>>20517807One of the druids’ main roles was as lore-keepers and judges of disputes. But the flaith, or nobility of the tuath, most likely formed ruling councils that were heavily influenced, if not actually controlled by, the druids. The druids were the lore-keepers, the ones who remembered the law traditions of old. They passed down their knowledge of prior judgments orally to each other, often in the form of verse. As in so many areas, this role would have given them great power. When the king’s subjects came to him with minor disputes, even the clan’s Rí Tuath (the clan’s king) might have depended heavily on his druids before rendering a judgment.
What about the regional kings, the Rí Cóicids? What authority did they possess in matters of justice? His word would likely have been law. Such a king held many debts and allegiances from the weaker Rí Tuatha. And he could back up his judgments and decrees by calling men to arms from many tuatha. But he, too, would have relied upon his druids for counsel.
For offenses against the clan itself, the offender might be barred temporarily from sacrificial or group ceremonies.
In the worst cases, the criminal himself might be sacrificed in a public ceremony to the gods. Or the druids might banish the criminal from the tuath. In a world where the individual depended heavily on the clan for survival, this sentence would have been severe. It’s possible the person so banished might find another tuath to join. But once separated from your clan’s protection, another clan might just as well decide its laws didn’t apply to you at all. Wanderers were often subject to arbitrary capture, slavery, or death without appeal.