éraic
Old Irish term for a special kind of fine, wergild, or reparation in the laws of early Ireland. An éric might be imposed for any wrong, but it was mostly associated with homicide. The kinsmen of a murder victim might ask an éric of cattle or silver from the perpetrator, specified according to the rank of either killer or killed, or they might instead seek the death of the killer. The modern Irish word éiric, while derived from Old Irish, means, less specifically, ‘reparation, retribution; compensation, reward’.
