| A | B |
|---|
| elegy | mournful poetry |
| epic | a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero |
| epic hero | undertake quests to achieve something of tremendous value |
| kenning | a colorful, indirect way of naming something |
| wyrd | fate |
| Magna Carta | charter establishing a "by and for the people" government |
| Common Law | emphasizes personal rights and freedoms |
| Scops | bards; warrior poets |
| Celt | believed in animism |
| Romans | brought Christianity to England |
| Anglo-Saxons | the word "England" originated from their language |
| Norman | mark the beginning of a new era |
| mead | an ancient alcoholic beverage |
| heathen | pagans, generally regarded as unenlightened |
| sentinel | one who keeps guard |
| hearth | the floor of a fireplace; the home |
| purge | to remove impurities |
| talon | the claw of a predatory animal |
| sinew | a tendon |
| mail shirt | protective tunic |
| denounce | to accuse formally |
| lament | to mourn; grieve audibly |
| admonish | to reprimand |
| fervent | a great showing of emotional zeal |
| rancor | bitter resentment |
| blanch | to whiten |
| funeral pyre | a wood heap for burning the deceased |
