Anglo-Saxon Ships

Anglo-Saxon Ships : 

Anglo-Saxon Ships Billy Newsome Old English Fall 2007

A Maritime Culture : 

A Maritime Culture References to ships and sailing in art and literature suggest that Anglo-Saxons were indebted to and knowledgeable of the seas. Both fearful and respectful of the oceans, the Anglo-Saxons described the miseries of life at sea in “The Seafarer” while they exalted the sea (and the possible riches and fame it could bring) in many other texts.

Beowulf : 

Beowulf The following lines (207-216) from Beowulf describe the titular hero’s march to the shores of Hygelac’s kingdom and his setting sail to rid Hrothgar’s kingdom of the monster Grendel:

Slide 4: 

XVna sum sundwudu sohte; secg wisade, lagucræftig mon, landgemyrcu. Fyrst forð gewat. Flota wæs on yðum, bat under beorge. Beornas gearwe on stefn stigon; streamas wundon. sund wið sande; secgas bæron on bearm nacan beorhte frietwe. guðsearo geatolic: guman ut scufon, weras on wilsið, wudu bundenne. Gewat þa ofer wægholm. As one of fifteen, he sought the sea wood; the warrior, the ocean-crafty man, guided them to the land borders. Time departed forth. The floater was on the waves, the boat under the cliff. Ready warriors climbed up in the prow; the streams wound about, the sea against the sand; warriors bore into the ship’s bosom the bright trappings, the splendid war arms; men, fellows on a desired journey, shoved out the bound wood. It departed then over the wave ocean.

Anglo-Saxon Law : 

Anglo-Saxon Law Besides the references to ships in Old English literature and the depictions of ships in Anglo-Saxon art, many other aspects of their society indicate the great importance ships played in their day-to-day lives. Even the landlocked areas at the heart of the island seem to have been adept at shipbuilding. The “Laws of Henry I” from the early twelfth century indicate that all of England’s shires were divided into either hundreds or shipsokes: “groups of three hundreds, each group being required to produce a ship and a crew of 60” Clearly, the Anglo-Saxon culture was very much a maritime one.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle : 

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Despite the heavy reliance of the Anglo-Saxons upon the sea, comparatively little is known about the actual structures and designs of most Anglo-Saxon vessels. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle does offer some information, but it leaves much to be desired: Its information for the year 896 simply tells that Alfred the Great introduced long ships with 60 oars Literary references, though, are not the only evidence of Anglo-Saxon vessels.

Ship Burials : 

Ship Burials Most direct source for our current knowledge of just how Anglo-Saxon ships looked and were used is ship burials. Well-known ship burials include: Gokstad (in Norway) Vendel (in Sweden) and, of course, Sutton Hoo (in England)

Sutton Hoo Who? : 

Sutton Hoo Who? Sutton Hoo is located in Suffolk on the eastern coast of England about two miles southwest of Rendlesham, a site that was once the seat of the Anglo-Saxon kings of East Anglia.

Of Tombs and Treasures : 

Of Tombs and Treasures Sutton Hoo was site of the tomb of a seventh-century king, perhaps Redwald or Anna. To construct the tomb, a large ship was dragged inland and laid in a ditch. A gabled hut was then built midship for the ruler’s coffin and such treasures as a helmet, gilded personal ornaments, and gold coins, grave-goods “of a magnificence unequaled in Western Europe.”

Mounds Abound : 

Mounds Abound When everything the ruler needed for his voyage to the afterlife was in place, the trench was then filled in and a mound raised over it to stand boldly on the skyline.

Excavation : 

Excavation Though the mound was discovered untouched, the ships timbers had disappeared but for the rivets, and stains in the sand, permitted their reconstruction, except for the high tips of bow and stern.

Ship-Shape : 

Ship-Shape Nearly 90 feet long and, at its widest, 14 feet wide, the ship is larger than any other from the early Dark Ages so far found. Upward from the keel, the hull was made by overlapping nine planks on either side with rivets fastening the oaken planks together. Evidence of repairs made to the ship indicates that it was used as an ocean-going vessel before it was turned into a tomb. Though meant to carry only a single passenger into the afterlife, in its days on the whale-road it could hold upwards of thirty men.

Boats : 

Boats Though large, oceangoing ships are what probably come to mind when one tries to imagine Anglo-Saxon ships, smaller boats used for such everyday purposes as fishing or crossing rivers would have been a more common sight One of the most common of these smaller vessels was probably the simple log boat, a durable craft that could be made fairly quickly and cheaply and which proved exemplary in navigating small rivers or lakes.

A Maritime Culture : 

A Maritime Culture Not only could they build larger vessels for long ocean voyages or to serve as warships but they could build smaller crafts suitable for everyday uses such as fishing or ferrying. Clearly, the Anglo-Saxon culture was one steeped in the ways of ships and shipbuilding.

Credits : 

Credits Viking ship clipart (slide 1) from: http://www.learninghaven.com/images/ship.jpg Medieval ship image (slide 2) from: http://www.umilta.net/harlry.jpg Beowulf image (slide 3) from: http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/assignments/beowulf/youngbeo.gif Beowulf image (slide 4) from: http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/assignments/beowulf/oldbeowulf.gif Anglo-Saxon Chronicle image (slide 6) from: http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/focuson/domesday/images/anglo-saxon-chronicle.jpg Map of England highlighting Suffolk (slide 8) from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:EnglandSuffolk.png

Credits 2 : 

Credits 2 Images in slide 9 from: http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/english/allen/images/HELM-SH.JPG and http://www.beyond-the-pale.org.uk/SuttonHoo.jpg Image of mound (slide 10) from: http://mrsjanegoodltd.co.uk/img-visitorphots/LN/Sutton-Hoo.jpg Excavation (slide 11) from: http://www.uvm.edu/~lbrought/sutton_hoo.gif Replica (slide 12) from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1870000/images/_1871372_boat300.jpg Log boat (slide 13) from: http://www.regia.org/images/ships/RiverRace03.jpg Replica (slide 15) from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Wikingerschiff_Oslo.jpg