Saxon Slides
Embedded Files
Contents
Sæxan
Seaxan - Þa Scīne Trēowth
SAY-ax-ahn - Tha Shee-neh tray-owth.
Meaning: "The Saxons." From the root seax, the single-edged knife or short sword that was the signature weapon and namesake of the tribe.
Important notions for the Saxons
The Saxons often used "truth" to mean "loyalty" or "fidelity."
Scīne: Bright, beautiful, or brilliant (the root of the modern word "sheen").
Trēowth: Truth, faith, or a pledge (the root of "troth" and "truth").
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
U3A Talk
Follow along or review later by scanning the QR Code
Life in Saxon Bucgan’ora - a talk by John Parsons
Bognor Regis U3A History Group
📅 Tuesday 27 January 2026
🕑 2:00 – 4:00 pm
📍 Bersted Jubilee Hall
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
RAFA Talk
Follow along or review later by scanning the QR Code
Life in Saxon Bucgan’ora - a talk by John Parsons
Monday Lunchtime Talk RAFA Club
📅 Monday 9 March 2026
🕑 Midday for 12:30 start
📍 RAFA Club
💷 £5 members/£8 non members
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
Welcome
Welcome, friends and Bognorians
My name is John,
and I’m very pleased to be here.
Fate goes where she must
and is full of wisdom.
We wunt be druv.
These are the ancient truths.
And so it begins.
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
Gifu
The Saxons usually start with a gift…
The Gift of Grace (Gifu) yee-voo
Grace is a gift that human effort cannot earn - Anglo-Saxon writers frequently adopted a more synergistic or "cooperative" perspective
Quid retribuam? Parsons family motto.
In Anglo-Saxon (Old English) culture, Gifu (pronounced yee-voo) is much more than just a word for a present. It represents a foundational social contract of reciprocity, honor, and loyalty that held their society together.
The concept is encapsulated in the seventh rune of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc alphabet, ᚷ, which is shaped like an "X."
1. The Gifu Rune (ᚷ)
In the Old English Rune Poem, the stanza for Gifu reads:
Gifu gumena byþ gleng and herenys, wraþu and wyrþscipe and wræcna gehwam ár and ætwist, ðe biþ ætra ðearf.
Translation: "A gift is for every man a pride and praise, help and worthiness; and for every homeless man, it is help and substance of which he has great need."
The shape of the rune—two crossing lines—visually symbolizes the intersection of two parties and the exchange that occurs between them.
2. The "Gift-Economy" and Social Bonds
For the Saxons, a gift was never truly "free" or without obligation. It functioned as a "social glue":
The Comitatus Bond: A king was often referred to as a beah-gifa (ring-giver) or gold-wine (gold-friend). By distributing treasure, armor, and land to his warriors (thegns), he wasn't just being generous; he was "buying" their life-long loyalty and service in battle.
Reciprocity: Receiving a gift created a debt of honor. To accept a gift and not return it (either through a counter-gift or through loyal service) was a mark of deep shame.
Marriage and Peace-Weaving: Gifu played a role in "Peace-weavers" (freoðu-webbe)—noblewomen married into rival tribes to end feuds. The "gifts" of dowries and the woman herself were meant to create a binding alliance between previously warring families.
3. Divine Grace and Names
As the Saxons converted to Christianity, the meaning of gifu expanded to include Divine Grace.
Spiritual Gifts: The word was used to describe the "gifts of the Holy Spirit" or the "gift of life" granted by God.
Onomastics (Naming): The word was a common element in Anglo-Saxon names, signaling the child as a "gift."
Godgifu: "Gift of God" (the origin of the name Godiva).
Ælfgifu: "Gift of the Elves."
Eadgifu: "Gift of Prosperity."
4. The "Poison" of the Gift
Interestingly, the Proto-Germanic root of the word (gebo) is linguistically related to the Old High German word for "poison" (gift). This reflects a deep-seated cultural understanding that a gift could be a burden—a "poisonous" obligation that could trap a recipient in a debt they could never repay, or a tool used to manipulate others into submission.
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
The Beech (“bēce“ or "bōc") bay-cheh or boak
The Queen of the Forest
The Oak (Dura)
The Father of the Woods
The Ash (æsc/Asc) Ash Yggdrasil Tree of Life IG-druh-sil
Bitch, Buckingham, Berkshire
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
Contents
Sæxan
Seaxan - Þa Scīne Trēowth
SAY-ax-ahn - Tha Shee-neh tray-owth.
Meaning: "The Saxons." From the root seax, the single-edged knife or short sword that was the signature weapon and namesake of the tribe.
