all purpose set out by Celtic law was theprotection of the welfare of the society as a whole. Equality was stressed among the members of the tribe as ameans of attaining and maintaining harmony. Upon a marriage, a husband was expected to add half of his ownproperty and belongings to his brides dowry to be kept as a joint account, and saved as a sort of early pensionfund, to be released upon the death of either to the survivor. The sick, weak, elderly and orphans were cared for bythe tribe free of charge. Murder and theft were considered to be of the highest insult, as it effect the entire tribe,and by law it was required that the offender repay what he or she had taken, including their social status or life. Assault directed at another member of the tribe , either physically or verbally, was also strictly against Celtic law,and also required the compensation of the offender to compensate in victim in exact sums, such as through publichumiliation or dishonor, or the loss of a limb (Pennick, 1997). Adultery was taken very seriously within the tribe,and a woman who committed adultery was immediately burned at the stake. Every offense was directed towardsthe individual rather than , as there was no unified form of authority over all the Celtic tribes, and offended againstthe state were not, for the most part, recognized. Druids, along with being spiritual leaders and counselors, were greatly respected within Celtic societiesfor their abilities to act as judge, dispenser of justice at both a local and intertribal level. They judged all criminalcases, and were the ones to pass sentence upon the accused. If one were to refuse the judgment of the Druid, theywould be immediately forbidden to attend public sacrifices, lose their civic rights, and face a lifetime of beingshunned by the tribe.An example of how powerful these laws were is within Ireland, where Ollamh Fodhla, founded theBrehon Law which is regarded as the oldest and longest p...
