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Welcome to the History of English Podcast, a podcast about the history of the English language.

This is episode 43, Anglo-Saxon Monsters and Mythology.

Last time, we looked at the early history of Scandinavia, and historical background of Bayowolf.

This time, we're going to explore the other aspect of Bayowolf, the monsters and supernatural elements of the story.

And that's what really tends to fascinate most modern readers.

And we're going to use Bayowolf as a jumping off point to explore the monsters and mythology of the Anglo-Saxons, as well as the early Vikings.

Remember that both groups shared a common Germanic language, and that included a lot of mythology.

So by the time the Vikings arrived in Britain, the Anglo-Saxons had largely converted to Christianity, so those two worldviews clashed during that later period.

But before we begin, let me remind you that the website for the podcast is HistoryOfEnglishPodcast.com, and you can always reach me directly by email at kevanethistoryofenglishpodcast.com.

And the Bayowolf series is coming along as well. I hope to have it ready within the next two to four weeks.

That series will explore the poem, the story, the history, and the language of the poem.

But before we move on from Bayowolf, there's one key aspect of that poem which I wanted to explore here in the podcast.

And that's the way in which the poem reflects the Anglo-Saxon view of monsters and mythology.

In fact, as we'll see, the poem has probably survived the centuries in large part because it's a monster story.

So let's start with Bayowolf, specifically the name Bayowolf.

It's very tempting to assume that the name Bayowolf refers to some type of wolf.

In fact, wolf is a very common part of Anglo-Saxon names.

It appears in the names of kings like Ethel Wolf, which was noble wolf.

It also appears in the name of an early Anglo-Saxon poet who we haven't discussed yet, named Cunowolf.

It also appears in the popular Anglo-Saxon name Wolfstahn.

In fact, this was a common element in German names.

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