batch.motif.celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg-l8361-l8449
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg-l8361-l8449
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
passage_locator:
label: 'CHAPTER XII. THE GREAT FIGHT / CHAPTER XIII. CREDHE''S LAMENT / BOOK FOUR:
HUNTINGS AND ENCHANTMENTS. / CHAPTER I. THE KING OF BRITAIN''S SON; lines 8361-8449'
start: '8361'
end: '8449'
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: Arthur, son of the King of Britain, enters Finn's service, steals three
named hounds across the sea, and is pursued by nine Fianna after Finn divines
the theft in a golden basin of water. The Fianna recover Arthur and the hounds,
acquire a horse and prolific mare that become the source of Fianna horses, and
Arthur becomes Finn's follower. A second account tells how a woman-Druid imprisons
many of Finn's hounds in a hill. A final account tells how the hound Adhnuall
returns to a battlefield burial hill, howls three times, and dies.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Arthur comes to take service with Finn with three times nine men.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Arthur observes three of Finn's hounds, Bran, Sceolan, and Adhnuall, and plans
to take them across the sea.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Arthur and his men take the three hounds across the sea to the coast of Britain
and go to the mountain of Lodan to hunt.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Finn's hounds are counted after the hunt, and Bran, Sceolan, and Adhnuall
are missing.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Finn uses a pale-gold basin with water, places his face in the water, and
learns what happened.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Finn names the King of Britain's son as the one who brought away the hounds
and sends nine men after him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The nine Fianna attack Arthur's hunting party, kill all except Arthur, and
bring Arthur and the three hounds back to Ireland.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Goll saves Arthur from death by putting his arms around him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Goll finds a dark-grey horse with gold-fitted bridle and a bay mare with silver
rings and a golden bit.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The bay mare bears eight foals at each of eight births, and the passage says
all the horses of the Fianna came from that stock.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: A daughter of Roman, a woman-Druid to the Tuatha de Danaan, loves Finn, but
Finn refuses to marry her and calls her a witch.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: The woman-Druid breathes on three times fifty of Finn's hounds, shuts them
in a hill, and they never come out again.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: The hill where the hounds are shut up receives the name Duma na Conn, the
Mound of the Hounds.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:14
text: After a battle in Leinster, Adhnuall wanders around Ireland three times, returns
to the battle place, howls three times at a burial hill, stretches himself out,
and dies.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Finn
description: Leader of the Fianna, owner of the hounds, and recipient of the recovered
hounds, Arthur, horse, and mare.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Arthur, son of the King of Britain
description: A man who enters Finn's service, steals three hounds, is captured,
makes bonds with Finn, and remains his follower until death.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Bran, Sceolan, and Adhnuall
description: Three named hounds of Finn that Arthur takes and the Fianna recover.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Nine men of the Fianna
description: A selected pursuit party including Diarmuid, Goll, Oisin, Faolan, Ferdoman,
Raighne Wide Eye, Cainche the Crimson-Red, Glas, Caoilte, and Lugaidh's Son as
listed in the passage.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Goll, son of Morna
description: One of the nine Fianna who saves Arthur and notices the horse and mare.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Daughter of Roman
description: A woman-Druid to the Tuatha de Danaan who loves Finn and later shuts
many of his hounds in a hill.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Adhnuall
description: One of Finn's hounds, recovered from Arthur; later wanders from a battle,
returns to a burial hill, howls three times, and dies.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Macoon, son of Macnia
description: Opponent of the Fianna in a battle in Leinster where many Fianna are
killed.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Three young men of the Fianna and three daughters of a King of Alban
description: Dead figures buried on the hill to which Adhnuall returns; the three
daughters are said to have died for love of the young men.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: hound-owner and leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Finn commands the Fianna, owns the hounds, sends the recovery party, and
receives what is recovered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: hound-thief
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Arthur plans to bring away Finn's three hounds and does so across the sea.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: stolen and recovered hounds
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:7
basis: The named hounds are missing after Arthur's departure and are later brought
back.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: recovery party
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Nine chosen men follow Arthur and recover the hounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: protector of captive
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Goll saves Arthur from death during the attack.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: bound follower
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Arthur makes bonds with Finn and remains his follower until death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: woman-Druid who imprisons hounds
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The daughter of Roman is identified as a woman-Druid and shuts many of Finn's
hounds in a hill.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: faithful dying hound
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Adhnuall returns to the burial hill after wandering and dies there after
three howls.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:9
label: battle opponent
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Macoon is named as the opponent in a great fight against the Fianna.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:10
label: dead beloveds at burial hill
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Three young Fianna and three daughters of a King of Alban are buried at the
hill; the daughters died for love of them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: divining water in golden basin
literal_form: Water in a long-shaped basin of pale gold used by Finn to learn what
happened to the hounds.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: sea crossing
literal_form: Arthur and his men take the hounds away across the sea and land on
the coast of Britain.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: mountain of Lodan
literal_form: A mountain in Britain where Arthur and his people hunt and where the
Fianna find them.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: prolific mare
literal_form: A bay mare with silver rings and a golden bit that bears eight foals
at each of eight births.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: Mound of the Hounds
literal_form: The hill where the woman-Druid shuts Finn's hounds, named Duma na
Conn.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: burial hill
literal_form: Hill where three young Fianna and three daughters of a King of Alban
are buried and where Adhnuall dies.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Arthur steals the three hounds
summary: Arthur takes service with Finn, sees Bran, Sceolan, and Adhnuall, and removes
them across the sea with his followers.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Finn divines the theft
summary: After the count reveals three hounds missing, Finn uses a basin of water
to learn that the King of Britain's son has taken them and sends nine men after
him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Fianna recover the hounds and capture Arthur
summary: The nine Fianna find Arthur on the mountain of Lodan, attack his party,
spare Arthur through Goll's intervention, and return with Arthur and the hounds.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Acquisition of the horse-stock of the Fianna
summary: Goll sees a dark-grey horse and a bay mare with precious bridles; the animals
are given to Finn, and the mare's offspring become the horses of the Fianna.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Woman-Druid imprisons hounds in a hill
summary: After Finn refuses the woman-Druid, she breathes on many of his hounds
and shuts them in a hill that becomes known as the Mound of the Hounds.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:6
label: Death of Adhnuall at the burial hill
summary: After a battle in Leinster, Adhnuall wanders around Ireland three times,
returns to a hill of the dead, howls three times, and dies.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: theft of prized animals and recovery expedition
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_theft
- return
basis: Arthur steals three named hounds from Finn; Finn identifies the thief through
divination and sends a chosen band to recover them and bring Arthur back.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage treats the hounds as prized possessions, but does not explicitly
call the theft sacred; the taxonomy link to sacred_theft is therefore approximate.
