Answer:
Winter
Explanation:
Russia's winter is known to be extremly harsh. The winter even stopped Napoleon from invading Russia. As the Germans were advancing towards Russia, they became low on equipment and food. Especially because they are now further away from their base. The Russians obvisouly have experince in fighting in the harsh weather, giving them an ultimate advantage, leading to their victory.
What was important about Tolkien's perception of Beowulf was that his translation and analysis focused more on the artistic values of the content and the verse, and less on the historical value that had been in the focus of the academia up until that time.