So what do YOU make of that term "Anglo-Saxon" ?

Note from Colin (hippo's keeper) added Saturday Nov 18th


It seemed like a good idea at the time: to let the inner nerd speak. He needs his occasional day out, same as the rest of us. But to spare you having to plough through his leaden prose (in autumnal chesnut below ) here's the gist of his message.

"Anglo-Saxon" has numerous connotations, none of them flattering.

It implies:

(a) a barbarian war-like disposition

(b) the idea that the English are outsiders, not indigeneous to Britain

(c) The English-dominated government in London has no mandate to speak on behalf of the whole of Britain

(d) the English are genetically of mixed blood and, ipso facto, unknown, untrustworthy quantities

(e) the English are too given to acting as poodle to those other "Anglo-Saxons", namely the Americans.

So when you refer to us, Frère Jacques, as "les Anglo-Saxons", don't expect us to share your little Gallic joke. What joke ? Where's the humour ? Whatever happened to the Entente Cordiale ?






Well, you do disappoint me, boys and girls. Only one response to my questionnaire so far, and that from the boy who always has his hand up.

Now if he is capable of an original "take" on the expression "Anglo-Saxon" , as used by the French to refer to ourselves, then I'm sure YOU too could come up with something original if you tried.

Or are you going to let that clever boy do all your thinking for you ?

But here are three more views on what Anglo-Saxon means, outside of its strict historical context.


1. The Anglo-Saxons arrived as foreign interlopers. Even if they had been entirely peaceful, they ended up somewhere they didn't belong. Anglo-Saxons are not true Britons. The true Britons , we used to be told (mistakenly), are the Celts, ie the Scots, Irish and Welsh. Ipso facto, the modern day English are not authentic British, but a foreign strain. They are your worst nightmare, the transient, the traveller, who deciding he likes his new abode ("Good 'ere, innit ?) becomes first a squatter, and then sets up home in your backyard.

And here's a point where I find myself partially in agreement with that solitary commentator: on no account will the French risk offending their Celtic friends and/or ancient allies by speaking disparagingly of the British. Better to avoid that blanket term, and instead speak sniffily of the "Anglo-Saxons". When in doubt, use coded language.



2. The Anglo-Saxons were not peaceable interlopers. Far from it: they were warlike invaders who subjugated the native Britons. "Briton" is in fact an Anglo-Saxon word that means "slave". Ipso facto, the term "Anglo-Saxon" is a reference to our supposed belligerence and bellicosity, still manifest 1500 years later, we are told, in the behaviour of our football hooligans, Margaret Thatcher's re-taking of the Falklands, her taming of the unions, Blair's military campaigns in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.



3. The Anglo-Saxons were a hybrid entity - a genetic cross. Put crudely, that means the modern English are mongrels. As such they have a unique mix of genes that is peculiar to the English. So when the English appear to think or act differently from mainland Continentals, one should not waste time in trying to reason or understand. They are "Anglo-Saxons" who behave the way they do, because it is hard-wired into their DNA.


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So there you have it, class: already we have three distinctly different interpretations, and that's not counting the one we have already. You see, I have made no mention of our transatlantic cousins, the Americans. That's an aspect that appears to weigh heavily in the mind of our single Commentator.


But none of these interpretations, note, are in the least bit flattering. All can be made to sound pejorative.


What a handy expression, then, to have: "Anglo-Saxon" : a multipurpose, coded insult, one that can always be passed off lightly, if challenged, as a cheeky historical allusion, but which really comes down to one thing : the English are NOT ONE OF US.


We Brits are generally an easy going lot. We're not given to getting worked up about the tags, labels, that others apply to us. But can we afford to be so relaxed, philosophical about one that can be taken to mean so many different things ? And one, moreover, that according to Stephen Oppenheimer, reinforces a mistaken view of history and genetics, ie that the English are not native to Britain ?



We warn our own children of the dangers of racial stereotyping which can lead to demonising, then persecution. So why should we acquiesce to the misuse of a label that has ceased to have any meaning in modern society ? Why have we allowed others to lift a geographical term from our British history, that can now be used quite freely in the politest of society as a snide, derogatory NATIONAL PUT-DOWN ?

Is "Anglo-Saxon" an impolite term ?

Here are some questions from my pal hippo for you to ponder on - and to contribute a comment if you feel so inclined.

1. Why do the French refer to us on occasions as Anglo-Saxons ?

2. Who is included in that description - is it just the English, or does it include the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish ?

3. What is the term "Anglo-Saxon" intended to convey that is not adequately described by the term British, English etc ?

4. Is the term Anglo-Saxon intended to be pejorative ? If so, mildly or strongly ?

5. Anglo-Saxons are described in some history books as 'barbarian invaders'. Is the term Anglo-Saxon synonomous with barbarian ?

6. When the French refer to Anglo-Saxon economics, which of the following countries is included: : Britain, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa ?

7. If it is OK to refer to Britons, or British-derived stock as Anglo-Saxons, would it be equally OK to refer to the French as Franks, Gauls, or Normans ?

