Anglo-Saxon Warriors and the Klephts of Greece: Their Indo-European Ori

Anglo-Saxon Warriors and the Klephts of Greece: Their Indo-European Origins Anglo-Saxon warrior bands share the same code of honor as the Greek resistance fighters called Klephts both nations having a common Indo-European heritage and concept of hero. Beginning in the fifth century Germanic invasions transformed the Celtic culture of the British Isles. Anglo-Saxon warrior bands conquered the native Celts and prevailed in England from the fifth until the eleventh century. Warfare, the idea of comitatus, and the Germanic heroic code comprised the Anglo-Saxon way of life. Their warrior clans were ruled by a heroic figure, a chieftain or king, and the heroic code valued bravery, boasting, and above all allegiance to their king. Loyalty to the king gave warriors a sense of honor, identity and belonging. In Germania Tacitus writes, They choose their kings for their noble birth, their leaders for their valour. The power even of the kings is not absolute or arbitrary. As for the leaders, it is their example rather than theirauthority that wins them special admiration(7.1). It was their leaders rather than their kings who were the heroic figures whom the warriors could admire and emulate. The Kings were usually "inferior in virtue and courage to the great heroes who serve them" (Oosten, 152). Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxon heroic code valued allegiance to the king above all else, since he was viewed not only as a protector but also the provider of plenty (Chaney, 90). On the field of battle, that loyalty was transferred to their leader or hero. Tacitus explains that Anglo-Saxon warriors were expected to support their leaders in battle unto death or live a life of infamy. Tacitus, (6.22-3). Since they were forced to struggle co... ...hop. The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom Hymnal. Brookline, Mass: Greek Orthodox Diocese of North and South America, 1977. Oosten, Jarich G. The War of the gods, The Social Code in Indo European Mythology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1985. Runciman, Steven. The Great Church in Captivity, A Study of the Patriarchate of Constantinople From the Eve of the Turkish Conquest to the Greek War of Independence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1968. Stover, Leon E. and Kraig, Bruce. Stonehenge, The Indo- European Heritage. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1978. Winn, Shan M. M. Heaven, Heroes, and Happiness, The Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology. New York: University Press of America, 1995. Zafiropoulos, Simoni, ed. Greece in Poetry, With Painting Drawings, Photographs, and Other Works of Art. New York: Harry N. Abrahms, Inc., 1993.