]> Cáin Lánamna The Law of the Couple An electronic edition Rudolf Thurneysen Electronic edition compiled by Donnchadh Ó Corráin University College, Cork Second draft, revised and corrected. 3155 CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork
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 Manuscripts Dublin, TCL, 1316, olim H. 2. 15A, pp. 53a–59b. This is the second fragment of a composite MS, being pp. 39–42, 47–66 (facsimile pp. 29–52); date unknown but likely to be s. xiv; two scribes, glosses by four or more other hands. Facsimile edition. R. I. Best & Rudolf Thurneysen (eds.), Senchas Már: facsimile of the oldest fragments from MS H. 2. 15 in the Library of Trinity College, Facsimiles in Collotype of Irish Manuscripts, 1 (Dublin, 1931), 39a4–45b14. This MS alone contains a full text of Cáin lánamna. Text edited in D. A. Binchy, Corpus iuris hibernici (Dublin, 1979), ii 502–19. Dublin, TCL, 1336 olim H. 3. 17, columns 233–43; s. xvi. The manuscript is made up of several parts of differing provenance bound together and is a miscellany of legal, historical, religious and narrative texts. The MS contains extracts from Cáin lánamna. Text edited in D. A. Binchy, Corpus iuris hibernici (Dublin, 1979), v 1804–12. Dublin, TCL, 1337 olim H. 3. 18, p. 381a; vellum and paper; s. xvi. A collection of fragments of different MSS. The MS fragment contains short glossed extracts from Cáin lánamna. Text edited in D. A. Binchy, Corpus iuris hibernici (Dublin, 1979), iii 903. Editions W. Neilson Hancock, Thaddeus O'Mahony, Alexander George Richey & Robert Atkinson (prepared for press), Ancient laws of Ireland, 6 vols. (Dublin, 1865–1901), ii (1869)342–420 [text based on the uncorrected transcripts of John O'Donovan and Eugene O'Curry]. Rudolf Thurneysen (ed. & trans.), 'Cáin lánamna', in: D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.), Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 1–80; repr. in Rudolf Thurneysen, Gesammelte Schriften, i–iii, ed. Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel & Rolf Ködderitzsch (Tübingen, 1991), iii 287–366. Edition and translation with copious commentary. D. A. Binchy, Corpus iuris hibernici (Dublin, 1979), ii 502–19; iii 903, v 1804–12 [diplomatic edition]. Translations W. Neilson Hancock, Thaddeus O'Mahony, Alexander George Richey & Robert Atkinson (prepared for press), Ancient laws of Ireland, 6 vols. (Dublin, 1865–1901), ii (1869)343–421 [translation on the uncorrected drafts of John O'Donovan and Eugene O'Curry]. Rudolf Thurneysen (ed. & trans.), 'Cáin lánamna', in D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.), Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 1–80; repr. in Rudolf Thurneysen, Gesammelte Schriften, i–iii, ed. Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel & Rolf Ködderitzsch (Tübingen, 1991), iii 287–366. Donnchadh Ó Corráin, 'Cáin lánamna (The law of the couple)', in Donnchadh Ó Corráin (ed.), 'Early medieval law, c. 700–1200', in: Angela Bourke, Siobhán Kilfeather, Maria Luddy, Margaret Mac Curtain, Geraldine Meaney, Máirín Ní Dhonnchadha, Mary O'Dowd and Clair Wills (eds.), The Field Day anthology of Irish writing, iv (Cork, 2002), 6–44: 22–26. Bibliography H. M. d'Arbois de Jubainville, 'L'achat de la femme dans la loi irlandaise', Revue Celtique, 3 (1876–8), 361–4. H. M. d'Arbois de Jubainville, 'La famille celtique', Revue Celtique, 25 (1904), 1–16, 181–207 H. M. d'Arbois de Jubainville, La famille celtique: étude de droit comparé (Paris, 1905). Rudolf Thurneysen, 'Heirat', in D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.) Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 109–208; repr. in Rudolf Thurneysen, Gesammelte Schriften, iii 367–86. Nancy Power, 'Classes of women described in the Senchas Már', in D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.), Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 81–108. Myles Dillon, 'The relationship of mother and son, of father and daughter, and the law of inheritance with regard to women', in D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.), Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 129–79. D. A. Binchy, 'Family membership of women', in D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.), Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 180–86. Kathleen Mulchrone, 'The rights and duties of women in regard to the education of their children', in D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.), Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 187–205. D. A. Binchy, 'The legal capacity of women in regard to contracts', in D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.), Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 207–34. August Knoch, 'Die Ehescheidung im alten irischen Recht', in D. A. Binchy & Myles Dillon (eds.), Studies in early Irish law (Dublin, 1936), 235–68. D. A. Binchy, 'Sick maintenance in Irish law', Ériu, 12 (1938), 78–134. M. A. O'Brien, 'Miscelleanea hibernica' Études Celtiques, 3 (1938), 363–73: 370–1 [sleith]. Josef Weisweiler, 'Die Stellung der Frau bei den Kelten und das Problem des keltischen "Mutterrechtes"', Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 21 (1939), 205–80. D. A. Binchy, 'Fionna–chruth', Éigse, 15 (1973–4), 319–22. Heinrich Wagner, 'Studies in the origins of early Celtic tradition', Ériu 26 (1975) 1–58: 23–4 [4. An early Mesopotaminan parallel to 'cétmuinter' for muin araile 'a wife upon the neck of another' in Irish law; 5. On O.Ir. urnaidm 'betrothal']. Donnchadh Ó Corráin, 'Women in early Irish society', in Margaret MacCurtain & Donnchadh Ó Corráin (eds.), Women in Irish society: the historical dimension (Dublin & Westport CN, 1978), 1–13. R. C. McAll, 'The normal paradigm of a woman's life in Irish and Welsh texts', in Dafydd Jenkins & Morfydd Owen (eds.), The Welsh law of women: studies presented to D. A. Binchy (Cardiff, 1980), 7–22. Donnchadh Ó Corráin, 'Irish law and canon law', in P. Ní Chatháin & Michael Richter (eds.), Irland und Europa: die Kirche im Frühmittelalter (Stuttgart, 1984), 157–66. Donnchadh Ó Corráin, 'Marriage in early Ireland', in Art Cosgrove (ed.), Marriage in Ireland (Dublin, 1985), 5–24. Lisi Oliver, 'Forced and unforced rape in early Irish law', Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, 13 (1993), 93–106. Dorothy D. Swartz, 'The legal status of women in early and medieval Ireland and Wales in comparison with western European and Mediterranean societies: environmental and social correlations', Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, 13 (1993),107–18. Donnchadh Ó Corráin, 'Women and the law in early Ireland', in Mary O'Dowd & Sabine Wichert (eds.), Chattel, servant or citizen: women's status in church, state and society, Historical Studies, 19 (Belfast, 1995), 45–57. Máirín Ní Dhonnchadha, 'The Lex innocentium: Adomnán's law for women, clerics and youths, 697 A.D.', in Mary O'Dowd & Sabine Wichert (eds.), Chattel, servant or citizen: women's status in church, state and society, Historical Studies, 19 (Belfast, 1995), 58–69. Bart Jaski, 'Marriage laws in Ireland and the continent in the early middle ages', in Christine Meek & Katharine Simms (eds.), 'Fragility of her sex': medieval Irishwomen in their European context (Dublin, 1996), 16–42. Bart Jaski, 'Vrowen in vroeg–middeleeuws Ierland', in R. H. F. Hofman, B. Smelik & K. Jongeling (eds.), Kelten van Spanje tot Ierland (Utrecht, 1996), 43–72. Donnchadh Ó Corráin (ed.), 'Early medieval law, c. 700–1200', in Angela Bourke, Siobhán Kilfeather, Maria Luddy, Margaret Mac Curtain, Geraldine Meaney, Máirín Ní Dhonnchadha, Mary O'Dowd and Clair Wills (eds.), The Field Day anthology of Irish writing, iv (Cork, 2002), 6–44: 22–26. The edition used in the digital edition Rudolf Thurneysen Cáin lánamna D. A. Binchy, Myles Dillon, Rudolf Thurneysen (eds.), Studies in early Irish law. Dublin Royal Irish Academy 1936 1–80

