batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l10095-l10225
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l10095-l10225
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: THE RAID FOR THE CATTLE OF FRAECH / TAIN BO FRAICH / Part I / LITERAL TRANSLATION;
lines 10095-10225
start: '10095'
end: '10225'
translation: Heroic Romances of Ireland
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: '"Lift me out of it," he says to his people; "this is the cry of my mother
and of the women of Boand."'
summary: After an attack on Fraech, Ailill orders a restorative bath for him. Supernatural
women associated with the Side lament for Fraech, bring him to the Sid of Cruachan,
and he returns the next day whole and unblemished. Ailill and Medb make peace
with him. Fraech then arranges for a salmon containing Find-abair's ring to be
brought, while Ailill demands the ring from his daughter under threat of death.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Ailill says he repents of what was done to Fraech and orders a bath made from
broth of fresh bacon and minced heifer flesh for Fraech to be placed in.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Fraech's trumpeters play music before him, and thirty of Ailill's special
friends die from the long-drawn or plaintive music.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Women around the vat rub Fraech and wash his head, after which he is placed
in a bed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: A group described as three times fifty women appears on Cruachan, wearing
crimson tunics, green head-dresses, and silver brooches, and they lament for Fraech.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: A woman says the lament is for Fraech, son of Idath, described as the boy-pet
or boy-darling of the king of the Side of Erin.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Fraech identifies the cry as that of his mother and the women of Boand, and
the women bring him to the Sid of Cruachan.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The next day at the ninth hour Fraech returns with fifty women and is described
as whole, unstained, and unblemished.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The accompanying women are described as equal in age, form, beauty, fairness,
symmetry, and stature, wearing the dress of fairy women so that they cannot be
distinguished from one another.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Ailill and Medb make penance to Fraech for the attack and make peace with
him, followed by feasting.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Fraech tells a servant to fetch a salmon left at the place where he entered
the water, give it to Find-abair, and have it broiled because the ring is in the
center of the salmon.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Ailill asks Find-abair to produce the ring he gave her and threatens that
her soul must depart from her body if it is not found.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Fraech, son of Idath
description: The injured man for whom the fairy women lament; he is brought to the
Sid of Cruachan and returns whole and unblemished.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ailill
description: A ruler who repents the attack on Fraech, orders his bath, later makes
peace with him, and demands the ring from Find-abair.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Medb
description: A ruler who speaks of the deed done, later makes penance to Fraech
and makes peace with him.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Women of Boand / women of the Side
description: Supernatural women who lament for Fraech, bring him to the Sid of Cruachan,
and later accompany him back.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Fraech's mother
description: Fraech says the lament-cry is the cry of his mother and the women of
Boand.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Find-abair
description: Ailill's daughter, asked to return a ring and threatened with death
if it is not produced; Fraech has the salmon with the ring sent to her.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Fraech's servant
description: A servant of Fraech's suite whom Fraech instructs to fetch the salmon
from the water-place.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Find-abair's maid
description: The maid sent by Find-abair to bring the ring.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: wounded or afflicted hero
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Fraech is bathed for healing, lamented as sick or assailed, and later returns
whole.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: rulers who make restitution
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: Ailill and Medb repent or make penance for the attack and make peace with
Fraech.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: female lamenters
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: The women lament for Fraech, and Fraech identifies the cry as that of his
mother and the women of Boand.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: otherworldly escorts
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The women bring Fraech to the Sid of Cruachan and accompany him on his return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: returnee from the Sid
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Fraech is brought to the Sid of Cruachan and returns the next day whole,
welcomed as if from another world.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: threatening father and judge of the ring
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Ailill demands the ring from Find-abair and threatens death if it is not
returned.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: endangered daughter and ring-holder
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Find-abair is asked for the ring and threatened if it is not produced; the
salmon containing the ring is to be brought to her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: messenger or intermediary servant
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: Fraech's servant is instructed to fetch the salmon, and Find-abair sends
her maid to bring the ring.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: healing bath