Important notions for the Saxons
The Saxons often used "truth" to mean "loyalty" or "fidelity."
Scīne: Bright, beautiful, or brilliant (the root of the modern word "sheen").
Trēowth: Truth, faith, or a pledge (the root of "troth" and "truth").
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
Seaxan - Þa Scīne Trēowth
SAY-ax-ahn - Tha Shee-neh tray-owth.
Meaning: "The Saxons." From the root seax, the single-edged knife or short sword that was the signature weapon and namesake of the tribe.
Important notions for the Saxons
The Saxons often used "truth" to mean "loyalty" or "fidelity."
Scīne: Bright, beautiful, or brilliant (the root of the modern word "sheen").
Trēowth: Truth, faith, or a pledge (the root of "troth" and "truth").
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
U3A Talk
Follow along or review later by scanning the QR Code
Life in Saxon Bucgan’ora - a talk by John Parsons
Bognor Regis U3A History Group
📅 Tuesday 27 January 2026
🕑 2:00 – 4:00 pm
📍 Bersted Jubilee Hall
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
RAFA Talk
Follow along or review later by scanning the QR Code
Life in Saxon Bucgan’ora - a talk by John Parsons
Monday Lunchtime Talk RAFA Club
📅 Monday 9 March 2026
🕑 Midday for 12:30 start
📍 RAFA Club
💷 £5 members/£8 non members
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
Welcome
Welcome, friends and Bognorians
My name is John,
and I’m very pleased to be here.
Fate goes where she must
and is full of wisdom.
We wunt be druv.
These are the ancient truths.
And so it begins.
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
Gifu
The Saxons usually start with a gift…
The Gift of Grace (Gifu) yee-voo
Grace is a gift that human effort cannot earn - Anglo-Saxon writers frequently adopted a more synergistic or "cooperative" perspective
Quid retribuam? Parsons family motto.
In Anglo-Saxon (Old English) culture, Gifu (pronounced yee-voo) is much more than just a word for a present. It represents a foundational social contract of reciprocity, honor, and loyalty that held their society together.
The concept is encapsulated in the seventh rune of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc alphabet, ᚷ, which is shaped like an "X."
1. The Gifu Rune (ᚷ)
In the Old English Rune Poem, the stanza for Gifu reads:
Gifu gumena byþ gleng and herenys, wraþu and wyrþscipe and wræcna gehwam ár and ætwist, ðe biþ ætra ðearf.
Translation: "A gift is for every man a pride and praise, help and worthiness; and for every homeless man, it is help and substance of which he has great need."
The shape of the rune—two crossing lines—visually symbolizes the intersection of two parties and the exchange that occurs between them.
2. The "Gift-Economy" and Social Bonds
For the Saxons, a gift was never truly "free" or without obligation. It functioned as a "social glue":
The Comitatus Bond: A king was often referred to as a beah-gifa (ring-giver) or gold-wine (gold-friend). By distributing treasure, armor, and land to his warriors (thegns), he wasn't just being generous; he was "buying" their life-long loyalty and service in battle.
Reciprocity: Receiving a gift created a debt of honor. To accept a gift and not return it (either through a counter-gift or through loyal service) was a mark of deep shame.
Marriage and Peace-Weaving: Gifu played a role in "Peace-weavers" (freoðu-webbe)—noblewomen married into rival tribes to end feuds. The "gifts" of dowries and the woman herself were meant to create a binding alliance between previously warring families.
3. Divine Grace and Names
As the Saxons converted to Christianity, the meaning of gifu expanded to include Divine Grace.
Spiritual Gifts: The word was used to describe the "gifts of the Holy Spirit" or the "gift of life" granted by God.
Onomastics (Naming): The word was a common element in Anglo-Saxon names, signaling the child as a "gift."
Godgifu: "Gift of God" (the origin of the name Godiva).
Ælfgifu: "Gift of the Elves."
Eadgifu: "Gift of Prosperity."
4. The "Poison" of the Gift
Interestingly, the Proto-Germanic root of the word (gebo) is linguistically related to the Old High German word for "poison" (gift). This reflects a deep-seated cultural understanding that a gift could be a burden—a "poisonous" obligation that could trap a recipient in a debt they could never repay, or a tool used to manipulate others into submission.
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
The Beech (“bēce“ or "bōc") bay-cheh or boak
The Queen of the Forest
The Oak (Dura)
The Father of the Woods
The Ash (æsc/Asc) Ash Yggdrasil Tree of Life IG-druh-sil
Bitch, Buckingham, Berkshire
Created: 10 Jan 26 by John Parsons
Page updated
Report abuse