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 by a legal scribe 900–1200 The text is in Middle Irish. Annotations are in English. law prose medieval marriage 2010-04-27 Beatrix Färber ed. Conversion script run; header updated; new wordcount made; file parsed. 2008-09-29 Beatrix Färber ed. Keywords added; file validated. 2005-08-25 Julianne Nyhan ed. Normalised language codes and edited langUsage for XML conversion 2005-08-04T15:32:41+0100 Peter Flynn ed. Converted to XML 2005-04-20 Beatrix Färber ed. File parsed; HTML file created; online proofing. 2005-04-08 Beatrix Färber ed. Text converted to ASCII and checked against ANSI file, header and markup inserted. 2005-03 Donnchadh Ó Corráin ed. File proofed (1,2) and annotated; bibliography compiled. 2005 Donnchadh Ó Corráin text capture Text keyed in. Cáin Lánamna

Cain Lanamna: Dileas do chechtar da lina ciaro-chaithe, cia-tormala echtar da lina ar araile, acht ni ro-raidsem i ndligud flatha, &ersir; ni ro-fiachaigestar dliged no urdliged no airlecud, no ni ro-tathaigedar nech dib ar araile. Slan cach sochomsa, cach sochobus, eslan cach n-ecobus i cainlanamna.

Cair, cis lir lanamna do-cuisin la Feine? Ni anse, a ocht: flaith fria aicillne, eclais fria manchu, athair frin ingin, ingen fria brathair, mac fria mathair, dalta fria muimi, fithithir fria felmac, fer fria bein.

Comdiles do cach dib cia-tarta di araile, cia-imarbara cach dib ar araile cen elguin, cen taide. As-renar aithgin cach dichmairc cairichther co troscud acht i n-eclais; aithgin olchena cach dichmairc cairigther, co imchim troiscthe no eluda dligid. (Cach dichmairc) cach taide, cach elguin, cach dichmairc cairigther, follaigther, is cona dire do-bongar.

Cair, cis lir lanamna cumthusa comperta do-cuisin la Feniu? Ni anse, a deich: (1) lanamnus comthinchuir; (2) ben for ferthinchur; (3) fer for bantinchur co fognam; (4) ben for airitin n-urala;(5) fer tathaigthe cen urgnam, cen urail, cen tarcud, cen tinol; (6) lanamnus foxail (7) lanamnus amsa for faeniul; (8) lanamnus tothla; (9) lanamnus ecne; (10) lanamnus genaige.

(1) Lanamnus comthinchuir: mad co tir &ersir; cethra &ersir; intreb &ersir; mad comsair comthechta a cuma lanamnusa-&ersir; is don bein sin as-berar be cuitchernsa - ni-bi cor cor nechtar da lina sech araile inge curu lesaigter a cumthus. It e-side in so: comul comair fri coibne techta, in tan nad-bi occaib fadesin comobair trebtha do luad; fochraic tire; tinol cua; comull sollumun; sil cethra do luad; lanad treb intreib; comul comsa; creic neich doda-esaib do toischidib. Cach cunnrad cen dichell, sochur sochubus iarna coir coitechta, co n-imaititiu i neoch crenar, amal mbes selb neich renar and.

Ni-renar nach ainim do-lece domaine i trebad cen chocur, cen chomairle, cen chomlogud. Ar ni coir etla cumthusa lanamnusa comthinchuir cen chomlogud.

Aurail coimperta i soaici sochraiti, is cor cach techta, do-ber socomuil a cumthus a comaitreib.

Cach cor cen saithiud. Ar fo-fuasluice cechtar da lina dochur araili; ni-fuaslaici a sochuru do neoch do-ruirmed, ma beith cach comsa cen imamainsi, cen imaclaidi, co sochomsa, co sochubus.