literal_form: A bath made of broth of fresh bacon and minced heifer flesh in which
Fraech is placed.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: lament-cry of fairy women
literal_form: A cry or keen raised by women of the Side for Fraech, later said to
be the Lament-cry of the Women of the Fairies.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: Sid of Cruachan
literal_form: The Sid of Cruachan, glossed in the passage as deep caverns used for
burial at Cruachan.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: salmon containing the ring
literal_form: A salmon left at the place where Fraech went into the water, with
the ring in its center.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: ring demanded by Ailill
literal_form: The ring previously given by Ailill to Find-abair and later sought
under threat of death.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fraech is bathed and mourned
summary: After Ailill orders a restorative bath for Fraech, women wash him and a
supernatural lament is heard on Cruachan for him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Fraech is taken to the Sid and returns whole
summary: Fraech identifies the lament as that of his mother and the women of Boand,
is brought by the women to the Sid of Cruachan, and returns the next day whole
with fifty fairy women.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Peace and feast after Fraech's return
summary: The hosts welcome Fraech as if from another world; Ailill and Medb make
penance and peace with him, and feasting begins.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: The ring in the salmon
summary: Fraech arranges for a salmon containing the ring to be brought to Find-abair,
while Ailill demands the ring from her and threatens her if it is not returned.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Otherworldly removal and healed return
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
- return
- resurrection
basis: Fraech is taken by women associated with the Side to the Sid of Cruachan
and returns the next day whole and unblemished, greeted as if coming from another
world.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: Fraech is afflicted or wounded but not explicitly stated to have died;
the resurrection and death-rebirth taxonomy refs are therefore functional rather
than literal.
- id: motif:2
label: Supernatural female lament for a hero
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Women of the Side or Boand appear in a large group and raise a lament for
Fraech; the passage links this to the Lament-cry of the Women of the Fairies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage identifies the women with the Side/fairies, but their exact
nature and relationship to Fraech beyond his mother and Boand women is not fully
explained here.
- id: motif:3
label: Medicinal or restorative bath for the injured hero
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill orders a special bath of broth and meat for Fraech; women wash him,
and this precedes his removal and later restored return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The later cure is also associated with the Sid and fairy women, so the
bath alone should not be treated as the sole cause of healing.
- id: motif:4
label: Lost ring recovered through a salmon
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Fraech says the ring is inside the salmon left at the water-place and has
it brought to Find-abair before Ailill demands the ring.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explain within this excerpt how the ring entered
the salmon.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself frames Fraech's healed return as an otherworld return
associated with the Irish Side or fairy realm.
claim_level: same_function
target: Irish Side/fairy otherworld return pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: This is a functional comparison based on wording in the passage and
translator notes; it does not establish historical contact or a broader cross-cultural
relationship.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 10095-10104
quote_or_summary: Ailill repents the treatment of Fraech and orders a bath made
of bacon broth and minced heifer flesh; women wash Fraech and make a bed for him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 10100-10103
quote_or_summary: Fraech's trumpeters play before him until thirty of Ailill's special
friends die from the plaintive music.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 10105-10138
quote_or_summary: Three times fifty women in crimson tunics, green head-dresses,
and silver brooches are seen on Cruachan; they lament for Fraech, son of Idath,
boy-darling of the king of the Side of Erin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 10145-10149
quote_or_summary: Fraech says, "this is the cry of my mother and of the women of
Boand"; the women then bring him to the Sid of Cruachan, glossed as deep burial
caverns at Cruachan.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 10151-10161
quote_or_summary: The next day at the ninth hour Fraech comes with fifty women,
whole and unblemished; the women are alike in beauty and dress, and their departing
lament troubles the men in the Liss.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 10162-10168
quote_or_summary: Fraech enters the dun; the hosts welcome him as if he were coming
from another world, and Ailill and Medb make penance, make peace, and begin feasting.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 10168-10175
quote_or_summary: Fraech sends a servant to the place where he entered the water
to fetch a salmon, give it to Find-abair, and broil it because the ring is in
the center of the salmon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 10176-10225
quote_or_summary: Ailill displays his gems, asks Find-abair for the ring he gave
her, and threatens death if it is not produced; Find-abair says she cannot give
it and later sends her maid to bring it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are descriptive;
taxonomy links are cautious where Fraech is restored but not explicitly dead.
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 external sources or unprovided taxonomy IDs were used.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l10095-l10225
passage_sha256=c39a4fc439807c748f8ae8d6a6f746f72f9ea520c21d79709b176ed296a430b7