The only sources of information in their time, these works now provide us with a remarkable view intio the past we otherwise would not have.
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It was originally compiled on the orders of King Alfred the Great in approximately A.D. 890, and subsequently maintained and added to by generations of anonymous scribes until the middle of the 12th Century. The original language was Anglo-Saxon (Old English), but later entries were probably made in an early form of Middle English.
It provides the ultimate timeline of British history from its beginnings up to the end of the reign of King Stephen in 1154. The Chronicle certainly does not present us with a complete history of those times and is probably not 100% accurate, either, but that doesn't diminish its enormous value in helping us to arrive at a clearer picture of what actually happened in Britain over a thousand years ago.
The entire Chronicle runs to almost 100,000 words and is arranged by years. Pick a time span and read the Chronicle!
History and full text provided in this section pages comprised of 28 pages.
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Written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D., this epic describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century, Beowulf.
Within the poem, no distinction is made between myth and history, although it is now read as though it were 'history with fabulous elements' or 'myth with some correspondence to fact.' Beowulf cannot accurately be described as fiction or fact. It is a kind of narrative comprised of analogical episodes, people, creatures more or less human, praise, blame, lyrical moments, grim comedy and even grimmer tragedy.
History and full text with translation is provided, along with a link to audio files.
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De origine actibusque Getarum (The Origin and Deeds of the Goths), or Getica by Jordanes (Iordanes) was written during his detention in Constantinople by Justinian, and was published in AD 551. The Getica is significant as the only remaining source on the origin of the Goths who for a time dominated east Europe and were dispersed by the Huns.
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Tacitus (c. 56/57 - ca. 125) was a Roman orator and historian who wrote the most detailed early description of the Germans at then end of the first century CE. The history of this text is provided along with a full translation.
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The Nibelungenlied [song of the Nibelungen] is a long Middle High German epic by a south German poet of the early 13th century. It includes pagan legends and traditions but is patently the product of a Christian, courtly world. The story is set in Worms, capital of Burgundy, and at the court of Etzel (Attila the Hun).
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The most important and best known of his works is the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, giving in five books and 400 pages the history of England, ecclesiastical and political, from the time of Caesar to the date of its completion (731).
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