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Social Structure

People/Positions

People/Positions

Name

Column 2

Column 3

Notes

Filí

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or filídh (Similar to )

Open

Bard

Open

Seanachi

Open

Fear Feasa/bean feasa ("woman of knowledge"), banfháidh or fáidhbhean ("seeress")

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Brehon

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In Irish society, Brehons were legal professionals and judges who played a crucial role in the administration of law and justice during the early medieval period, particularly from the 5th to the 17th centuries. They were responsible for interpreting and applying the Brehon Laws, which were a body of customary laws that governed various aspects of life, including property rights, marriage, and social obligations.

Brehons were typically well-educated individuals, often from noble or learned families, and they were trained in the law through a system of apprenticeship. Their role was not only to adjudicate disputes but also to provide legal advice and counsel to chieftains and the community. The Brehon Laws were characterized by their emphasis on restitution and compensation rather than punitive measures, reflecting a more restorative approach to justice.

The Brehons held a respected position in society, and their decisions were based on a combination of legal precedent, customary practices, and the specific circumstances of each case. However, with the arrival of English rule in Ireland and the imposition of English law, the traditional role of the Brehons diminished, leading to the decline of the Brehon legal system.

In ancient Irish society, Brehon law was a system of customary law that governed various aspects of life, including the status and nobility of individuals and families. The assessment of an individual's or a family's nobility under Brehon law was based on several factors:

kings

chieftains

Nobles

assemblies

Irish concepts (perhaps pre brehon)

In Irish mythology, the concept of the "sacred king" or the "king's two bodies" refers to a duality in the nature of kingship, where the king embodies both a physical and a spiritual or symbolic role. This idea is rooted in the belief that the king is not just a political leader but also a sacred figure whose well-being is intimately connected to the health and prosperity of the land and its people.

The King's Two Bodies (pre Brehon perhaps)

1. **The Physical Body**: This refers to the actual, mortal body of the king, which is subject to aging, illness, and death.

2. **The Sacred or Symbolic Body**: This aspect represents the king's role as a divine or sacred figure. Even if the physical body of the king fails or dies, the symbolic body continues to exist. This body is often associated with the continuity of the kingship and the idea that the king is a vessel for the spirit of the land and its people. In this sense, the king is seen as a manifestation of the land itself, and his death can be viewed as a necessary sacrifice for the renewal of the land.

Rituals and Sacrifice

In some myths and historical practices, the sacred king would undergo rituals that symbolized his connection to the land. These rituals could include a symbolic death or sacrifice, where the king would be killed or replaced to ensure the fertility and prosperity of the kingdom. This cycle of death and rebirth reflects the agricultural cycles of the land and the belief in the necessity of sacrifice for renewal.

Q

Is a "fine" (a kin group) essentially a klan?

what was the sucking a chieftains nipple thing?

who paid brehons

were there jails?

Was land “owned” in ireland

accountability/balance duchas...to the point of sacrifice

mbas Forosnai was a ritual used to invoke altered states

Sanas Cormaic, written in 908 AD.

Táin Bó Cúailnge of the Cú Chulainn cycle.

Brehon Law

A tract is group of legal texts about an area of law, grouped, by area of law

Of these laws would be oral/memorised.

Brehon Law is a large legal corpus made up of many separate tracts.

The Senchus Mór covers only a subset of Brehon Law mainly:

Status law

Property and liability

Distraint/compulsion procedures (athgabáil)

Related commentaries and glosses

Major areas of Brehon Law appear in other tracts, such as:

Críth Gablach (social grades)

Bretha Comaithchesa (neighbour law)

Uraicecht Becc (legal primers)

Bretha Nemed (privileged laws)

Cáin Lánamna (marriage law)

Cáin Adomnáin (law of innocent persons)

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