Mad scarad, cach scarad cen imdiupairt. Maa imthoga scartha, con-fodlat iar techta.

Trian cach thoraid do thir acht lamthorad; trian do chethra bes a bunadas, on innuide; trian do urgnam. Con-fodlaither fo airilliud caich iar tir &ersir; cethra &ersir; urgnam. Mat comaithi a folaid no mat comolca, is in tucht so con-fodlat a trene.

Trian n-urgnuma innuda cethra con-fodlaither a tri: trian do aithiuch tige, trian do mnai frisi-mbi aithechus tige, trian do urgnamtaib .i. di augairib. Is de ata macslabra gaire.

A cumat mblicht, con-fodlaither a tri itir tir &ersir; cethra &ersir; urgnam. Trian n-urgnuma, a leth do mnai dod-gni; leth n-aill in lethrin do lestraib; a leth n-aill, da trian do aithech tige as, oentrian do urgnamtaib fothrebtha.

Mad aile da lina beta olca folaid, facabar a chuit urgnuma in mifoltaig lasin sofoltach, &ersir; ni-diupenar tir na cethra.

Trian n-urgnuma etha &ersir; sailli, rann tair a tri .i. trian as do mnai frisi-mbi ar &ersir; buain &ersir; crud &ersir; biathad &ersir; methad, acht methad for blicht: it da trian a suidiu do mnai. Frithgnam erraig fri h-ar ocus crudh, da trian a dligid na mna as.

Leath do mnai a etuch no a lamthorud snithiu, trian a cirthu adblam, lethtrian a-lloaib &ersir; a scuapaib lin; trian a cruib glaisne, leth mad coitethe.

Ni to-roimole cechtar da lina di araile is diles do, mad tria comlogud do biathad &ersir; etiud. Is de as-beir: 'Is slan cach cocraithe comloigthe'.

As-renar aithgein cach diubairt co logud no in-eranar a lo imscartha.

Ní fo-roxla taide no cnet no fogurred no forcomul n-ecne as-renar cona fuillem co ndiablad aithgine, mad marbdile; mad beodile, co n-as &ersir; los &ersir; fuilled &ersir; fuillem.

Diles cach oin, cach airliciud, cach reic, cach creic cin imdiubirt do chechtar da lina dia saindilius fadeisin corice log n-enech do chach iarna coir cunnruda.

Fothud, fuiririud do chechtar da lina fo miad. Fo-suidither boairi(g) an aile, ni-fothadar iarum co iar n-de treise. Fo-suidether a flaith &ersir; a eclais Fadesin cechtar da lina &ersir; a chairde a chosloint(h)e.

(2) Lanamnus mna for ferthin(u)chur: is cor a chor in fer sech in mbein, acht reic etaig &ersir; bid, &ersir; rec bo &ersir; cerech, mad ben urnadma nab(e) cetmunnter.

Mad be cetmunterasa techta, comaith &ersir; comcheniuil - sech is comcheniuil cach comaith -fo-fuasna ide a churu uile mat baith-ar ni-said dilse for diubirt na fogurrud -conda-tathbongat a maic.

Mad coibche fri bein do-rata, cid dia sentaib fadesin, is dilis don chetmuintir in choibche sin, ma ogaid a mamu techta a lanamna(i)s. Is fiachach cach adaltrach do-thet for cend cetmuintire; as-ren log n-enech na cetmuntire.

Fo-suididter in ben lethdaim in fir, amail bes miad c(h)ele na mna: Mad ben boairech, fo-suidithter ocairig; mad ben airech desa, fo-suidithear boairig; mad ben airech tuisi, fo-suidithter airig ndesa; mad ben airig aird, fo-suidither airig tuisi; mad ben airech forgill, fo-suidithter airig n-ard.

Cach foth(ug)ud co h-iardaige iar laine othrusa. Cuile iar cainbiathad. Biathad cen airain neich cen daim techta. Ni-fuiben enecland arain dar daim techta; ar ni h-eitech do neoch mad o daim techta ci as-to.

