Legal systems in fantasy

[The Marquis de Leech]

1 hour ago, SeanF said:

That's interesting.  How was the succession resolved in those drafts?

It wasn't. Denethor basically disputes Aragorn's right, and IIRC sends him to the Morannon on a suicide mission.

[Jo498]

But is Aragorn's claim and/or descendance doubtful? (that is, would not there be documentation in Rivendell, in addition to the sword that would support his claim)

I am not sure but angry as he is about the fact, I seem to recall that Denethor accepts grudgingly that in Gondor 20 (or how many?) generations of stewardship would not make the steward the rightful king.

[Jo498]

Aillias in "Lyonesse" arrives at the last possible moment before a pretendent with a weaker claim (cousin or so who also tried to murder him before) is crowned King (of his little island, not of the Elder Isles). The legal niceties are not explored, though. One of the main conflicts of that series also centers around the Overlordship of the Elder Isles and some complicated claims several of the Kings involved have by their inheritance to several of the smaller kingdoms as well as to the Throne that rules the whole archipel. Basically it all works out at the end and Aillias does not only gain the crown through victory in battle but also because he has rightful claims.

It is somewhat disappointing that Martin set up the struggle for the Iron Throne in a somewhat similar fashion but in his story the legal issues cease to raw power very quickly and are not really taken up again.

[Callan S.]

Such arguments over power are more about convincing those you'd gain power over than actually who should logically be 'king'.

[C.T. Phipps]

I always liked the Measure in Dragonlance even if it existed like the Prime Directive in Star Trek: only so it could screw our heroes over. It was one of the few times knights actually seemed educated about what they were supposed to do, wrote down what were the situations they were likely to do, and gave advice on how to do it. As bad as the Measure was portrayed and how it made things Lawful StupidTM, it also showed how a society could be LAWFUL versus the deliberate anarchy in most D&D settings.

Also, in the Witcher series, they did the "burning brand" trial by ordeal. The problem was the individual who held the brand was a vampire and they're immune to fire in this universe (he mentions vampire weaknesses exist but they're pretty much the direct opposite of what traditional ones are--because vampires don't want to die and are smart enough to make stories up to help them avoid this). So, the vampire saves a young woman and it is judged a miracle.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

On 7/19/2016 at 2:28 PM, NestorMakhnosLovechild said:

Combat is dramatically interesting. Most other types of trial by ordeal are really just executions by another name. 

Running the Gauntlet could be interesting. They had something like that in Last of the Mohicans (the one with Daniel Day-Lewis)

 

On 7/19/2016 at 9:11 PM, sologdin said:

in the RSB, sorcery stands in for law insofar as sorcery is defined as:

that's a decent theoretical elaboration of what law is.

That's funny. I've always analogized Second Apocalypse sorcery to computer programming.

I've heard somebody, it might have been Volokh, say that computer programming and law are very similar structurally. And that law is essentially a 12th century programming language.