History of English literature
many supernatural elements and is filled with heroic warriors and their deeds. The
hero of the story Beowulf is almost an ideal A-S warrior, the champion of freedom
and justice, courageous, has supernatural strength, is loyal to his king and has a very
strong sense of duty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf
· A-S were converted to Christianity. A lot of religious poems and hymns. Caedmonian.
· Cynewulf represents the essence of Christianity perfectly. The idea of the cycle of
the Sun and the Moon, the movement of the waves, nature.
· The subject matter of A-S poetry is actually centered on the three things that were
most important in A-S lives: war, the sea that surrounded the British Isles and death.
· Main qualities: somberness, awareness of inevitable death.
Formal features of A-S poetry:
1. No rhyme, instead they used alliteration; A-S poetry is alliterative
annaabi.ee 
