Where did the Anglo-Saxons come from? The Mythologies

When it comes to the Anglo-Saxons the question of how they came to be in England is hotly debated - should we trust the myths and legends about them anymore? Before we can throw the baby out with the bathwater, let's have a look at what these myths and legends were!
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My Patreon: / alexilesuk
Iles Tours Website: www.ilestours.co.uk
Iles Tours Facebook: / alex-iles-uk-106299758...
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Introduction and Outro Video made by Lauren Kirkwood: / lauren-kirkwood-9b8750191
Many thanks to Geza Frank and Event Horizon for permission to use their music - Pulsar ( • EVENT HORIZON - Pulsar... )

[@davidlloyd2225]

These are my ancestors not a folk story I'm saxon/celt and we bend the knee to nothing...peace and love to my friends

[@AlexIlesUK]

The wolf pit does sounds a bit like a folk story and could be analysed by Archeologists and Historians to understand what it was just for and confirm it. I'm not saying your family name or anything like that is a folk story. I'm glad you have a identity you feel attached too!

[@davidlloyd2225]

@@AlexIlesUK my friend I spent my whole life in addiction and the spirit world is real the farther(oden)showed me and now I feel more alive than ever ..peace ❤💯

[@pinklight2754]

My husband is a warnick. His ancestors were part of the over throw of the angelo-saxon pagan ways. Do you know about the saxon period? I’m interested because I want to know what happened to those people

[@dennisspqr]

Cute guy 😁. I never heard of the henga and horsa story but sounds like typical European folk stories. Which is fine. The movement of Germanic tribes however is well known. And not all saxons and angels emigrated. The northern state on Germany's north sea coast is still called 'Lower Saxony ' and there is also an area called 'Angelland' (just south of the danish border). The map in the background is quite accurate. The Anglo-Saxons as well as the Franks (I'm one) were the most romanised Germanic tribes since they came into contact with the Roman culture very early on. They were also the first to become Christian, in a western European variety. Most other Germanic tribes like the goths, vandals etc became Christians somewhat later and first took on a byzantine form of christianity. The British are extremely European in their admixture. Hardly any European nation has such a mix of Celtic and germanic (Angels, saxons, danish, norsemen) with influence of roman culture and even the most intense fusion of Germanic languages and a Latin one, namely french, which constitutes I think around a third of modern English (the rest still being based largely on Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian languages)

[@AlexIlesUK]

Hi A-B thank you. I know not all left - the sources from the time are difficult as they were relying on history, myth and legend to build their history so it's all very complex. I wanted to set the story where I go into some more information which I think really helps understand the next part of the story. Thank you agian. Alex.

[@Youtube_is_Trash]

Hengus and Horsa were invited by a Britton King, Vortigern, to help defend his kingdom. They decided to stay because their own lands were poor.

[@veronicalogotheti1162]

Germany is a country of 19 century English is 40 per cent french Romans actually invented the term angel and germanico After they Julio Cesar fought the gauls

[@veronicalogotheti1162]

English has 5 percent of old norse

[@veronicalogotheti1162]

Dan in greek means water

[@snufkinhollow318]

How have I been truffling out good history content on KZbin for so long and not found your channel?!?! Just this ten minute video has already given me new avenues to explore in my own research that I didn't have before. I've obviously subscribed and now I'm off to the rest of your content. Thank you.

[@AlexIlesUK]

Thank you! Hope theres more for you to enjoy and please send me a message if you have other questions.

[@briantierney7829]

Awesome! I am writing a paper on the Viking attack of Lindisfarne and have fallen into a rabbit hole of knowledge. Thanks to your videos and others I have a deep desire to learn well beyond school requirements. Cheers!

[@AlexIlesUK]

You are welcome! There's a lot to learn! Can I ask what level of education are you at?

[@briantierney7829]

@@AlexIlesUK Hi Alex, I am a Maintenance Mechanic at Cornell University. So i have the opportunity to take 4 credits per semester. I am using the credits from Cornell to finish my associates degree I statured at 25, I am now 50. So I am at a 2-year degree level student with the opportunity to experience what top notch level students are really like. Taking this class is the highlight of my day because I know the importance of a good education and I also know how much it costs. So your video's are extremely important to me because it gives me great detail and knowledge that I can use in my paper's. Please give me your educational background.

[@onbedoeldekut1515]

I consider the dark ages to be better named proto medieval.

[@AlexIlesUK]

Hi Paul - I usually use Early middle ages but most people have never heard of that so it is just for accessibility for views.

[@lloydpringle5626]

Very interesting video mate, looking forward to the next one......cheers

[@AlexIlesUK]

Thank you Llyod! It's coming out on Monday!

