Anglo-Saxons were tribe-oriented people. They lived in small villages ruled by a strong leader. The Anglo-Saxon’s loyalty belonged primarily to that leader, who they called their lord. The men swore the allegiance to their lord by taking a comitatus. This was an oath to live and die at the hand of the lord.
It’s not a surprise that Anglo-Saxon literature portrays the same bond between lord and subjects. In the “Seafarer,” the narrator speaks of the world under lords as a golden age. He states, “When wonderful things were worked among them and they lived in lordly magnificence” (84-85). This shows that the common people enjoyed serving under their lord. The narrator continues with, “Those powers have vanished, those pleasures are dead” (86). This quote explains that without the guidance of their lord, the common people are miserable.
“The Wife’s Lament” shows a similar opinion of the bond between lord and follower. The narrator tells of the pain she suffers when separated from the man she worships. She undergoes plenty of miserable trials. “The Wife’s Lament” also reveals a little bit about the underbelly of the Anglo-Saxon people. This short poem tells that not everyone was happy with the lord. Unfortunately for them, they had sworn to protect him if they could.
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