Skip to main content

Acculturation of Anglo-Saxon Beliefs & Practices

Image
iPost Team,

Table of Contents

In every culture or religion, some enormous practices and beliefs have and continue to influence our human society and civilizations. In this brief essay, I will describe how the entire world has directly or indirectly assimilated the culture and religion of the Anglo-Saxons and how they have influenced our social and political lives. You may declare yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Hindu, or Muslim, following the practices and beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon world. This is acculturation. Arguably, Britain was once occupied by pagans - the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.

The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes

The ‘Angles’ (old English) refers to one of the many Germanic peoples who settled in Britain (5th - 6th centuries) after the Romans had come and gone. These settlers found many kingdoms in Anglo-Saxon England. Their name eventually becomes the root of the name England (that is, ‘Land of Angle’).

The ‘Saxons’ were identified as a group of early Germanic peoples who occupied a large country near the North Sea coast. In today’s reckoning, the area in Germany. However, towards the end of the Roman Empire, the name Saxon referred to Germanic coastal raiders.

The ‘Jutes’ were notably one of the three most powerful German nations and one of the Anglo-Saxon tribes who settled in England when the Romans left.

Beliefs

Like many pagan religions, the Angles and Saxons worshipped different gods and each god played definite or many roles in their lives and was linked with one or many mythological feats, such as immortality, birth, love, death, family, agriculture, sea, war, night, and day to name a few.

To draw a picture of how the pagan life of the Anglo-Saxons had impacted our social and political lives, I will describe how the ‘days of the week’ were named after some ancient gods of the Angles and Saxons.

Moon 

The Moon is the goddess of hunting. By way of illustration, the Moon is shown as wearing a white robe and carrying a bow and arrow. Monday is associated with her.

Tiw 

Tiw is the god of War. In Anglo-Saxon mythology, Tiw is a warrior and carries a battle axe. Tuesday is associated with it.

Woden 

Woden is the Chief god. This god is portrayed as a king and carries a spear to show his authority. Wednesday is linked to his name.

Thunor 

Thunor is the god of Thunder. He is a warrior and carries a bolt of lightning. Thursday is associated with it.

Frigg (Freya) 

Frigg is the goddess of Love and is Woden’s wife. She is incredibly beautiful. Friday is associated with it.

Saturn 

Saturn is the god of fun and festivals. And of course, one of the planets is named Saturn. Saturday is associated with it. Saturday is still a day for fun and festivals to this day.

Sun 

Sun is the god of life. He is portrayed as a young person with a sun halo. Sunday is associated with him. Sunday is still regarded as a special day by many Christians.

Then, there were other gods and the interpretations of the things they did.

Balder 

Balder is the god of Immortality.

Eostre 

Eostre is the god of Birth, and the name and interpretation of Easter can be linked to him.

Hel 

Hel is the god of Death.

Saxnot 

Saxnot is the god of the Family.

Wade 

Wade is the god of the Sea.

Wayland 

Wayland is the god of Metalworking.

Following from the above, one cannot but infer that we inherited the beliefs and practices of the Anglo-Saxon peoples. What was their tradition is now part of our tradition; when I say ‘our’ I mean the secular and the Christian worlds. Anglo-Saxon traditions have had some transcultural impacts, especially on some social and political milieus.   

Further Reading

From English Fellowship and Cultural Society 2014. ‘Religion’ (https://www.englishfellowshipandculturalsociety.org.uk/history-pages/kingdoms/religion/)

From Children’s British History Encyclopedia 2014. ‘Anglo-Saxon Religion’ (https://history.parkfieldict.co.uk/anglo-saxons/anglo-saxon-religion)

From the University of Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, 2005. ‘What did the early Anglo-Saxons believe in?’(https://anglosaxondiscovery.ashmolean.org/Death/belief_info.html)

The Religion of the Pagan Anglo-Saxons and Vikings 2014. (https://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/vikingweb/religionanglo.htm)

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NigeriaSphere: A Definition!