- id: motif:2
label: divination by water vessel
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Finn uses water in a pale-gold basin and learns what happened to the missing
hounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explain the mechanism beyond the action and result.
- id: motif:3
label: origin of a people’s horse stock from a wondrous mare
taxonomy_refs:
- culture_hero
basis: The recovered mare bears eight foals at each of eight births, and all Fianna
horses are said to descend from her stock.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has no exact animal-origin or horse-origin category;
culture_hero is only a broad fit because the passage gives an origin for a cultural
possession of the Fianna.
- id: motif:4
label: enchanted imprisonment of animals in a hill
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: A woman-Druid breathes on three times fifty of Finn's hounds and shuts them
in a hill, from which they never return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: No shapeshifting occurs in the passage; the taxonomy reference is only
a loose fit for enchantment and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:5
label: faithful hound returns to place of battle and dies
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
basis: Adhnuall wanders after a battle, returns to the burial hill connected with
the dead, howls three times, and dies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
confidence: low
cautions: The passage gives death and return-to-place but no rebirth; the taxonomy
fit is weak.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself frames the woman-Druid episode as another instance of
Finn being deprived of hounds, comparable to Arthur's theft of the three hounds.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Repeated loss or robbery of Finn's hounds within the same passage
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: 'The two episodes differ in method and outcome: Arthur physically carries
three hounds overseas and they are recovered, while the woman-Druid magically
imprisons many hounds in a hill and they do not return.'
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 8361-8368
quote_or_summary: Arthur, son of the King of Britain, comes to take service with
Finn with three times nine men; they go hunting at Beinn Edair.
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 8369-8377
quote_or_summary: Arthur notices Bran, Sceolan, and Adhnuall, plans to take them
across the sea, does so with his men, lands on the coast of Britain, and goes
to the mountain of Lodan to hunt.
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 8378-8388
quote_or_summary: After the hunt, Finn's hounds are counted; he has hundreds of
hounds and whelps, but Bran, Sceolan, and Adhnuall are missing and cannot be found.
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: quote
locator: lines 8389-8394
quote_or_summary: Finn has a pale-gold basin with water brought, puts his face in
the water with his hand over his face, and it is shown to him what happened.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/gods-and-fighting-men-gregory.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short paraphrased quote/summary.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 8394-8402
quote_or_summary: Finn says the King of Britain's son has brought away the hound
and orders nine men chosen to follow; the passage lists the selected Fianna.
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 8403-8415
quote_or_summary: The nine Fianna reach the mountain of Lodan, hear of hunters there,
attack Arthur's people on a hunting mound, kill all except Arthur, whom Goll saves,
and return toward Ireland with Arthur and the three hounds.
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 8415-8422
quote_or_summary: On the return, Goll sees a dark-grey horse with a worked-gold
bridle and a bay mare with silver rings and a golden bit, takes them, and passes
them to Oisin and Diarmuid.
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 8423-8430
quote_or_summary: They return to Finn with his three hounds and Arthur as prisoner;
Arthur makes bonds with Finn and becomes his follower; the horse and mare are
given to Finn, and the mare's offspring become the horses of the Fianna.
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 8431-8435
quote_or_summary: 'The passage introduces another robbery of Finn''s hounds: a daughter
of Roman, woman-Druid to the Tuatha de Danaan, loves Finn, but he refuses to marry
a witch.'
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 8435-8440
quote_or_summary: When three times fifty of Finn's hounds pass her hill, the woman-Druid
breathes on them, shuts them in the hill forever, and the place is named Duma
na Conn, the Mound of the Hounds.
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 8441-8445
quote_or_summary: Adhnuall, one of the hounds brought back from Arthur, later leaves
a great battle between the Fianna and Macoon in Leinster and wanders northward.
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: summary
locator: lines 8445-8449
quote_or_summary: Adhnuall circles Ireland three times, returns to the battle place
and a hill where three young Fianna and three daughters of a King of Alban are
buried; he gives three loud howls, stretches out, and dies.
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: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied passage. Motif taxonomy
assignments are more tentative where available taxonomy lacks exact categories
for hound theft, enchanted animal imprisonment, or faithful animal death.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Line locators are approximate subdivisions within the provided stable range.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-gods-and-fighting-men-gregory-gutenberg__l8361-l8449
passage_sha256=7db114c97bfb87bbc3946b2bc3c6e87e023038a17ff9c2b0c7376d6d9ba4e1fa