Anglo Saxon Synthesis

Synthesis Question

Amber Austin

Robbie Meza

Rin Sone

When progressing from Greek to Anglo Saxon eras, there is a very distinct separation of the cultures. Each society idolized the heroes (veterans), however each would honor the deceased for their life in a different way. The spiritual rituals between the two cultures where vastly different, and clearly conflicted with each other. As seen in Beowulf, one of the first Anglo Saxon works of literature, the Anglo Saxons practiced burning a body at a pyre in order to help the spirit of the individual to ascend to the afterlife. This shows that they believed the body was merely a vessel to the spirit. In Beowulf, however it also shows Norse traditions as seen in the sailing of the ship of King of Shielding.

The Greeks on the other hand would have a traditional burial of said body and would leave the body intact. In Beowulf we see the conflicting traditions that influenced the Anglo Saxons being combined in a way that differs greatly from any other. The Greeks believed in an afterlife however weren’t so definite as the body being any part of the after life which was simply to honor the deceased while the Anglo Saxon burning was to assist said spirit due to other influences. This is because while the Anglo Saxon had Greek influences, during this era Christianity started to become more and more evident which greatly influenced the belief in a definitive “Heaven”.

The monastic life became more and more prominent during the Anglo Saxon eras which lead to religion becoming a staple in day to day life. While as in Greek they believed in gods and were a monastic culture, however weren’t in a monotheistic culture. This simple mesh of Greek , Christian, and Pagan practices is what was the separating factor of the two rituals and is why they conflicted with each other. Anglo Saxons would burn the body with valuable possessions in order to show the wealth and importance/social status; While the Greeks would simply honor the dead with a simple burial. It wasn’t a matter of different standards of honoring the dead just different means.