At home with hippo

Some of you have been asking about the precise location of hippo in my head. Shame on you for not knowing your human anatomy. He lives in a small apartment on the hippocampus of course !

(Click photo to enlarge)

PS Will that "Anne Gilbert" on Colin Randall's Salut blog still be suggesting a link to this site when she reads this one !

Daemonology for beginners: who's this 'hippo' character, then ?

Hippo acronymus

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Apologies dear friends: am having formatting problems. Daemon (or daemons) at work ?

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Devotees of this blog from across the world have been clamouring to know more about the hippo character who keeps popping up from time to time with his unhelpful remarks.

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"Devotees from across the world", my left foot. You mean that friend of your wife who phoned on Monday evening.

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And in case you hadn't noticed, hippo's comments always appear in a delightful er, Malteser shade of brown. In fact I sometimes think his brain has much in common with the interior of said confectionery too. A sort of foam of trapped air bubbles.

But joking aside, as you see, hippo and I have a frank, candid, mutually joshing, on-going, give-and-take kind of relationship........

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When I can get a word in edgeways that is. Notice that he's already getting into his windbag mode . When the multiple adjectives start piling up, then you know it's time to take cover.

Anyway, as the graphic indicates, hippo is of course an acronym :

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Hypercritical Incubus: Philip Pullman Offshoot

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Of course, I'm sure that the cognoscenti among you, well versed in daemonlore, knew that already.

For newcomers to this shadowy genre, here's a brief glossary that may help you better understand the nature of my constant companion hippo.

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Hypercritical:
Overcritical - especially of small faults, inclined to judge too severely, carping, nit-picking, pedantic, faultfinding

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Incubus

1. (Modern meanings):

A nightmare. An oppressive thought like a nightmare, or a situation resembling a terrifying dream. Someone who depresses or worries others .....

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2. (Historical meaning) :

A male demon, fiend, or lascivious spirit, believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women.

Whilst hippo has been known to fantasise about life in bygone days - he's a free spirit moving in both time and space - his current job description refers strictly and exclusively to the modern-day meaning. (I append that comment for the benefit of my wife, who may be reading this site.)

Philip Pullman: Author, best known for "His Dark Materials " trilogy, in which each character has his or her 'daemon' In adults, the daemon is a particular animal - eg; a leopard, monkey. The situation with children ( eg the main character, Lyra) is more complex: their daemons can take different forms, but are still animals).

But I haven't said yet what is meant by the term "daemon". That's a tricky one, but cannot be avoided, given that the blog is called "Dreams and Daemons".

Daemon

Here's a selection of definitions off the internet:

1. The word daemon is Greek for "spirit or soul."

2. A dæmon in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials, is a physical manifestation of the soul of a conscious human.

3. A guardian spirit or guardian angel often associated with the communication of advice and inspiration.

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4. Again, a guardian spirit; the inspiring or indwelling spirit of a place or thing; an entity or intelligence of a particular force; an artificial elemental created by a person or group for a specific purpose or force.

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5. The words daemon and daimon (also spelled dæmon) are distinctive Greek spellings of demon used purposely today to distinguish the daemons of Greek mythology, good or malevolent "supernatural beings between mortals and gods, such as inferior divinities and ghosts of dead heroes", from the Judeo-Christian usage demon, "a malignant spirit that can possess humans". ...

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Jesus, who writes this stuff ?

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6. In computing: A daemon is a program that is left running in the background, waiting for a particular set of circumstances (such as a request) to trigger it into action.

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Uh uh, the inner geek is back. What possible relevance can computing daemons have in the present context ?

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Regrettably, I have to say that no single one of these definitions can be said perfectly to encapsulate the meaning of daemon on this site. Think of it, then, as a composite: a disagreeable inner presence (well, on occasions), an incubus that may haunt its owner, yet is at the same time a guardian spirit (though often not apparent, and slow to adopt that role).

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"Perfectly to encapsulate" ? ! Who do you think you are ? Lord William Rees-Mogg ?

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Others characteristics, not mentioned here, could emerge from time to time, depending on environmental triggers, provocation etc.

There may be some among you, out there in the blogosphere, who are asking themselves this: am I, the writer, someone of this planet, Man in other words, who needed to think up an animal identity for his daemon, who having hit upon 'hippo' (the big mouth seeming appropriate) then had retrospectively to devise a plausible-sounding acronym that might pass muster in the world of grown-ups ?

Or is he is fact Superman, not of this planet, who did things the other way round ?

The answer to that my friends, is that I really don't know. You see, it's like this: two heads are better than one. But I only know what's in my head. I don't know what's in hippo's, assuming it's more than just Malteser centres..

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That's a cop-out, if there ever was. Come on, tell it the way it is. What came first ? Hippo the beast or HIPPO the acronym ? Oh, and one other thing: being your guardian spirit is NOT in my job description.

Apologies once again for the layout and formatting problems