batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l10427-l10468
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l10427-l10468
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: Part I / LITERAL TRANSLATION / TAIN BO FRAICH / PART II; lines 10427-10468
start: '10427'
end: '10468'
translation: Heroic Romances of Ireland
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Conall agrees to a raid on a castle. A snake attacks him and coils around
his waist while the raiders plunder the castle, free a woman and her three sons,
and take jewels. The serpent later releases Conall without harming him. The party
travels north, recovers cattle, and drives them onward. Bicne dies while the cows
are being driven, and place-names are explained from his death and from cattle
horns shed near Bangor. Fraech returns home with his children and cattle, then
later obeys the summons of Ailill and Maev and rides on the Raid of Cualgne.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Conall says that the raid will be carried out.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A castle is sought, and a snake flies or darts at Conall and coils around
his waist.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The castle is plundered in haste while the snake is on Conall.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: A woman and her three sons are freed from imprisonment.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:5
text: The conquerors take the costliest and most beautiful jewels from the dun.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:6
text: The serpent later releases Conall from his belt, and he suffers no harm from
it.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: The party travels north to the Pictish domains and finds three of their cattle
on the plains.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:8
text: Bicne dies while the cows are being driven, by trampling hooves or by being
tossed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: Loegaire is named as Bicne's father, and Conall Cernach is named as chief.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:10
text: The title Inver-Bicne is said to mark the grief of Bicne's comrades.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:11
text: The cows of Fraech pass across the Stream of Bicne and shed their horns near
Benchor, giving rise to the name Strand of Horns at Bangor.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:12
text: Fraech returns home with his children and cattle, lives there, and later obeys
the summons of Ailill and Maev to ride on the Raid of Cualgne.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Conall / Conall Cernach
description: A raid participant who answers that the raid will be done; the snake
coils around his waist and later leaves him unharmed; he is also named as chief
in connection with Bicne.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: snake / serpent
description: A serpent that darts at Conall, coils around his waist, later leaves
his belt, and does him no harm.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: freed woman
description: A woman freed from prison during the plundering of the castle.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: three sons of the freed woman
description: Three sons who are freed with the woman.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Bicne
description: A man whose doom falls at Ard Uan Echach; he dies during the driving
of cows.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Loegaire
description: Named as Bicne's father.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Fraech
description: Associated with the cows; returns home with his children and cattle
and later rides on the Raid of Cualgne after the summons of Ailill and Maev.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Ailill and Maev
description: Named as those whose summons Fraech obeys before riding on the Raid
of Cualgne.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: raid pledger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Conall answers that the raid will be done.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: serpent-bound but unharmed man
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The snake coils around Conall's waist and later leaves him unharmed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: attacking yet nonfatal serpent
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The serpent darts at Conall, coils around him, and later releases him without
harm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: released captive
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: The woman is freed from prison and her three sons are freed with her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: death victim during cattle drive
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Bicne dies while the cows are being driven.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: chief
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Conall Cernach is named as chief in the passage about Bicne.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: father
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Loegaire is named as Bicne's father.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: cattle-associated returnee
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The passage names the cows of Fraech and says Fraech returns home with his
children and cattle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: later raid participant
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Fraech later obeys the summons of Ailill and Maev and rides on the Raid of
Cualgne.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: summoning rulers
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The summons of Ailill and Maev calls Fraech before the Raid of Cualgne.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: serpent
literal_form: snake or serpent that attacks, coils around Conall's waist, and then
leaves him unharmed
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: castle or dun
literal_form: fortified place that is raided and plundered; it contains the imprisoned
woman, her sons, and jewels
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: jewels
literal_form: costly and beautiful jewels taken from the dun
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: cattle
literal_form: recovered cattle driven through the landscape; cows also cause Bicne's
death and shed horns near Bangor
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: water crossings and shore
literal_form: shore, Stream of Bicne, and sea-foam setting at Ard Uan Echach
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: shed horns
literal_form: horns cast by Fraech's cattle near Benchor, used to explain the name
Strand of Horns
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Raid on the castle and release of captives
summary: Conall agrees to the raid; a snake coils around him as the castle is plundered,
the woman and her three sons are freed, and jewels are taken.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Serpent releases Conall and cattle are recovered
summary: The serpent leaves Conall unharmed. The party travels north to the Pictish
domains, finds three cattle, and drives them toward the shore.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Death of Bicne during the cattle drive
summary: At Ard Uan Echach, Bicne dies while the cows are being driven, and the
passage links his death to the place-name Inver-Bicne.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Cattle horns and the naming of Bangor strand
summary: Fraech's cows pass the Stream of Bicne and shed their horns near Benchor,
producing the place-name Strand of Horns.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Fraech returns and later joins the Raid of Cualgne
summary: Fraech returns home with his children and cattle, lives there, and later
responds to Ailill and Maev's summons by riding on the Raid of Cualgne.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: serpent encounter without injury
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
basis: A serpent attacks Conall, coils around his waist, and later releases him
without harm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the serpent's action literally but does not explain
its meaning or origin.
- id: motif:2
label: rescue of captives from a fortified place
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: During the raid on the castle, a woman and her three sons are freed from
prison.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: 'The taxonomy reference is approximate: the passage says the woman is
imprisoned and freed, but it does not call her a beloved or describe an abduction.'
- id: motif:3
label: return with recovered cattle
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: The party recovers cattle, and Fraech later returns home with his children
and cattle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is part of a cattle-raid narrative, but the available taxonomy
has no specific cattle-raid motif family.
- id: motif:4
label: place-name origin from death or animal sign
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage explains Inver-Bicne from Bicne's death and Bangor's Strand of
Horns from cattle shedding their horns.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No matching taxonomy reference was provided for etiological place-naming.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 10427-10435
quote_or_summary: Conall pledges the raid; the castle is reached; a snake darts
at Conall and coils around his waist; the castle is plundered; a woman and her
three sons are freed; jewels are taken from the dun.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 10436-10442
quote_or_summary: The serpent leaves Conall's belt and harms him no further; the
party travels north to the Pictish domains, finds three cattle on the plains,
and drives them to the shore by Dunolly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 10445-10451
quote_or_summary: At Ard Uan Echach, Bicne dies while cows are driven, by trampling
or tossing; Loegaire is named as his father, Conall Cernach as chief, and Inver-Bicne
as a name preserving grief for him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 10456-10459
quote_or_summary: Fraech's cows pass across the Stream of Bicne and shed their horns
near Benchor; the strand of Bangor is said to be called Strand of Horns from this
event.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 10461-10468
quote_or_summary: Fraech travels home with his children and cattle, lives there,
and later obeys the summons of Ailill and Maev and rides on the Raid of Cualgne.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The literal sequence is clear in the supplied passage. Motif mapping is cautious
because some likely narrative types, especially cattle raid and etiological place-name,
are not present in the supplied taxonomy.
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. Footnote pronunciation notes were not treated as motif evidence.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l10427-l10468
passage_sha256=3dc59abc23fee5cdc5f6af130096f37d3c54620945f48b78bddf39a67c599398