batch.motif.celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg-l11336-l11426
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg-l11336-l11426
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
passage_locator:
label: 'CHAPTER IV. THE HARD SERVANT / CHAPTER V. THE HOUSE OF THE QUICKEN TREES
/ BOOK SEVEN: DIARMUID AND GRANIA. / CHAPTER I. THE FLIGHT FROM TEAMHAIR; lines
11336-11426'
start: '11336'
end: '11426'
translation: Gods and Fighting Men
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Finn, widowed and without a wife, sends Oisin and Diorraing to the High
King at Teamhair to ask for Grania as his wife. The king directs them to Grania
for her own answer, and she conditionally accepts by reference to her father’s
judgment. Finn later comes to Teamhair with the Fianna for the wedding-feast.
Grania sees that Finn is grey-haired and much older than she expected, prefers
Oisin, answers Finn’s riddling questions cleverly, and inwardly dislikes Finn.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Finn rises early alone at Almhuin and says he is without a wife or companion
since Maighneis died.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Oisin says the Fianna could bring Finn any woman in Ireland, willing or unwilling.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Diorraing proposes Grania, daughter of the High King of Ireland, as a fitting
wife for Finn and praises her form, shape, and speech.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Finn says there has long been strife between himself and the High King and
sends Oisin and Diorraing to ask for Grania on his behalf.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Oisin and Diorraing go to Teamhair, where the High King is holding a gathering,
and Oisin asks for Grania in marriage for Finn.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The High King says Grania has refused many sons of kings, princes, and champions,
and tells the envoys to get her own answer.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Grania answers that if Finn is a fitting son-in-law for her father, he would
be a fitting husband for her.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: A feast is made for the envoys, and a meeting between Finn and the High King
is set for a fortnight later at Teamhair.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: Finn gathers the seven battalions of the Fianna and comes to Teamhair, where
he and the Fianna receive a welcome.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: When Grania sees grey-haired Finn, she says Oisin would be more fitting for
her than a man older than her father.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Finn asks Grania a series of comparative questions, and she gives quick answers
about truth, childhood, hospitality, reproach, champion conduct, a knife, women’s
wit, and women’s minds.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: The narrator states that Grania has no liking for Finn and feels her heart’s
blood rising against him.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: The wedding-feast is made ready in the king’s feasting-house in the Middle
Court, with the king, his wife, Grania, Finn, Oisin, and others seated by status.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Finn, son of Cumhal
description: Head of the Fianna; a widower seeking Grania as wife; later arrives
at Teamhair for the wedding-feast.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Oisin
description: Follower of Finn and one of the two envoys sent to ask Grania in marriage;
also described by Grania as more fitting for her than Finn.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Diorraing the Druid
description: Follower of Finn who suggests Grania as a wife and goes with Oisin
as envoy to Teamhair.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Grania
description: Daughter of the High King of Ireland; proposed bride for Finn; known
for quick answers; dislikes Finn after seeing him.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: High King of Ireland
description: Grania’s father; receives Oisin and Diorraing at Teamhair and directs
them to ask Grania for her own answer.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Maighneis, daughter of Black Garraidh
description: Finn’s deceased former wife, named as the reason Finn is without a
wife or companion.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: The Fianna
description: Finn’s warrior company; seven battalions gather and travel with Finn
to Teamhair.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: The king’s wife
description: The wife of the High King, seated at his left side at the wedding-feast.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: widower seeking a wife
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Finn says he is without a wife or companion since Maighneis died.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: prospective bridegroom
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Finn sends envoys to ask for Grania in marriage and later attends the wedding-feast
at Teamhair.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: role:3
label: marriage envoy
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: Oisin and Diorraing are sent together to ask the High King’s daughter for
Finn in marriage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: advisor who names the bride
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Diorraing identifies Grania as a fitting wife for Finn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: proposed bride
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Grania is requested in marriage for Finn and gives an answer to the proposal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: daughter of the High King
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Grania is repeatedly identified as the High King’s daughter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: quick-answering woman
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Grania is said to have a reputation for quick answers and responds to Finn’s
series of questions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: father asked for daughter’s marriage
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The envoys ask the High King for his daughter Grania in marriage for Finn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: royal host at Teamhair
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The High King welcomes the envoys, sets a meeting, and presides at the wedding-feast.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: deceased former wife
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Finn says Maighneis has died from him, leaving him without a wife or companion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:11
label: warrior retinue
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The seven battalions of the Fianna gather from every part and travel with
Finn to Teamhair.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:12
label: queen seated at feast
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The king’s wife is seated at his left side in the feasting-house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: fire in comparative saying
literal_form: fire
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:2
label: knife named as best jewel
literal_form: knife
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:3
label: sword in sharpness comparison
literal_form: sword
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: wind in quickness comparison
literal_form: wind
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: seven battalions
literal_form: the seven battalions of the Fianna
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Finn’s early-morning complaint and the naming of Grania
summary: Finn rises early alone, explains his lack of wife or companion, and hears
Diorraing name Grania as a fitting wife; Finn decides to send Oisin and Diorraing
as envoys.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: The embassy to Teamhair
summary: Oisin and Diorraing come to Teamhair during the High King’s gathering;
Oisin asks for Grania in marriage for Finn, and the king directs them to Grania
for her own answer.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Grania’s conditional answer and the arranged meeting
summary: In the women’s sunny house, Grania gives a conditional acceptance based
on her father’s judgment; the envoys are feasted, and a meeting between Finn and
the king is appointed.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Finn and the Fianna come to Teamhair
summary: Finn gathers the seven battalions of the Fianna and travels to Teamhair,
where the king and the men of Ireland welcome them.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Grania sees Finn and answers his questions
summary: Grania sees that Finn is grey-haired and says Oisin would be more fitting
for her; Finn questions her, and she gives quick comparative answers while inwardly
disliking him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: The wedding-feast seating
summary: The wedding-feast is prepared in the king’s feasting-house in the Middle
Court, and the king, queen, Grania, Finn, Oisin, and others sit according to rank
and birth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:8
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Marriage proposal by envoys
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Finn sends Oisin and Diorraing to ask the High King for Grania as wife on
Finn’s behalf, partly to avoid receiving a refusal directly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a marriage embassy, but does not yet narrate the later
flight named in the chapter title.
