batch.motif.norse-poetic-edda-bellows-gutenberg-l17752-l17772
---
record_id: batch.motif.norse-poetic-edda-bellows-gutenberg-l17752-l17772
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/norse/project-gutenberg/poetic-edda-bellows.md
passage_locator:
label: INTRODUCTORY NOTE / GUTHRUNARKVITHA II, EN FORNA / THE SECOND, OR OLD, LAY
OF GUTHRUN / INTRODUCTORY NOTE; lines 17752-17772
start: '17752'
end: '17772'
translation: The Poetic Edda
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-27-corpus; human
review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: An unnamed first-person speaker recounts a dream in which they loose hungry,
howling hounds, see them as food for eagles, and are compelled to eat the hounds'
bodies. Guthrun then speaks of an imminent sacrifice in which beasts will have
their heads cut off and will die before dawn, after which people will have them.
Atli speaks of sinking onto his bed, not seeking sleep, weary with woe.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A first-person speaker says they dreamed they loosed hounds from their hand.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: In the dream, the hounds howl loudly from hunger and pain.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: In the dream, the hounds' flesh is described as food for eagles.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: In the dream, the speaker says they must eat the hounds' bodies.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:5
text: Guthrun says people will soon speak of sacrifice and cut off the heads of
beasts.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Guthrun says the beasts will die before day has dawned, a few nights hence,
and that the folk will have them.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: Atli says he sank on his bed, did not seek slumber, and remembers being weary
with woe.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Unnamed first-person dreamer ("I")
description: A first-person speaker recounting a dream about loosing hounds and
being compelled to eat their bodies.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Guthrun
description: Speaker who describes an impending sacrifice involving beheading beasts
and their death before dawn.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Atli
description: Speaker who describes sinking on his bed and not seeking sleep, weary
with woe.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: dreamer / dream-narrator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The first-person speaker explicitly says they dreamed and recounts dream
events.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: interpreter / forecaster of sacrifice
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Guthrun speaks of an imminent sacrifice and specific actions (beheading beasts)
and timing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: sleepless sufferer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Atli states he did not seek slumber and was weary with woe.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: hounds loosed from the hand (dream image)
literal_form: Hounds being loosed from the speaker's hand; howling in hunger and
pain.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: eagles feeding on flesh (dream image)
literal_form: The hounds' flesh described as eagles' food.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: compelled eating of bodies (dream image)
literal_form: The speaker says they must eat the hounds' bodies.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: sacrifice and beheading of beasts
literal_form: Sacrifice spoken of; heads of beasts hewn off; beasts die before dawn;
folk have them.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:5
label: bed without sleep
literal_form: Atli sinks on his bed and does not seek slumber, weary with woe.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Dream of hounds and compelled eating
summary: A first-person speaker recounts a dream of loosing hungry, howling hounds,
seeing their flesh as eagles' food, and being compelled to eat the hounds' bodies.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Guthrun foretells sacrifice of beasts
summary: Guthrun says people will soon speak of sacrifice; beasts will have their
heads cut off, die before dawn in a few nights, and then the folk will have them.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Atli lies down without sleep
summary: Atli describes sinking on his bed, not seeking sleep, and being weary with
woe.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Sacrifice involving beheading of beasts and imminent death
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Guthrun explicitly mentions sacrifice and the cutting off of beasts' heads,
followed by their death before dawn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not specify the ritual context beyond the stated acts
and timing.
- id: motif:2
label: Dream imagery of animals foreshadowing or associated with violent consumption
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A dream is recounted in which hounds are loosed, are described in terms of
predation (eagles' food), and the dreamer is compelled to eat their bodies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly link the dream images to the later-sacrifice
prediction; the connection may be implicit but is not stated.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 17752-17758 (stanza 43)
quote_or_summary: "“Hounds I dreamed from my hand I loosed… Their flesh methought
was eagles food, And their bodies now I needs must eat.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/norse/project-gutenberg/poetic-edda-bellows.md
rights_note: Public domain translation (Project Gutenberg).
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 17760-17767 (stanza 44, Guthrun spake)
quote_or_summary: "“Men shall soon of sacrifice speak, And off the heads of beasts
shall hew; Die they shall ere day has dawned… and the folk shall have them.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/norse/project-gutenberg/poetic-edda-bellows.md
rights_note: Public domain translation (Project Gutenberg).
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 17769-17772 (stanza 45, Atli spake)
quote_or_summary: "“On my bed I sank, nor slumber sought, Weary with woe, full well
I remember.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/norse/project-gutenberg/poetic-edda-bellows.md
rights_note: Public domain translation (Project Gutenberg).
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The sacrifice content is explicit; the identity of the dreamer in stanza
43 is not named within this excerpt, and the link between dream and sacrifice
is not explicitly stated in the passage.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.2
extracted_at: '2026-04-27'
notes: |-
No cross-tradition comparison claims are made because the passage itself does not draw comparisons beyond its internal dream-and-sacrifice framing.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-27-corpus
custom_id=motif_extract:norse-poetic-edda-bellows-gutenberg__l17752-l17772
passage_sha256=ec7fbc8985848521e0069ab6d58abc682be5d8ba185dd52a6d1f903304c45361