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Anglasweorc: Difference between revisions
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Today, the Anglasweorc serves as an important cultural and political symbol of the [[Ænglish people]], and within [[Anglei]] the weorc represents the fortunes of the Ænglish state itself. | Today, the Anglasweorc serves as an important cultural and political symbol of the [[Ænglish people]], and within [[Anglei]] the weorc represents the fortunes of the Ænglish state itself. | ||
==Etymology== | |||
The Anglasweorc takes its name from the Old Ænglish language and literally means "Work of the [[Ænglish people|Ænglish]]". The exact meaning of "work" is twofold; it has a figurative meaning akin to great work or ''magnum opus'' and a more literal meaning in that it was built by the [[Ænglish people|Ænglish]]. The Latin name is testified in an illustrated manuscript at the time of the Cuthbertweorc as the ''Opus Anglicum'', and [[Dan Lärdmann]] testifies in his ninth century Old Gothic ''[[Chronica Gothica]]'' that the Gothic realm ends at ''Änglarswerkr'' (compare with modern [[East Gothic language|East Gothic]] ''Änglaswerk''). Historians extrapolate from this that the name Anglesweorc was in use long before the expansion of the defences in 1121. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
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===Golden age of the Anglasweorc=== | ===Golden age of the Anglasweorc=== | ||
[[File:Valdemarsmur.JPG|thumb|right|200px|An illustrated cross-section of a typical section of the Wilfredsweorc.]] | [[File:Valdemarsmur.JPG|thumb|right|200px|An illustrated cross-section of a typical section of the Wilfredsweorc.]] | ||
Significant efforts were made to strengthen the weorc by the end of the next century. Due to the wealth and prestige the weorc afforded the Ænglish, the Ænglish realm was elevated to a [[Anglei#Kingdom_period|Kingdom]] in [[1278]]. The first King of the Ænglish, Wilfred I, greatly invested in the weorc. The Wilfredweorc for the first time built stone walls between fortified points, and other changes to the castles along the boundary were implemented. Additional walls and fortresses were constructed on potentially weak points behind natural features, and by around 1300 nearly all of the well known routes to bypass the weorc had been sealed. The new stone walls lining the weorc were polished, leading to the Ænglish realm gaining the name " | Significant efforts were made to strengthen the weorc by the end of the next century. Due to the wealth and prestige the weorc afforded the Ænglish, the Ænglish realm was elevated to a [[Anglei#Kingdom_period|Kingdom]] in [[1278]]. The first King of the Ænglish, Wilfred I, greatly invested in the weorc. The Wilfredweorc for the first time built stone walls between fortified points, and other changes to the castles along the boundary were implemented. Additional walls and fortresses were constructed on potentially weak points behind natural features, and by around 1300 nearly all of the well known routes to bypass the weorc had been sealed. The new stone walls lining the weorc were polished, leading to the Ænglish realm gaining the name "Weissreich" among [[Gothic people|Goths]] - "White Kingdom". The Wilfredsweorc was built upon and largely replaced with larger, sturdier walls which soldiers could stand upon and shoot down at oncoming Goths throughout the 1360s and 1370s during the reign of Wilfred II; these additions are traditionally grouped in as part of the Wilfredsweorc, partly due to 19th century misconceptions about which Wilfred built what part of the wall. | ||
===Decline and end of the Anglasweorc=== | ===Decline and end of the Anglasweorc=== | ||
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The Anglasweorc runs north to south, with its northern terminus being the [[Vandarch]] and its southern terminus being [[Lake Roseney]]. Today, the course of the weorc is nearly the same as that of the [[Carolina-Grand Canal]], running north from Lake Roseney along the Cheshire River and Hartnell Creek up through the Vandarch, though the weorc at places curves inland away from the Canal. Historically, the Cheshire River's course diverged west approximately halfway between the Lake and Vandarch, and the Hartnell Creek had not been deepened or widened for navigation. Accordingly, a large expanse of land existed between the northern bend in the Cheshire and beginning of the Hartnell, which could be easily fordable prior to the creation of the Canal. | The Anglasweorc runs north to south, with