A medieval Irish legal commentary on wakes and funerals from Anfuigell ‘Wrong judgment’

Abstract:The medieval Irish legal text Anfuigell ‘Wrong judgment’ is extant in seven main fragments found in five different manuscripts now housed in Dublin, London, and Oxford. Although the text itself is not complete, taking into account the accompanying legal commentary and glosses surrounding the text, Anfuigell and its associated legal material amount to one of the largest bodies of legal matter in the entire corpus of attested medieval Irish law. This text has never been edited and lacks a modern translation and, as such, it constitutes a legal mystery box for scholars. Anfuigell treats a variety of legal topics. One of the text's legal commentaries deals with injuries sustained and illnesses contracted at funerals. This particular aspect of the early Irish legal system has never been discussed by scholars. This article presents an edition and translation of the short legal commentary and discusses how the legal precepts illustrated by the commentary fit within and add to our current knowledge of the laws surrounding injuries and illness. The legal material also contributes to our understanding of medieval mourning practices, including some of the activities which took place at funerals and wakes.