Its deterioration created something of a power vacuum, which allowed the various Germanic peoples to move into areas formerly under Roman sovereignty. Franks, Goths, Danes, Frisians, Angles, and many other groups struggled for dominance in a Europe newly vulnerable to conquest. Opportunities for wealth—whether by trade or plunder—were great, leading to the intensification of traditional rivalries among these people, and the emergence of new ones. Complicating this scenario was the longstanding practice of the blood-feud, which dictated that an injury done to one’s family required compensation, either in blood or money. Time made no difference; ancient grudges could flare into open warfare at a moment’s notice, and the subsequent bloodshed prepared the way for new feuds. This never-ending cycle of violence is portrayed in great detail in Beowulf.
Myth or history? The modern distinction between historical truth and the fictions of myth and imaginative literature does not necessarily apply to works like Beowulf. For the Germanic peoples of the early Middle Ages, their history and legends were inseparable, and possessed similar qualities of truth, in that they provided a sense of national origin and identity.
