batch.motif.celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg-l4535-l4606
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg-l4535-l4606
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER X. HIS CALL TO BRAN / CHAPTER XI. HIS THREE CALLS TO CORMAC / CHAPTER
XII. CLIODNA'S WAVE / CHAPTER XIII. HIS CALL TO CONNLA; lines 4535-4606
start: '4535'
end: '4606'
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: Connla of the Red Hair encounters a woman of the Sidhe, visible only to
him at first, who summons him to the deathless lands of Tir-nam-Beo, Magh Mell,
and the Plain of Victory. Conn calls on Coran the Druid to resist her call with
spells, but she leaves Connla an inexhaustible apple. After a month she returns,
invites Connla into a shining ship, and he departs across the sea with her, never
returning.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Connla is with his father Conn, King of Teamhair, on the Hill of Uisnach when
he sees a woman in wonderful clothing coming toward him.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The woman says she comes from Tir-nam-Beo, the Land of the Ever-Living Ones,
where death does not come.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: At first no one sees the woman except Connla, though later others can hear
her words.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:4
text: The woman asks Connla to come to Magh Mell and says he will be a king forever
without sorrow or fret and that his body will not wither from youth and comeliness.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:5
text: Conn describes the unseen figure as fighting with him and trying to bring
away his son through a woman's call.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:6
text: Coran the Druid sings spells against the woman so that no one hears her voice
and Connla can no longer see her.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:7
text: As the woman is driven away, she throws an apple to Connla.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:8
text: For a month Connla uses no food or drink except the apple; despite being eaten,
it remains whole.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:9
text: After a month the same woman appears again while Connla is beside his father
in Magh Archomnim.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:10
text: The woman invites Connla into her shining ship to go to the Plain of Victory
before night.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:11
text: The woman says the country has no living race in it but women and girls only.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:12
text: Connla leaps from his people into the shining boat and is seen sailing away
far off and as if in a mist.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:13
text: Connla and the woman go away across the sea and never come back.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Connla of the Red Hair
description: Son of Conn who receives the woman's call, eats the apple for a month,
and departs in the shining boat.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Woman of the Sidhe
description: A woman in wonderful clothing from Tir-nam-Beo who summons Connla to
deathless otherworldly places and later takes him away in a shining ship.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Conn, King of Teamhair
description: Connla's father, present at the encounters, who calls on Coran the
Druid to resist the woman's voice.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Coran the Druid
description: Druid called by Conn who sings spells against the woman of the Sidhe.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Manannan
description: Named at the opening as likely the sender of the messenger for Connla.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
roles:
- id: role:1
label: summoned youth
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Connla is repeatedly addressed by the woman and invited to leave with her;
he finally enters the boat and departs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:11
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: role:2
label: otherworld messenger and caller
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The woman identifies herself with the Sidhe and the Ever-Living Ones, calls
Connla to other lands, gives him an apple, and takes him away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: role:3
label: father resisting the summons
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Conn calls for Coran and describes the woman's call as an attack bringing
his son away from him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: spell-singing opponent
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Coran sings spells against the woman of the Sidhe, blocking her voice and
Connla's sight of her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: possible sender
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The passage says it is likely Manannan sent his messenger for Connla.
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Hill of Uisnach
literal_form: hill
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: deathless otherworld land
literal_form: Tir-nam-Beo, Magh Mell, Plain of Victory, country across the sea
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:11
- ev:14
- id: sym:3
label: inexhaustible apple
literal_form: apple that remains whole though eaten for a month
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: shining ship or boat
literal_form: shining ship; shining boat
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- ark_vessel
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: sym:5
label: sea crossing
literal_form: sea
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: sym:6
label: mist around departure
literal_form: mist
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: sym:7
label: spells of the Druid
literal_form: sung spells
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: First call on the Hill of Uisnach
summary: Connla, beside Conn on the Hill of Uisnach, sees a wonderfully clothed
woman who says she comes from a deathless land and calls him to Magh Mell.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: scene:2
label: Druidic resistance and apple gift
summary: Conn asks Coran for help against the unseen woman; Coran's spells drive
her away, and she throws Connla an apple.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:3
label: Month of the inexhaustible apple
summary: For a month Connla consumes only the apple, which does not diminish, and
he is troubled because of the woman.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: Second call and departure by shining boat
summary: The woman returns, calls Connla to the Plain of Victory in a shining ship,
and Connla leaps into the boat and sails away across the sea, never returning.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Call from the deathless otherworld
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
- afterlife_journey_map
basis: A woman from the Ever-Living Ones summons Connla to lands without death,
sorrow, aging, or withering.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the destination as a Sidhe country rather than explicitly
as a post-mortem afterlife journey.
