The term Anglo-Saxon, comes from the two Germanic tribes the Angles and the Saxons that were present in Britain from 410 AD, this literary period dates back to Celtic England circa 450 AD. This era subsequently ended in 1066, following the Norman conquest of Britain led by William the Conqueror. The first part of this period prior to the seventh century, was characterized by an oral literal tradition which was common among the so-called “Barbarian Tribes” since Roman times. A lot of the prose dating back to this period was a translation of something else; or rather scripts concerning legal matters as well as medical and religious matters. One of the most important works from this period which has been passed down to us, is the epic poem “Beowulf“. The author of this poem is unknown, but many believe that it may have been transcribed by a monk. Even if nowadays it is considered to be one of the finest examples of Anglo-Saxon literature, incredibly this literary work remained mainly unknown and forgotten for nearly a thousand years. It was rescued from a certain fate of obscurity by an Icelandic-Danish scholar called Thorkelin in 1815. 
Within this epic poem, we can find all the traits that characterized the everyday life of these Germanic warrior tribes that inhabited Britain during this period, these being: bravery, honour, honesty and unconditional loyalty to their chiefs, who in turn were also expected to posses all these defining qualities.