“To […] minum fægran Angelcynne ond þeode:” An Analysis of the “Anglo-Saxon” Linguistic and Cultural Heritage in a Web Corpus

This study investigates the frequency and the usage of the term ‘Anglo-Saxon’ on social networks and the website of the English black metal one-man band Æþelruna. The band is meant to represent the English extreme metal scene, in which the early Middle Ages are often read and rewritten as a sort of ‘lost English Golden Age’ in the wake of precise socio-political ideologies. For this reason, in order to provide a more complete and clearer overview, in addition to ‘Anglo-Saxon’, the study also examines the use of words such as ‘Old English’, as well as the extensive appeal to medieval English literary sources like Bede.