Ancient Saxon Culture

          Yesterday, I finished reading the book Wulf the Saxon by G. A. Henty. Henty was very good at writing his books coexisting with actual history. For my English essay this week I am writing about Saxon culture by itself and in the book.

           It seems that the main religion for the Saxons in the book is Christianity. This is the same with the Normans, and they both go to Church and can be very Christian. On the other hand, we cannot find any records of what religion the Saxons actually believed in. Remember, Henty’s books were fiction, so we cannot be 100% sure that the religion was actually Christianity or something else.

          Of course, as in any culture, there are richer people and poorer people. Obviously the kings, Thanes, and other people of royalty had nicer homes and belongings compared to the poorer people, but they also had many big and important responsibilities. King Harold in Wulf the Saxon had a slightly better home (castle) than Wulf, and Wulf had a better home than the peasants and slaves, or poorer people. This makes sense since Harold is the king, and Wulf, Beorn, Osgod, Guy, et cetera, are Thanes and rich people elected by the King, they have better homes than other people.

          As explained in the book, rich daughters must have suitors before them and they choose if they would like to marry them or not. These were usually rich men of their same country, unless they wanted to reunite two countries with a princess. Of course, this is different in the book. For poorer daughters though, they were usually arranged marriages, with gifts involved.

           The common people would usually wear tunics, simple jewelry, leather shoes, and caps or helmets. They would also wear leather sheepskin cloaks for protection from the cold.

            Nobility such as Thanes would have worn nicer tunics with ornamentations and/or embroidery. They would wear more luxurious and comfortable cloaks and more jewelry. This jewelry would have beautiful, precious stones and jewels. The shoes would almost be the same as the common people, but they had more detail on them. They would also wear a more detailed cap or helmet. This is what Wulf would have worn in the book.

          Next is the royal family such as the King, Queen, and their children. They would wear the most luxurious and comfortable clothing, usually made out of fine wool or silk. They would wear long cloaks with much embroidery with metalwork and precious, gorgeous stones. They would have lots of jewelry made out of gold, silver, and more with many jewels. Their shoes were made out of very fine leather and had very detailed embroidery in it. The shoes would also have many rich materials on them. Finally, of course, they would wear a crown on their head. This is what King Harold would have worn.

          This was a very interesting book that I very much liked and enjoyed. I want to learn more about Saxon culture and I think you should too. I also recommend this book to anyone who likes history.