its northern terminus being the [[Vandarch]] and its southern terminus being [[Lake Roseney]]. Today, the course of the weorc is nearly the same as that of the [[Carolina-Grand Canal]], running north from Lake Roseney along the Cheshire River and Hartnell Creek up through the Vandarch, though the weorc at places curves inland away from the Canal. Historically, the Cheshire River's course diverged west approximately halfway between the Lake and Vandarch, and the Hartnell Creek had not been deepened or widened for navigation. Accordingly, a large expanse of land existed between the northern bend in the Cheshire and beginning of the Hartnell, which could be easily fordable prior to the creation of the Canal. | ||
Small parts of the weorc are located in [[Hollona and Diorisia]] and [[Yonderre]]. | Small parts of the weorc are located in [[Hollona and Diorisia]] and [[Yonderre]]. The parts of the Anglasweorc in [[Yonderre]] lie chiefly south of the [[Avonne river]] which makes up much of the Yondero-Ænglish border. Like elsewhere, the Anglasweorc, primarily represented today by an earthen rampart, follow the local topography, making use of hills, streams and lakes to bolster the man-made defensive works. In Yonderre, the Anglasweorc has in places been undone during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to make way for farming. | ||
==Characteristics== | ==Characteristics== | ||
[[File:Hadrian's Wall west of Housesteads 3.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Much of the Anglasweorc relied on [[Anglei]]'s natural topography.]] | [[File:Hadrian's Wall west of Housesteads 3.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Much of the Anglasweorc relied on [[Anglei]]'s natural topography.]] | ||
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The Anglasweorc is viewed as a national symbol of [[Anglei]] and appears on the hundred [[Taler]] note as the iconic structure of Anglei. Most [[Ænglish people]] view the weorc fondly, and it is thought to be one of the great engineering and political achievements of the Ænglish people. Among historians and popular culture, the fortunes of the weorc are viewed to be directly correlated to the fortunes of the Ænglish state as a whole; its decline helped bring [[The Anarchy]] to the Ænglish Kingdom and signaled its future demise in a literal way, while in a symbolic way its restoration in the 19th and 20th centuries to a place of global esteem serves as an emblem of the fortunes of Anglei. In this way, the weorc is tied to the Ænglish national idea, and a popular contemporary Ænglish expression for a politician doing a good job while in office is to "keep the weorc stoned". Beginning in the 1920s, all major public offices in [[Anglei]] began to hold their swearing in ceremonies at sites along the weorc, symbolizing their responsibility to keep the Ænglish state strong and capable. This tradition continues today. | The Anglasweorc is viewed as a national symbol of [[Anglei]] and appears on the hundred [[Taler]] note as the iconic structure of Anglei. Most [[Ænglish people]] view the weorc fondly, and it is thought to be one of the great engineering and political achievements of the Ænglish people. Among historians and popular culture, the fortunes of the weorc are viewed to be directly correlated to the fortunes of the Ænglish state as a whole; its decline helped bring [[The Anarchy]] to the Ænglish Kingdom and signaled its future demise in a literal way, while in a symbolic way its restoration in the 19th and 20th centuries to a place of global esteem serves as an emblem of the fortunes of Anglei. In this way, the weorc is tied to the Ænglish national idea, and a popular contemporary Ænglish expression for a politician doing a good job while in office is to "keep the weorc stoned". Beginning in the 1920s, all major public offices in [[Anglei]] began to hold their swearing in ceremonies at sites along the weorc, symbolizing their responsibility to keep the Ænglish state strong and capable. This tradition continues today. | ||
The Anglasweorc takes up a complex spot in [[Yonderian culture]], tying directly into the idiom [[Anglei's final warning]] and being a metaphor all of its own. In everyday conversation, metaphorical references to the Anglasweorc suggest a thing or situation in which much effort has gone into something ineffective or downright useless. Similarly, "the weorc" is often used as a derisive {{wp|metonym}} for Anglei and particularly its government. | |||
[[Category: Anglei]] | [[Category: Anglei]] | ||
[[Category: Yonderre]] | [[Category: Yonderre]] | ||