Comparative law
Two traditions, side by side
Irish bee law on the left, the continental Germanic and Frankish codes on the right. Each entry says what changed and how the other tradition handled the same problem. Open an entry for the note and the evidence.
Where the two traditions part
| Question | Early Irish law | Continental codes |
|---|---|---|
| What sets the amount owed? | The honour-price of the injured person, so the same sting costs different amounts depending on who was stung. | A fixed tariff attached to the thing or the act, largely the same whoever the victim is. |
| Are bees owned or wild? | Owned while the keeper's care is visible, but the neighbours' claim on foraged honey persists regardless. | Owned once hived; a swarm out of sight tends to fall back to the finder or the landholder. |
| Who gets a found swarm? | Divided — finder, church, and kin-head or landholder, according to where it settled. | Usually undivided: the pursuer if pursuit succeeded, otherwise the holder of the land. |
| Who enforces the judgment? | Sureties, kin pressure, and regulated distraint; no royal court of general jurisdiction. | Royal and ducal courts, with part of the penalty payable to the crown as a public fine. |
| What is actually paid? | Often honey itself, or cattle and cumal-units, matched to the harm and the rank. | Money sums in denars and solidi, converted from livestock values. |
Dates for the continental codes follow the standard editions; the Irish entries are dated by the language of the tract rather than by any manuscript, so they are approximate by nature.