- id: motif:2
label: Bride’s own answer required
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The High King refuses to answer for Grania and tells the envoys to ask her
directly; Grania then gives her own response.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The answer is conditional and framed through her father’s judgment, not
an explicit personal desire for Finn.
- id: motif:3
label: Wise woman’s riddle-like answers
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Finn asks Grania a series of comparative questions, and she answers quickly;
she is also said to have a reputation for quick answers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The exchange is a wisdom-question sequence rather than a formal contest
with stated stakes.
- id: motif:4
label: Reluctant or mismatched bride
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After seeing grey-haired Finn, Grania says Oisin would be more fitting and
the narrator states she has no liking for Finn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: At this point in the passage, Grania has not yet acted against the proposed
marriage.
- id: motif:5
label: Royal marriage alliance proposal
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Finn, head of the Fianna, seeks marriage to Grania, daughter of the High
King of Ireland, despite prior strife between Finn and the king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly state that the marriage would confer legitimacy
or settle political conflict.
- id: motif:6
label: Departure to seek a bride
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Oisin and Diorraing leave Almhuin for Teamhair to ask for Grania in marriage,
and later Finn and the Fianna also set out for Teamhair.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The departure is practical travel within a marriage-negotiation episode,
not a fully developed quest in this passage alone.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The question-and-answer exchange between Finn and Grania can be cautiously
compared to a wisdom or riddle-answering motif pattern, because Grania is explicitly
known for quick answers and demonstrates them in a sequence of comparative responses.
claim_level: same_motif
target: wisdom / riddle-answering motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage does not label the exchange as a contest and gives no explicit
reward or penalty for the answers.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 11340-11347
quote_or_summary: Finn rises early alone at Almhuin and says he lacks a wife or
companion since Maighneis, daughter of Black Garraidh, died.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 11347-11354
quote_or_summary: Oisin says a woman could be brought for Finn, willing or unwilling;
Diorraing names Grania, daughter of the High King of Ireland, and praises her
make, shape, and speech.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 11354-11363
quote_or_summary: Finn mentions long strife with the High King and sends Oisin and
Diorraing to ask Grania for him, so that any refusal is given to them rather than
to him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 11365-11373
quote_or_summary: Oisin and Diorraing travel to Teamhair, are welcomed while the
High King is holding a gathering, and Oisin privately says they have come to ask
Grania in marriage for Finn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 11375-11381
quote_or_summary: The king says Grania has refused many royal sons, princes, and
champions, and tells the envoys to get her own answer rather than blaming him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 11383-11389
quote_or_summary: 'Grania says: "If he is a fitting son-in-law for you, why would
he not be a fitting husband for me?"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 11391-11403
quote_or_summary: A feast is made for the envoys, a meeting is set for a fortnight
later, the envoys return, and Finn gathers the seven battalions of the Fianna
and comes to Teamhair, where he is welcomed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 11405-11408
quote_or_summary: When Grania sees grey-haired Finn, she says it is a wonder he
did not ask for Oisin, who would be more fitting for her than a man older than
her father.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 11410-11422
quote_or_summary: Finn asks Grania what is whiter than snow, hotter than fire, sharper
than a sword, quicker than the wind, and other questions; she answers with truth,
hospitality, women’s wit, a woman’s mind, and other responses, while the narrator
says she has no liking for Finn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 11424-11426
quote_or_summary: The wedding-feast is made ready in the king’s feasting-house in
the Middle Court; the king, his wife, Grania, Finn, Oisin, and others sit according
to rank and birth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is well supported by the passage. Motif labels are cautious,
especially where available taxonomy terms only partly match the episode.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used. The chapter title mentions flight, but the narrated flight itself is not present in this line range.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg__l11336-l11426
passage_sha256=fbfca6a9f4ceb4c2f9e7674e7781a69834f6e5b425f33cb318e4fb1a79eb417c