iPost Team,
At its core, NigeriaSphere is the collective resonance of the Nigerian identity, transcending geography, ethnicity, and time. It is the "Kpim" (to borrow the popular concept of Pantaleon Iroegbu) , the ontological heartbeat of a people whose spirit is no longer confined to a landmass but exists wherever the Nigerian consciousness interacts with the world. The Ontological Framework NigeriaSphere operates as a dual philosophical process: Terminus ad Quo (The Point of Origin): It represents the shared history, the "Nigerian condition," and the cultural bedrock from which every citizen and diaspora member emerges. It is the ancestral "why." Terminus ad Quem (The Point of Destination): It is the aspirational goal of nationhood. It is the destination where the Nigerian identity is refined into a standard of excellence, equity, and peace. In this sense, NigeriaSphere is not a static place, but a kinetic journey toward...
1 comment
Continue reading »

Trinity and Tawhid – The Same or Unique?

iPost Team,
Table of Contents God/god Explained Same or Unique? Trinity and Tawhid: Synonyms and Polysemy Conclusion The concept of monotheism is the belief that there is only one God. It is a concept of theism that specifies itself as distinct from other theisms, such as polytheism, ditheism, or tritheism. The concept of monotheism is distinctive and accepts indivisibility while maintaining the uniqueness of God. The question that comes to mind is: who is this God? What about Him? The Christians, with a few exceptions, agree that “there are three persons in one God, God the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, Christians profess that God is a Trinity, which is the focal point of the Christian concept of monotheism. When compared to Islam, it is completely a different understanding. For Muslims, “there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the prophet of God.” This is normally put in this way: “ašhadu ʾan lā ʾilāha ʾilla -llāhu, wa-ʾašhadu ʾanna muḥammadan rasūlu -llāh,” that i...
Post a Comment
Continue reading »

Same-Sex Marriage in Igbo Cultural Traditions

iPost Team,
Table of Contents The Igbo Tribe Same-Sex Marriage – Definition & Brief History Same-Sex Marriage in Igbo Cultural Traditions Conclusion This writing claims that same-sex marriage in Igbo culture is necessary, an improvisation, and a  ‘like with like’  construal. By construal, it places Igbo same-sex marriage in a social psychological context and views an individual as finding out ways or means to understand and interpret his-her surroundings, and the behaviour and actions of the people around and towards him-her. The reason for this claim is not far-fetched. The Igbo Tribe The Igbo is a major ethnic group in Nigeria with an estimated population of about 32 million. It is one of the largest in Africa adding to 18% of the total 177 million people of Nigeria. Igbo land consists of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states of Nigeria. However, Igbos can be found in these other states of Nigeria: Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River. Outside of Nigeria, the Igbo tribe ...
3 comments
Continue reading »

Who’s A Rebel? Camus’ The Rebel and the NigeriaSphere

iPost Team,
In the contemporary Nigerian landscape, the word "rebel" is often weaponized by those in power. To the state, a rebel is a transgressor of the Cybercrimes Act, a "disturber of the peace," or an agent of destabilization. However, if we look through the eyes of Albert Camus, the 20th-century philosopher of the absurd, we find a different definition; one that validates the citizen’s cry for good governance not as an act of subversion, but as an act of profound affirmation. The Camusian "No": An Act of "Yes" Camus begins his treatise with a startlingly simple observation: "What is a rebel? A man who says no." But this "no" is not a denial of order. When a Nigerian citizen takes to social media to demand transparency or decry the absence of the rule of law, they are saying "no" to a specific limit that has been breached. Camus argues that in saying no, the rebel is simultaneously saying "yes" to the existen...
Post a Comment
Continue reading »

How the Christians perceived Islam, Prophet Muhammad and Muslims from the 8th to the 15th Centuries – Part 1

iPost Team,
Introduction The early and medieval Christians have no theological or legal (in terms of biblical) perspectives in their perceptions of Islam, Prophet Muhammad and Muslims. Contrary to the Qur’an and Muslims who theologically, and legally perceived Christians and Christianity perhaps because of Christianity’s antecedents. Islam theologically presented a series of quandaries to early and medieval Christianity, such that some of them viewed Muslim's as pagans and some as heretics or schismatics. The Christian polemicists hardly used the term Islam or Muslim to identify their rivalry, instead, the preferences to terms such as ‘Saracens, Hagarenes, Arabs, Turks, Pagans, Moors or simply, those who follow the Law of Muhammad’ were prevalent. This writing aims to examine by typologies, the polemics of Christians that cover from the 8th century to the 15th century and discussing Christianity's arguments from the perspectives of:   St. John Damascene (675-753) Heresy and Heresia...
Post a Comment
Continue reading »