an outsider to the Celtic communities in which many of his and Fidelma's cases take place to provide explanations about legal and cultural matters to his readers. This allows Tremayne to include many details about the history of the Celtic church and society, without overtly appearing to educate. Being a foreigner, Eadulf's status in Ireland is originally that of cu glas (which translates as "grey dog"), meaning an "exile from over the sea" and a person without legal standing or honor price (for a definition of this term, see "Status" in Early Irish Law); however, his rank as techtaire (emissary or ambassador) between Archbishop Theodore and Fidelma's brother King Colgu gave him a high honor price of eight cumals (a cumal being the value of three cows) under Irish law (see Our Lady of Darkness) and since his marriage to Fidelma (recognized and approved by her family) he is now considered a deorad De (an "exile of God") and has an honor price of half that of Fidelma's but he is not entitled to make legal contracts without her permission (she is also responsible for any debts that he might incur) or have any legal responsibility in the raising of Alchu. Despite these legalities, he is treated as an equal and a friend and accepted as a member of Fidelma's family. After the events of Dancing with Demons in the winter of 669–670, he was made a member of the Nasc Naidh, an elite corps of bodyguards to the kings of Munster, by King Colgu and entitled to wear the golden torc of that order. Brother Eadulf is a stolid man who provides a much-needed stability to Fidelma during emotionally difficult cases (he knows that her insecurity stems from both her parents dying when she was very young). In many of the novels, Tremayne uses the same phrases (with some slight variations) to describe Fidelma and Eadulf's intellectual relationship: "She missed their debates. She missed the way she could tease Eadulf over their conflicting opinions and philosophies, the way he would always rise goodnaturedly to the bait. Their arguments would rage but there was no enmity between them. They would learn together as they examined their interpretations and debated their ideas." (Suffer Little Children) Eadulf's courage and love of family are undeniable (proven many times, including his rescue of their son Alchu in The Leper's Bell and of Fidelma herself