Geis — a Taboo Among the Irish Celts
Geis — a TabooA geis is a taboo among the Irish Celts. It served as a kind of prohibition that a person was forbidden to break. The consequences of violating one were dire.
A geis (typically unique to each individual) was placed upon a person at birth or after some significant event in their life. There were also collective geasa, such as those binding the people of a kingdom before their king. Prohibitions could take many forms — moral and social, as well as those tied to the forces of nature. For example, Cúchulainn could never refuse aid to any woman, nor could he eat the meat of dogs. Another figure, Conchobar, could not leave his house after sunset.
Usually, a person had only a few geasa — one or two — but the higher a person's standing, the more geasa they were bound to observe. Kings, for instance, might carry anywhere from several dozen to a hundred different geasa. Through them, they affirmed their standing before their people and the gods, and sought not to provoke the wrath of higher powers through excessive prosperity.
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