[@nielzene9656]

Great video! Happy I stumbled across your channel :)

[@AlexIlesUK]

Thank you!

[@JCB507]

Sounds like the Alglo word is then more related to a cultural development as opposed to a race...cause one has to consider the mixes with the Roman and allies and slaves which are from the entire Mediterranean 🤔 Genetic traces will speak to that...maybe we are all related one way or another

[@AlexIlesUK]

Well I've got a genetics video for next Friday so stick about. The next video is about culture! If you enjoy this subscribe - you'll like it here!!

[@loweffortamv8407]

Looking forward to the next installments of this topic! Also I love Max Adams' work as well, I'm going through his First Kingdom right now haha

[@AlexIlesUK]

It's such a good book! He really makes archeology accessible.

[@milliethemog]

Thanks for the info bruv, i'ma keep tuned!

[@AlexIlesUK]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@alexanderguesthistorical7842]

There's one key element which British historians don't seem to be aware of when trying to establish the origins of the Anglo-Saxons. Bede talks about three groups of "invaders" - the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. Other contemporaneous writers also mention Frisian people as making up the population of the island of Britain of the time. However, having researched this, it's clear to me that all three tribes of invaders were in fact all derived from the FRISIAN people of the northern coast of continental Europe (similar to what your map shows). The Jutes were from SOUTHERN Jutland (now Germany) or NORTH FRISIA. The Saxons were from LOWER SAXONY, or EAST FRISIA. and the Angles came from modern day northern Holland. From three contiguous areas of coastal Europe - Magna Frisia. They all therefore spoke different dialects of OLD FRISIAN. The language of the Kingdom of Frisia which was in existence from circa 600 to circa 734. See kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3izaIGVfcmgpc0 which demonstrates that the closest language to modern English is Frisian (West Frisian in the video). This is due to the fact that Old Frisian was almost certainly the ancestor language of OLD ENGLISH. Scottish people being more intelligible to West Frisian speakers than modern English speakers as SCOTS (the language) was also derived from Middle English, the direct descendent of Old English. They therefore retain the accent and some of the words (and probably grammar) of the ancestral language(s). It's also very highly interesting that if one utilises the High German Consonant Shift, (which was a process taking form at this time) on the name Eoppa (Hengist's son) one reaches the name "Eoffa". This is highly reminiscent of the name "Yffa", the ancestor of the Yffing dynasty of Bernicia and East Anglia. This is another highly significant phenomenon which British historians don't seem to be taking into account, but has clear ramifications on history.

[@AlexIlesUK]

Hello Alexander, (firstly, great name!) The Early Mediaeval Frisians and Anglo-Saxons share similar routes, this has actually been proven lately due to genetic studies (which when I get a chance from all my masters work, I'm going to film an episode on) as the Roman age Frisian seem to have left the land (something that Dutch Archeologists have been saying since the 90's) and the land was filled by people from southern Denmark and Northern Germany. It's amazing to see someone else as passionate about this period, and very interesting about the Eoffa / Yiffing connection - if you don't mind could you email me your references as I'd like to do more research on this!

[@alexanderguesthistorical7842]

@@AlexIlesUK Most of my references are all online (you know...). I'm reading Max Hasting's First Kingdom currently. Have read King in the North. Just read Romans In Scotland... Simon Forder. I used to live in Dumfries and Galloway -trying to find evidence that the A75 has its roots in a Roman Road, with a Roman Fort at Lochryan House, by the ferry terminal. I had a hunch that the "British" Parisi tribe of Flamborough head (Flaem - bourgh, the burgh of the Flems/Vlaams - my translation) was actually the "Frisi" tribe (Frisians). Searched "linguistic changes F to P", nearly fell off my chair - found "High German Consonant Shift" PERFECT FIT!!! That's how the "Parisi" morphed into the "Frisi" (Frisians). Even DUMFRIES (hill of the Friesians - my translation), the Scots Gaelic name is DUN PHRIS! P to F again! Dumfries therefore being a Roman positioning of Foederati of Ala (cavalry) north of the Wall of BATAVIANS. who came from EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE as Magna Frisia, and no doubt spoke Old Frisian, morphing into Old English, morphing again into SCOTS. Dumfries is where Rabbie Burns died. There's a statue to him in the town. He rekindled interest in Scots. Soooo much more to tell..

[@sonnychabert]

saxo gramaticus says the jutes where from northen jutland and the angles from mid to southen jutland, but what did he know he only lived in the 12 centery

[@AlexIlesUK]

Who funnily enough would have read Bede, as he was writing his story of the Christianisation of the Danes...

