Friday 7th February 2025

LC- To understand about Anglo-Saxon beliefs.

After the Romans left, Christianity continued in places where Anglo-Saxons did not settle, like Wales and the west. The Anglo-Saxons had their own gods, beliefs and superstitions.

When the first Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain they were what is called Pagan. Pagans worshipped lots of different gods and goddesses, each of whom controlled a different part of every day life such as war, family and the weather.

Anglo-Saxons would pray to a particular God depending on what they hoped for, for example, before embarking on a journey by boat you might pray to Wade, the God of the sea to ask for a safe voyage.

• The Saxons worshipped their gods in wooden temples or sacred clearings in the woods called 'groves'.
• Pagan Saxon priests practiced magic and fortune telling and gave out charms to help people, like against disease or for recovering stolen things. Charms usually had an incantation (a spell) and a potion or an ointment to be taken.
• People wore amulets around their necks or put them in their homes. This was usually for good luck.
  • They might be animal teeth or bones (like bears or wolves) which were thought to give the person the strength of the animal.
  • They might be symbols of the gods, like Thunor's hammer or club.
  • They might be fossils or shells.
• The pagan Saxons also believed that the countryside was inhabited by elves, goblins, dwarves and dragons.
• And that, after death, you had a long journey ahead of you to an 'after-life'.

   Click the link below to fond out a little more about the gods.

  Write a little piece of information about each one. Do not just copy from the website.

The first one is modelled for you.

 Woden - The king of the gods. He was very wise and had magical powers over both life and death. He had two pet wolves and rode a horse with eight legs!

Thunor - 

Frige - 

Tiw

 https://www.imagininghistory.co.uk/post/the-anglo-saxon-gods-a-handy-guide-for-kids

Eventually, things started to change.

 Don't forget that the Romans had already brought Christianity to Britain and many Britons were Christians but the Anglo Saxons were Pagans. Gradually through time, the Saxons also became Christians.

 Watch the video on the BBC link. We will come back to the other information later. 

What did the Anglo-Saxons believe? - BBC Bitesize

Lindisfarne today

Watch the following video about Saint Aidan. Listen carefully. At the end, we would like you to write a short paragraph about him and the type of person he was.