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The Brehon Academy
❣️ Is ferr fera chiniud – a man is better than his birth. A maxim of Irish Law first recorded in the eighth century. It is a precept that underlies the phrase “All men are created equal” which appears in the American Declaration of Independence and the underlying meaning is the same. The Brehon precept is in sharp contrast with the beliefs and values of the contemporaneous European social hierarchy and is evident right down to the post-modern era as expressed through the English proverb “you can't make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear”. 🐷 The precept dictates that the individual may not be hindered or restricted, in any way whatsoever, in his or her development because of the circumstances of his or her birth. The individual is encouraged to achieve what he will, and is free to accumulate wealth and will be honoured for his success. A person was judged by their deeds and not their genealogy. [...] The Brehon precept expects a man to improve the conditions prevailing at the time of his birth. Jefferson’s precept indicates that every man should have an equal chance to improve such conditions.” 📖 Quoted from - Secret And Silent Men Of 1798 By James Caulfield. Brehon Law quote from Uraicceacht Bec an eighth-century text from Munster dealing with rank and status.
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The Brehon Academy
For map fans, some new maps showing Celt, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Viking territories in the British Isles. Also, the remarkable DNA map which shows how modern Britons still live in the same tribal kingdom areas as their ancestors in 600 AD. https://ift.tt/1TC9EBl
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The Brehon Academy
The ancient Irish laws were recorded in manuscripts by the Brehons (judges). While much of this knowledge has been lost due to the brutal British colonisation of Ireland, what remains reveals an interesting keyhole glimpse into the everyday life, aspirations, and order of early Irish society. It might come as a surprise to find that the early Irish had the prevention of the exploitation of individuals who suffered from a disability or mental health issues in their minds, but we know this is the case from the research of great scholars on early Irish law who translated the law tracts. Read more >> https://ift.tt/2QsK6lR
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Early Ireland had a very well-defined and strict social order. Each position was carefully graded into various ranks and sub-ranks. We can see this in the nature of chieftaincy and kingship as was practiced in early Ireland, where the leader of a people was selected from among all the eligible candidates in the company, and not merely assigned to the eldest son of the prevailing ruler. In fact, while Ireland had kings and chieftains, the custom of primogeniture as practiced among neighbouring European monarchies was not practiced in early Ireland. There was no divine right to rule. Like everything in life worth having, that privilege had to be earned. We can also see this in the grades of craftsmen, poets, priests, judges, the people of the arts, even down to comb-makers and horse-keepers. Every profession, whether lay, clergy, common, or noble was divided into its varying grades. In fact, there is not a single profession treated in the laws where these sorts of classifications and distinctions of greatness, ability were not carefully classified according to rank. Status and rank were directly tied to one's 'honour price'.
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The Brehon Academy
A MAN IS BETTER THAN HIS BIRTH Updated with more info>> https://ift.tt/3adcpeU - What was the social hierarchy in early Ireland? - Could people raise themselves to higher grades or fall to lower ones? - How did it differ from the Hindu caste system? - Is Ferr Fer a Chinuid: What did it mean? We can see this in the nature of chieftaincy and kingship as was practiced in early Ireland, where the leader of a people was selected from among all the eligible candidates in the company, and not merely assigned to the eldest son of the prevailing ruler. In fact, while Ireland had kings and chieftains, the custom of primogeniture as practiced among neighbouring European monarchies was not practiced in early Ireland. There was no divine right to rule. Like everything in life worth having, that privilege had to be earned. We can also see this in the grades of craftsmen, poets, priests, judges, the people of the arts, even down to comb-makers and horse-keepers. Every profession, whether lay, clergy, common, or noble was divided into its varying grades. In fact, there is not a single profession treated in the laws where these sorts of classifications and distinctions of greatness, ability were not carefully classified according to rank. However – and this is the beautiful part – this was not fundamentally based on one’s birth. “Once a slave always a slave” was not held to be the case. Granted, it might take some time to raise oneself up to a higher position in society – the general rule being that a position should be held for three generations to truly be established – it was not impossible, nor was it frowned upon. In fact, this precept proves that it was valued, admired, and encouraged. Read more >> https://ift.tt/3adcpeU
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ARE MYTHS IMPORTANT? I remember being a young boy of about 7 or 8 years of age starting 3rd class of junior school and being excited as we were about to start learning two new subjects; geography and history. In that first year the focus was entirely on the old myths and legends of Ireland; a clever choice of approach for appealing to our young imaginative minds. We would hear about the adventures of Cuchulain, the Salmon of Knowledge, and the Children of Lir, the great feats of the mighty Fíanna Warriors of Fion McCool, and the land of the ever-young called Tír na Nog, or how Saint Patrick defeated the druid’s magic, drove the snakes from Ireland, defied a king by lighting a sacred fire and how his flame of Christianity burned ever since. Though these were mere stories, and spoke of times too ancient even for a young mind to comprehend, a part of me wanted them to be true. I’d look into rivers hoping to meet the salmon of knowledge or imagine how it might be to actually see Tír na Nóg. After each lesson and new story, I returned home always excited to share what I had learned with my younger brother and cousin – and from that point to this I have continued to hold a deep interest and I have continued to teach others about the culture, myth and history of ancient Ireland. This is what ultimately led me to found the Brehon Academy and create an online course about Irish Mythology. But before getting into that, let’s talk a little about what “myth” really is? https://ift.tt/3gko7Z2
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