Aethlings tended to revolve around the present rather than the past. The disputing parties would arrive with their followers / troops to make it clear how much power they had, and that played a large role in the decision. Each side would list the harm done to them and try to rationalize the harm they delivered. In the end, the Aethling would try to balance the books, such as making up for your loss of 9 head of cattle with some compensation. They might demand a wedding to make up for the son you killed and the daughter I killed.
Certainly, past experience cannot have escaped their attention, but they viewed each conflict as unique, revolving around the underlying causes this time and the levels of damage dealt. Once they reached a decision, all parties were bound by it, and refusal to comply would result in expulsion from civilization.
