : this page translates your name into Viking runes. Just type your name in the textbox and let the program do the rest...
Societies, Organisations, Associations
- TOEBI - Teachers of Old English in Britain and Ireland
- An on-line service provided by TOEBI as a means of disseminating information relating to the teaching of Old English.
- International Society of Anglo-Saxonists
- ISAS was founded in 1983 to further all aspects of Anglo-Saxon Studies.
- Society for Early English and Norse Electronic Texts
- The Society solicits, produces, and disseminates scholarly electronic editions of Old Norse, Old English, and Middle English texts. Combining the full capacities of computer technology with the highest standards of traditional scholarly editing, SEENET will publish machine-readable texts with reliable introductory materials, annotations, and apparatus.
Bibliography
- Anglo-Saxon History: A Select Bibliography
- Compiled by Simon Keynes, 'this bibliography is intended to serve as a general guide to the primary and secondary sources for the study of Anglo-Saxon history'.
- Anglo-Saxon Books
- Anglo-Saxon Books publishes titles covering many aspects of early English history, language and culture. Topics dealt with include food, law, runes, Christianity, heathenry, women, verse, warriors, magic, legends, monastic sign language, riddles and the Old English language.
This page is maintained by Jennifer Osborn
|
