Irish vs. German

A main difference between the laws of the Germanic people and the Irish deals with the marriage and especially to that of women. In Tacitus' account of the Germanic peoples, he mentions that it is the husband who brings a dower to the wife rather than the Roman tradition of the woman bringing it to the husband. This Roman tradition was echoed in the Irish traditions, as explained in Cain Lanamna. 


Another difference is the divorce that has to be mutual in Irish culture and in Germanic culture is not present. This is a part of the bigger difference that is the amount of relationships that a Irish man and woman can enter into. In Cain Lanamna, there are 10 distinct relationships listed that were socially acceptable, and only a few mentioned in what Tacitus wrote. 


In Tacitus' writing, he mentions that there are few adulteries, which is an interesting point. In the Irish laws, there are relationships that are legally sanctioned for, that in Germanic lands would be considered adultery. In a sense, the Germanic people and the Irish share sparse amount of adulterers, but that is if one ignores the content of the adultery.