Pre-Anglo-Saxon England
Long before the island of Great Britain was invaded by Germanic tribes called Angles and Saxons, these islands were inhabited by Celts. The Celtic (kel'-tik) period dates from around 500 B.C. to A.D. 45. These people came from Europe centuries before the birth of Christ, and the language spoken today can be traced back to these early tribes.
The Celts were warlike people who organized their society into clans. Despite being farmers and swine herders who fought often among themselves, they were creative people who produced a high level of arts and crafts.
After the Romans left Britain, the first bands of Germanic invaders crossed the North Sea to Britain. These first bands were the Jutes who came from the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark. The invaders are also called Norsemen, Danes, or Vikings.
After the arrival of the Jutes, who were not interested in establishing a permanent society, the Angles and the Saxons arrived. These tribes created what was later called Anglo-Saxon England ("Angle-land"). Even though their civilization lasted for some 600 years, Angleland was not a unified country.
Anglo-Saxon Names
The Anglo-Saxons named many places after their pagan gods and goddesses. In fact, the days of the week got their names from these gods and goddesses.
- Monday came from Monandaeg, the day of the moon
- Tuesday came from Tiwesdaeg, the day of the god Tiw or Tig
- Wednesday came from Wodnesdaeg, the day of the war god Woden
- Thursday came from Dunresdaeg, the day of the god Thor
- Friday came from Frigedaeg, the day of the goddess Friga
- Saturday came from Saeternesdaeg, the day of the Roman god Saturn
- Sunday came from Sunnandaeg, the day of the sun
Some names of holidays also evolved from the Anglo-Saxons. For instance, Easter was named for the pagan Saxon goddess Eostre, whose festival was in April.
About half of the words we use every day are from Old English, which was once called "Angle-ish" and later called "Englisc." The study of words and their history is called etymology. Some words have even retained the same, or very similar, spellings. Check out these words and their original spellings.
aefter
beforan
behindan
bi
mete
butere
hunig
ofer
uppan
aeg
socc
scyrte
milc
cese
Most of our prepositions came from Old English. In addition, most of our words for family units came from Old English:
fader
moder
sunn
dohtor
sweoster
brothor
Many of our surnames came from the Angles, the Saxons, and the Vikings. These cultures tell a difference between two people with the same first name, or given name, by linking it to their hometown. If we applied this method today, Mary from Montgomery would be known as Mary Montgomery, and Mary from Prattville would be Mary Prattville.
In addition to linking surnames to a person's hometown, they also linked them to one's occupation. Edward the farmer probably became Edward Farmer. John the blacksmith would become John Smith. Many modern surnames came from occupations, such as Baker, Weaver, Fisher, Fowler, Farmer, Smith, Shepherd, Miller, Fletcher, Fuller, Carpenter, and Archer.
Another way the Anglo-Saxons distinguished between two people with the same first name was to add the name of the person's father. Harold, son of Erik, would be known as Harold Erik's son. Today, he would be Harold Erikson. Names like Johnson, Robinson, and Thompson all originated this way.
In Scotland the prefix "Mac" meant "son of" so John MacDonald is the shortened way of saying John son of Donald. In Ireland, they simply added "O" to the father's name. So, Ardell O'Connor means Ardell son of Connor.
Another interesting tidbit about the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons is that they loved nicknames. Giving a nickname was considered very important. Sometimes the nickname described the person, but often nicknames were opposites. For example, a very tall man might have been called "the Short." Or, someone with very fair skin might have been called "the Dark." Think about the Robin Hood stories you read as a child. Robin's best friend was a very large man called "Little" John.
Popular nicknames included: Wise, Fox, the Fool, Grey Cloak, Hairy Britches, Flat Nose, Short, Stout, Forkbeard, Bald, Blood-axe, Blue Tooth, Fine Hair, Iron Side, Smooth Tongue, and Boneless. Over time, these nicknames also became surnames. For example, consider the Anglo-Saxon meaning of these common names:
Armstrong
Campbell
Kennedy
Goldwater
Morgan
Russell
Whistler
Whitehead
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