[@Rymontp]

I've been binge watching your Anglo-Saxon videos. Truly my favourite topic. Thanks for the book recommendations. I'm looking forward to more videos on this topic!

[@AlexIlesUK]

Thank you Ryan! I'm going to look at this topic more - people have really enjoyed it!

[@joshuaconnelly2415]

Another fascinating story! Over time I am gaining a greater understanding of the rich history of Britain from your presentations. Thank you!

[@AlexIlesUK]

@@joshuaconnelly2415 You are welcome

[@sharbenson9211]

Very interesting, you are a great teacher.

[@AlexIlesUK]

Thank you

[@anthonypearson3806]

Hi Alex . . . Have enjoyed your Anglo-Saxon content for a considerable time - well done - very educational and enlightening . . . I briefly covered the 'Early Medieval Era' whilst at Durham Uni. and became interested in some work produced by Don Henson of Sheffield from 2008 onwards. He was reconfiguring the Early Anglian King Lists as set out in a number of extant Chronicles and was trying to re-order the accepted regnal dates in order to better fit with the chronology of historical events described in - say - the British chronicles or those from the Continent . . . Don came up with some very surprising possibilities, but would not be for the faint-hearted or 'Antiquarian,' as the conclusions drawn would precipitate a complete re-writing of history ! . . I wondered if you had mused at all about the possibility of there being dual or side-by-side kingships in Bernicia and Deira, rather than the conventionally accepted 'linear' / single-ruler king-list from King Ida through to Aethelfrith ? - this naturally alters the time-span of the Idingas significantly . . . 547 - 616 reduced to (say) 570 - 616 . . . but then remarkably, the Annales Cambriae, Taliesin, Historia Brittonum etc. etc. all now neatly fit chronologically into this new configuration. Keep up the good work Alex . . . You're a Star ! Anthony

[@AlexIlesUK]

Hi Anthony, I am always up for reading and learning more. One of the thoughts I had was that Æthelfrith may have been living in Deria during the reign of his uncles. My thoughts on this are to do with the Y Gododdin where Bernicians are mentioned alongside the Derians and I wonder if that is Æthelfrith's warband. That could mean that rather than killing his father in law, he inherited the Kingdom rather than Edwin as he had greater support and was married to Acca. Theres so much we do not know so any well argued theory has some value for reasearch!

[@free_gold4467]

Very good!

[@jbussa]

Stupid youtube algorithm... Where have they been hiding you? :)

[@AlexIlesUK]

Apparently behind the curtain, but now I am FREEEE!

[@samueljaworski5737]

Yeah how on earth wasn't this recommended sooner

[@AlexIlesUK]

@samueljaworski5737 I don't know how the algorithm works and it's deeply frustrating to me, but I'm glad you are here now!

[@waynemcauliffe2362]

Cheers mate.Interesting people.

[@AlexIlesUK]

You are welcome!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Horsa possibly has a similar origin as Marshal which comes from horse soldier.

[@AlexIlesUK]

Very interesting, I'll need to look into the meaning of the names again!

[@deusvult6920]

I never say "dark ages." The entire point of that phrase is just to undermine Catholic Christianity and it doesnt accurately describe society during that time. I use either post-antiquity or early middle ages.

[@AlexIlesUK]

Very good points - Late Antique, Early Mediaeval are both great!

[@kruggmichaels8958]

For hundreds of years the Catholic Church kept tight control over education. Reading, and especially reading the Bible, by anyone other than an ordained Catholic priest was a crime punishable by death. Even kings were not allowed to read, and had a personal Catholic priest in order to read and write for them. All of that changed with the invention of the printing press, the Protestant Reformation and the Schism.

[@veronicalogotheti1162]

Thank you

[@AlexIlesUK]

You're welcome

[@asahallberg-vonde1287]

Thanks. Hose means throusers( I hope I spell it right), and Hengst is a male horse in german.😮

[@AlexIlesUK]

Hose is trousers Horsa is a mare. :)

[@asahallberg-vonde1287]

Okay thats New. Old German?

[@AlexIlesUK]

Yes, I believe so :)

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

Good video

[@AlexIlesUK]

Thank you.

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

@@AlexIlesUK no problem

[@MrEnaric]

Frisians were already guarding Hadrians wall in the second and third century and famous as horsemen. Hnaudifridus is mentioned on a gravestone and Frisian Matrons like Friagabis were revered. The links for later (im)migrations were there before Angles and 'Saxons' can be recognised.

[@AlexIlesUK]

That's basically part of my argument in this video.

[@MrEnaric]

@@AlexIlesUK And that's refreshing! Thank you for that. Frisian influences are often overlooked, so your video is absolutely appreciated!

