Anglo Saxon Society During the Anglo Saxon period, life consisted of fierce battles along with strong loyalty to tribes and rulers; therefore, Anglo Saxon culture varies in many ways from modern culture. When the Saxons first moved to England, they were pagans. They worshiped gods and goddesses of nature; not to gain religious eminence, but in hopes of the gods helping them obtain something in the material world (Anglo Saxon Period 1). The Anglo Saxons were later introduced to Christianity when St. Augustine arrived and converted King Elthelbert. This conversion brought unity along with education and written literature to England. Most Anglo Saxon Literature shows characteristics of both Christian and Pagan beliefs, which shows the impact of Christianity into Saxon society (Ross 1).
The Anglo Saxon society consisted of several social classes, ranging from earls to thralls. The earls were ruling warlords who devoted their lives to the king.
English: Map of southern England showing places re...
The initial page of the Peterborough Chronicle, ma...
The Alfred Jewel, a piece of ninth-century Anglo-S...Next were the freemen, who were not royalty, but were allowed to own land. Then came the churls, who were bonded slaves and finally the thralls, who were born into slavery. Slavery was a large enterprise during the Anglo Saxon period, and much depended on this involuntary servitude. In Anglo Saxon society, ties to kin and rulers were most important. These ties along with the belief that a family members death must always be revenged explains why Anglo Saxon life was so impetuous. The Saxons certainly did not have much leisure time because of all the fighting, but when they did games such as dice and chess were popular. Riddles, horse racing, and hunting were other leisure activities Saxons welcomed (Ross 2).
Anglo Saxon dress did not differ much from that of Camelot dress. Men usually wore robes or tunics tied at the waist along with hose and light...