Västergötland and Östergötland, once rival kingdoms themselves, constitute Götaland proper.

The Geatish kings, however, belong to the domain of Norse mythology.Geatland is the land in which the medieval hero of the poem Beowulf is said to have lived.It is only late in the Middle Ages that Götaland begins to be perceived as a part of Sweden.

In Old Norse and in Old English sources, Gautland/Geatland is still treated as a separate country from Sweden.