[@AlexIlesUK]

You are welcome! Have a watch through that and the Northumbrian origins one - I think you'll like it!

[@MrEnaric]

@@AlexIlesUK Tige tank foarút!

[@PortmanRd]

Frisians were obviously sleeper cells. Fact finding missions for future germanic invasion. 😏🤭 (tongue in cheek)

[@jeremymorrall6750]

The Anglo-Saxons came from somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa; there's no doubt about it, because the British institutions now constantly tell us this.

[@AlexIlesUK]

No they don't and you're intentionally missing the point to make your own point. The thing is that identities develop over time, the Anglo-Saxon identity did not exist in the 6th or even 7th century but developed from the end of the 8th and into the 9th and Englishness developed in the late 12 or 13th century.

[@jeremymorrall6750]

@@AlexIlesUK I used to take a very keen interest in the material you are offering (your contribution is wonderful and displays great, honest scholastic rigor) , but I have become so cynical and angry (I'm sure you never noticed!) and am reacting to the increasing dishonesty of the system in Britain, which is trying frantically to completely distort and even censor history there - for reasons known only to themselves - so I find I now have to detach myself from these great things ie: THE TRUTH (which, I'm sure, would please the authorities) , lest I become even more dispirited. Believe me, I both like and respect your work.

[@AlexIlesUK]

Hi Jeremy, I realise my last comment came across sharp. This episode gets so many comments from 'ANGLO-SAXONS Were black' to all sorts of things - like me being accused of being woke, which is frustrating because I really do read and make sure what I'm saying is backed up and not for an agenda. I realise our current age is very difficult and frustrating and there's a lot of people pushing various ideological points, which don't actually line up with history, but at the same time we are learning more and more about the past and what was actually going on, so history is changing. That means information that is put out, often gets read as 'woke' rather than something new we learnt. That's exhausting for me as I get five or six hateful comments on this video a week! (I'm not calling you hateful). People are going to love my video on Anglo-Saxon DNA and Pictish DNA! I'm currently finishing my master's Dissertation so it'll be a little bit before you see it all!

[@airborneranger-ret]

Be nice if you weren't blocking the map ;)

[@AlexIlesUK]

Working on putting more images in but just to say the maps are not very accurate for the period. I understand though and have heard you.

[@erickwhitworth1941]

Soooo, we really don’t know anything about Anglo-Saxon

[@AlexIlesUK]

We do. But there's always more to research. The myths are set and don't give the most information.

[@guleet75]

The Anglo Saxons where not that large in number !

[@AlexIlesUK]

You were there? Fantastic can you tell me what happened from 450 AD to 550 please? I've always wondered! In all seriousness, I can understand if you believe in elite replacement theory but there's good evidence to support a larger migration.

[@guleet75]

If there was a large migration then it must have started much earlier than 400 AD and it would have been continues and lasted for maybe a thousand year or two ! That is another theory that I read some where else !!

[@GaryOzbourne-mp7yv]

I was told that my country WALES beat the SAXONS and pushed them back out of wales and did the same thing with the VIKINGS and the ENGLISH i am a true Welsh man had a blood test and I am 100% Welsh.

[@AlexIlesUK]

It's interesting what people get told. Good for you, do you mean DNA or blood test? What type of blood is Welsh?

[@aimaction7393]

LOOKS LIKE ME COUSIN LANCE.

[@AlexIlesUK]

PLAY NICE WITH YOUR COUSIN

[@aimaction7393]

@@AlexIlesUK MY COUSIN IS A MECHANIC, GENIUS GENTLE AND AN UNCLE HAS THE DARK RED ONE IN A MILLION RED HAIR.

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

I often picture Hengist and Horsa as real people myself but whatever.

[@AlexIlesUK]

It's hotly debated by academics

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

@@AlexIlesUK everything is. Personally I just think Hengist and Horsa are just titles.

[@alexanderiles4428]

@@noahtylerpritchett2682 that's a very interesting idea and I like that! Their names lost but the status is remembered!!

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

@@alexanderiles4428 pretty much yea

[@robertrobski1013]

I heard some story that Saxons fled to Britain because they were systematically raided and killed by the Wends

[@AlexIlesUK]

I've not heard that, what was the source?

