(470-472) “Finally I Healed the Feud by paying: I shipped a treasure to the Wulfings and Ecgtheow acknowledged me with oaths of allegiance.”
This is an example of Wergeld. Which is exactly that, a payment made to the family of a slain man by his killer or the killer’s family as compensation, atonement, and to avoid reprisals. Ironically enough in some instances (not this one) the family doesn’t pay enough and a war happens anyway. So they give up all their treasure and then have to fight anyway. These medieval times definitely had some strange traditions.
This wergild is also one of the reason why Beowulf is in Denmark (to honor Hrothgar for paying the wergild).
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