- id: motif:2
label: Otherworld woman abducts or entices a mortal youth
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
- departure
basis: The woman of the Sidhe repeatedly calls Connla away from his father and people;
Conn calls it an attack bringing away his son, and Connla finally leaves with
her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:11
- ev:13
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes invitation and longing as well as conflict; coercion
is described from Conn's point of view.
- id: motif:3
label: Magical inexhaustible food from the otherworld
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The woman throws Connla an apple, and for a month he eats and drinks nothing
else while the apple remains whole.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: Only the apple's sustaining and undiminished qualities are stated; broader
symbolic meanings are not specified in the passage.
- id: motif:4
label: Departure by shining vessel over the sea
taxonomy_refs:
- ark_vessel
- departure
basis: The woman invites Connla into a shining ship; he leaps into the shining boat
and sails away across the sea, not returning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:13
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy includes ark_vessel, but the vessel is not an ark
in the flood-survival sense.
- id: motif:5
label: Human ritual specialist opposes otherworld summons
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Conn calls Coran the Druid, who uses spells to silence and drive away the
woman temporarily.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage frames Coran as a Druid with spells, but does not elaborate
a wider ritual contest beyond this episode.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 4535-4544
quote_or_summary: Connla is with Conn, King of Teamhair, on the Hill of Uisnach,
and sees a woman in wonderful clothing approaching.
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: quote
locator: lines 4544-4548
quote_or_summary: '"I come," she said, "from Tir-nam-Beo, the Land of the Ever-Living
Ones, where no death comes."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 4548-4551
quote_or_summary: Conn asks whom Connla is speaking to, because no one sees the
strange woman except Connla.
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 4557-4558
quote_or_summary: All those present can hear the woman's words though they cannot
see her.
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 4551-4556
quote_or_summary: The woman says she is asking Connla to come to Magh Mell, where
he will be a king forever without sorrow or fret and his body will not wither
from youth and comeliness.
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: summary
locator: lines 4558-4567
quote_or_summary: Conn asks Coran the Druid for help, saying an unseen figure is
fighting with him and that a woman's call is bringing his son away from the king's
hands.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 4568-4571
quote_or_summary: Coran sings spells against the woman of the Sidhe so that no one
hears her voice and Connla can no longer see her.
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 4570-4572
quote_or_summary: As the woman is being driven away by the Druid's spells, she throws
an apple to Connla.
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 4573-4578
quote_or_summary: For a month Connla uses no food or drink except the apple; no
matter how much he eats, the apple does not grow smaller and remains whole.
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 4579-4581
quote_or_summary: At the end of a month, Connla is beside his father in Magh Archomnim
and sees the same woman approaching.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 4594-4600
quote_or_summary: The woman tells Connla to come into her shining ship to go to
the Plain of Victory, saying they will reach that country before night.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: quote
locator: lines 4599-4601
quote_or_summary: '"There is no living race in it but women and girls only."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 4602-4604
quote_or_summary: After the woman's song, Connla leaps from his people into the
shining boat, and they see him sailing away far off as if in a mist.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 4604-4606
quote_or_summary: Connla and the woman go away across the sea and never come back;
only the gods know where they went.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: lines 4535-4538
quote_or_summary: The passage says it is likely Manannan sent his messenger for
Connla and that Connla was brought to Manannan's country.
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: high
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based entirely on the supplied passage. Motif labels are candidate
descriptions mapped cautiously to available taxonomy where supported by 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-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly support a comparison beyond the local Sidhe/Manannan framing.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg__l4535-l4606
passage_sha256=53b542d68c9ca41a1165e818b8399ab5efb95db46af3642b7493d9d3ca9af44d