One of them is an inscription on a box called the “Franks Casket”, the other is a short text on a stone cross near the village of Ruthwell known as the “Ruthwell Cross”.
A most important role in the history of the English language was played by the introduction of Christianity. The introduction of Christianity gave a strong impetus to the growth of culture and learning. Monasteries were founded all over the country, with monastic schools attached. Latin dominated in religion and education. HISTORIA ECCLESIASTICA was written in Latin by Bede.
 In spite of the fact that there existed 7 kingdoms, but only 4 principle OE dialects were commonly distinguished:
· Kentish – Kent and Surrey, the Isle of Wright
· West Saxon – the rest of England south of the Thames and the Bristol Channel
· Mercian – kingdom of Mercia, from the Thames to the Humber
· Northumbrian – from the Humber north to the river Forth
The boundaries between the dialects were uncertain and probably movable. The west Saxon dialect prevailed over its neighbors being the dominating literary language of the epoch.
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Read a passage below and complete the chart with the examples of literary works of that time
| West-Saxon | |
| Northumbrian | |
| Mercian | |
| Kentish |
The West-Saxon dialect is represented by the works of King Alfred, both original compositions and translations of Latin texts, also by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, works of the abbot Aelfric and sermons of Wulfstan.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Collective name given several English monastic chronicles in Anglo-Saxon, all stemming from a compilation made from old annals and other sources c.891. Although the work was thought for some time to have been commissioned by King Alfred, there is no positive evidence to substantiate this claim; his encouragement of learning, however, undoubtedly inspired the compilation of the chronicle.
The Northumbrian dialect: the Runic texts of the Ruthwell Cross and Frank’s Casket, translation of the gospels, Caedmon’s Hymn and Bede’s Dying Song.
Caedmon's Hymn
Now let me praise the keeper of Heaven's kingdom,
the might of the Creator, and his thought,
the work of the Father of glory, how each of wonders
the Eternal Lord established in the beginning.
He first created for the sons of men
Heaven as a roof, the holy Creator,
then Middle-earth the keeper of mankind,
the Eternal Lord, afterwards made,
the earth for men, the Almighty Lord.
The Mercian dialect: Translation of the Psalter and hymns.
The Kentish dialect: Translation of Psalms and old charters.
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The superiority of the West-Saxon dialect both in quantity and importance of the documents using it confirms its dominating position as the literary language of the period.
The epic poems of the OE period:
Beowulf, Genesis, Exodus, Judith and poems by the monk Gynewulf: Elene, Andreas, Juliana.
Beowulf (literally "bee wolf" i.e. "bee hunter", a kenning for "bear") is the conventional title of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.
Its composition by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet is dated between the 8th and the early 11th century.
In the poem, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, battles three antagonists:
Grendel, who has been attacking the resident warriors of the mead hall of Hroðgar (the king of the Danes),
Grendel's mother, and an unnamed dragon.
After the first two victories, Beowulf goes home to Geatland in Sweden and becomes king of the Geats. The last fight takes place fifty years later. In this final battle, Beowulf is fatally wounded. After his death, his servants bury him in a tumulus in Geatland.
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