Ma scarid &ersir; bid imtocad leo, noch bid commaithi a folaid fri h-imscarad doib, rod-bi slan serthoimilt caich di arailiu cen ecubus co comtinucur fri h-imscarad, arna'ma-nderbara. Cach n-aithgin feib ro-brondtar co n-as, co los, co n-gert, co fuilliud Cach taide, cach egean, cach foxal cen logud, cen aith(c)e, cen digide, is cona diri.

Leth lamthoraid do mnai, amail is-rubrad isin lanamnas taisech is-rubartmar; leithtrian a m-blicht; cosnaib cobdail(a)ib taisechaib itir tir &ersir; bu &ersir; lestrai(b) &ersir; fognamadaib: nomad a indud &ersir; a arbim &ersir; a saill, mad mardentaig.

Is miach di cach(a) mis ara-bi co ceand m-bliadna .i. cusna belltanai(b) bida nesom, armu-biad in aimsir imscartha i-scarad.

(3) Lanamnas fir for bantinchur: is a suidiu teit fer i n-uidiu mna &ersir; ben a n-uidiu fhir. Mad fer fognama is nomad a h-arbim don fhir &ersir; don saill, mad ceand comairle cuidrig muintire fri comairle comnirt; lethtrian do blicht con-foglaigther in tri: leth do lestrai, a leth n-aill, da trian a suidiu don fir; nomad a lamthorud fri h-imscarad doib. Mad imtucu doib scarad, is amne a scarad.

Mad aile da lina bes anfoltach, is dilis cuit urgnuma in mifoltaich dont shofoltach. Mad cetmuinter, is dilis uile donti bis ina mamaib techtaib, nad-beir araile cuit a tir na bunad cethra; acht scarait, amail con-recat: i n-da-beir cach lais cusan aile, a marathar de, iss ed beres lais fri h-imscarad, no aithgin dia thorad, muna-marathar.

Acht is fer do-reanar a h-inchaib na mna, mad le in tothchus uile, inge mad sofoltachu in fer oldas in ben, no mad caidiu, no mad saire, no mad airmidnechu.

(4) Lanamnas airite for urail: cethruman a lamthoraid don fiur a suidiu. Mad co cethraib for tir, con-foglad fo chuit tiri &ersir; urgnama &ersir; bunaid cethra do cach bes a ai.

(5) Lanamnas fir thathigthe cen targud, cen urgnam: cuiced a lamthoraid cuit in fir .i. in chele, fri h-imscarad doib-ar is eneachruice dosum fure-si in sain; cia fo-rruastar fria, is ed as-rirtar do de -&ersir; ata a cuit se i suide.

(6/8) Lanamnus foxail &ersir; lanamnas taide: ni techtad ni do chomraind fri h-imscarad do beodil na marbdil acht comperta. Cia do-rata ben bis for foxal ara fine ni dia chele foda-cosle, is indilis o fine; &ersir; is samlaid taisic: co lethdire as-renar, mad na mna a n-do-rata; ma beith cuit and do nach aile, is cona landire as-renar. Ar im-ta lanamnas tothla i taide.

(9) Lanamnas eicne no sleithe: ni-techtat ba acht comperta, &ersir; as-renar laneraic i n-ingin macdacht &ersir; i-mmacaillig na-diulta cailli &ersir; i cetmuinter, leithe(i)raic mad adaltracha — cen frithuide in so uile — co lanloig einech bes sruithem fordo-be do neoch dia-mbi saindileas.

(10) Lanamnas genaige: mer no dasachtach fri druith no dasachtaig. Ni-techta nechtar n-ae urthechta do somaine na domaine; nech conda-ruice ar gnae &ersir; conn fiada-ndentar, lais in choimpert sin, ma beith coimpert de; a altram &ersir; a cin &ersir; a raith foraib. Is rig &ersir; eclas &ersir; fine a n-eiric &ersir; a n-dibad.