All Hallow's Eve and The Cold Gods of Norse Mythology

The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane.

There is no Latin word for "Halloween" because it is an English compound for "All Hallows Eve," that is the day before "All Saints' Day." It is essential to remember that Halloween is a Christian "holy-day." The problem is that we have the world redefine it; we have forgotten it's true significance. We are supposed to worship in spirit and in truth, we must return once more to the true meaning of things. Tomorrow is All Saint's Day, the last day of the Church Calendar, where we celebrate the final victory of the Christ and his saints over the devil.

In Humanities, we are continuing our study of Beowulf; today we shall learn more of Anglo-Saxon paganism. In every culture there are gods, who are worshiped with some form of sacrifice. Today, even in our scientism, we still have gods, though no one acknowledges them as such, but the gods of our age are not transcendent; our gods are ourselves, which is why we have no great men anymore, no heroes.  

Agenda:

1. Faeder ure.
2. Read Beowulf individually.
3. Kennings Project:
1. Present kennings orally. 
2. Write 20 lines of poem in Anglo-Saxon style. It can be on any subject, but try to relate it themes in Beowulf. Battle glory. Courage. Manliness. Slaying of monsters and dragons. Vengeance. Et cetera. Your poem must contain 5 kennings at minimum. You can use the kennings you already made or make up new ones. 
4. Hand back and discuss Reading Check Quiz on lines 491-1061 of Beowulf.
5. Review HW:
1. Finish reading Beowulf, lines 1061-2489. And then keep reading. Quiz on Monday!
2. Anglo-Saxon Poem Project
3. Study and review notes (then repeat).
4. Be wise.