[@lucdamien4151]

Je sais pourquoi ils sont plus énergique et qu'ils ne ressemblent pas aux autres européens. S'est le peuple qui a le plus de danites. En plus de sa ils se sont étalé en mode fragmentation à travers leur empire. Les français ont développé leur mageur partie de leur ancienne empire proche de leur pays en Afrique en suivant une logique de continuité comme nous les arabes. Mais eux non. Même au temps de Napoléon ils pensaient à agrandir leur frontière en lien avec l'Europe. Eux ils étaient déjà à prendre leur navires pour allez se faire l'inde. Ils ont opter pour la même technique que les peuples de la mer. Même si ils ont un pays qui nécessite de développé des navires. Sa n'empêche pas cette analyse. Les français sont plus dans l'idéologie des judeo romains chrétiens attaché à certaines tradition latine car en plus d'avoir les judeo gallo romain en nombre les francs étaient plus en contacte des romains et de l'Italie ou dans ce pays là il restait pas mal de trace dans les monastères plein de moines ont pu rester dans leur terre avec les conversions des envahisseurs. Les angles et les saxons étaient plus éloigné des frontières des romains

[@AlexIlesUK]

I couldn't understand your argument.

[@serviustullus7204]

Au contraire Alex, it appears that Bede WAS seeking to create a type of foundational myth for a new Christian nation. You missed the gist of my point, entirely, my friend.

[@AlexIlesUK]

No worries.

[@lucdamien4151]

Etalon du cheval pour les 2 frangins. Et le 3eme sest le serpent ! Le cheval arabe a vu le serpent et il va l'écraser bientôt

[@AlexIlesUK]

I had to go away and translate your comments but honestly I can see you are upset by something and it's hard to understand the thread of your argument. Would you mind explaining it again, you mentioned Jewish tribes and islamic empires and what seemed like prophesies. Ultimately it was hard to get what you are trying to say.

[@lenrichardson7349]

Sorry but the sound is too poor

[@AlexIlesUK]

Interesting. Not a complaint I hear often, but thank you for your time to write it. Have a nice day

[@serviustullus7204]

Alex, please give me one other person in the history of humanity whose name was “Prayer”. Hello, common sense?

[@AlexIlesUK]

Have you ever visited Africa?

[@serviustullus7204]

@@AlexIlesUK yes, and so what with that?

[@AlexIlesUK]

A name can be a noun. The sugestion is his pairents destined him for the preisthood or he was a fulfilment of prayer.

[@serviustullus7204]

@@AlexIlesUK maybe, thank you!

[@AlexIlesUK]

@@serviustullus7204 Not a bother, Sorry it took a while to respond - been a busy couple of days!

[@dagobert54]

Britain today is just a nuclear-armed hedge fund. The only comparison with the Anglo-Saxon era is that back then slavery was in force for a large part of the population of England and it took the Norman kings to eliminate it once and for all on this island. The others, the “free men" tilling the soil had no more rights than the cattle they bred. It seems that the British governments of recent decades and in particular that of the Anglo-Saxon Rishi Sunak would like to return to this ideal of society. The powerful, the lords and masters on one side, the poor, the vulnerable and the weak on the other. Nothing in between. In 2024, in the UK, 20% of children under 18 live in poverty. 25% of people aged over 65 live in a precarious situation. 😰

[@AlexIlesUK]

I won't comment on modern politics and see your frustration. I'd suggest some more reading on the period as it's not as you describe. It was an Anglo-Saxon bishop who abolished slavery and was inspired by earlier individuals who were also Anti-slavery, such as St. Aiden.

[@dagobert54]

@@AlexIlesUK I'm glad to learn that. Well, it was not as bad as I thougt then. Thank you very much for your time. What puzzles me though is what Wipikidia says about Slavery in Britain: "Slavery in Britain existed before the Roman occupation and until the 11th century, when the Norman conquest of England resulted in the gradual merger of the pre-conquest institution of slavery into serfdom, and all slaves were no longer recognised separately in English law or custom. By the middle of the 12th century, the institution of slavery as it had existed prior to the Norman conquest had fully disappeared, but other forms of unfree servitude continued for some centuries." I'll try to find some other good books just to have clearer ideas on this subject. Your videos are very well made and informative. Thanks.

[@AlexIlesUK]

@dagobert54 I'm currently traveling to a conference so I can't go into depth but his name is St. Wulfstan

[@AlexIlesUK]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wulfstan_(died_1095)

[@dagobert54]

@@AlexIlesUKThank you so much. It is saints like Wulfstan that we need in our sad times. Have a good conference.😀

[@patricka.crawley6572]

Nothing new. Stopped a the 'wiv'.

[@AlexIlesUK]

👍🏻 carry on. 'a the' really backs up your point ;)

[@patricka.crawley6572]

@@AlexIlesUK Yeah. Nuffin new wiv dis.

[@AlexIlesUK]

Funnily enough, there's no new Anglo-Saxon mythology being written. For some reason they stopped after the 11th century...