batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l1164-l1257
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l1164-l1257
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: PROLOGUE IN FAIRYLAND / FROM THE LEABHAR NA H-UIDHRI / THE COURTSHIP OF ETAIN
/ EGERTON VERSION; lines 1164-1257
start: '1164'
end: '1257'
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: The passage introduces Eochaid Airemm as supreme king of Ireland, gives
his lineage and vassal rulers, and explains that the men of Ireland will not attend
the Festival of Tara while he has no worthy wife. Eochaid sends agents throughout
Ireland to find an unmarried woman of suitable form, grace, appearance, and birth.
They identify Etain daughter of Etar, and Eochaid sees her at a spring with costly
silver, gold, and jeweled objects and richly ornamented clothing. The passage
gives an extended description of Etain's beauty and says she seems like one who
has come from the fairy mounds.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Eochaid Airemm is described as a glorious king holding supreme lordship over
all Ireland, and his ancestry is listed through many generations.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The five provinces of Ireland are said to be obedient to Eochaid, with several
named provincial rulers described as his vassals.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: After less than a year of Eochaid's sovereignty, the Festival of Tara is proclaimed
so the men of Ireland may come before the king and he may learn tributes and customs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The men of Ireland answer that they will not attend the Festival of Tara while
the king remains without a wife worthy of him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The passage states that there can be no king without a queen and that no man
or wife goes to the Festival of Tara without the spouse.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Eochaid sends horsemen, wizards, road officers, and boundary couriers throughout
Ireland to seek a wife worthy of the king.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The sought wife must be worthy in form, grace, countenance, and birth, and
must not previously have been another man's wife.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The searchers find Etain daughter of Etar, king of Echrad, near the Bay of
Cichmany and report her qualities to Eochaid.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Eochaid sees Etain at the brink of a spring while crossing the assembly ground
of Bri Leith.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: Etain holds a silver comb adorned with gold; near her is a silver basin with
four chased birds and carbuncle gems on its rim.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Etain wears purple, silver-fringed, green silk, red-gold embroidered, silver,
and gold ornaments and garments.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: Etain is described with golden tresses, white arms, rosy cheeks, pearl-like
teeth, blue eyes, crimson lips, and other marks of exceptional beauty.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: The passage says no fairer or more lovable maiden had been seen by men and
that she seemed to be one of those who came from the fairy mounds.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Eochaid Airemm
description: Supreme king of Ireland, son of Finn, newly sovereign over Erin, seeking
a wife worthy of him.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Etain daughter of Etar
description: Daughter of Etar, king of Echrad; found as a maiden worthy of Eochaid
and described in detail at a spring.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Etar, king of Echrad
description: Etain's father, identified as king of Echrad.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Men of Ireland
description: The collective men summoned to the Festival of Tara who refuse to attend
while the king lacks a worthy wife.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Eochaid's search agents
description: Horsemen, wizards, road officers, and boundary couriers sent throughout
Ireland to find a suitable wife for the king.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Provincial rulers under Eochaid
description: Conor son of Ness, Messgegra, Curoi son of Dare, and Ailill and Maev
are named as rulers or vassals under Eochaid's authority.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
label: supreme king
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Eochaid is said to hold supreme lordship over all Ireland.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: king requiring a queen
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The men of Ireland refuse the Festival of Tara while he lacks a worthy wife,
and the passage states there can be no king without a queen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: prospective queen or bride
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Etain is identified as a wife worthy of the king after a kingdom-wide search.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: exceptionally beautiful maiden
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage gives an extended description of Etain's beauty and states no
fairer maiden had been seen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:5
label: royal father
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Etar is named as Etain's father and as king of Echrad.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: assembly participants setting a condition
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The men of Ireland answer that they will not attend Tara while the king is
without a worthy wife.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: royal search party
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: These agents are sent throughout Ireland to seek a wife worthy of the king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: vassal rulers
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The named provincial rulers are described as obedient or vassal to Eochaid.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: spring
literal_form: The brink of a spring where Eochaid first sees Etain.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: silver comb adorned with gold
literal_form: A clear comb of silver, adorned with gold, held in Etain's hand.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: silver basin with four birds and carbuncles
literal_form: A silver basin with four chased birds and bright carbuncle gems on
the rim.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: rich mantle and jeweled garments
literal_form: Purple mantle, silver-fringed mantle, golden brooch, green silk, red-gold
embroidery, and silver-and-gold clasps.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: golden hair and golden hair-balls
literal_form: Two tresses of golden hair, each plaited into four strands with a
little ball of gold at the end of each strand.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: fairy mounds
literal_form: The fairy mounds from which Etain seems to have come, according to
the passage's comparison.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:7
label: Festival of Tara
literal_form: The royal festival to which all the men of Ireland are summoned and
which they will not attend unless the king has a worthy wife.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Eochaid's sovereignty and lineage
summary: The passage introduces Eochaid Airemm, lists his ancestry, and states that
all five provinces and named rulers are subject to him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Festival of Tara conditioned on a queen
summary: Eochaid proclaims the Festival of Tara, but the men of Ireland state that
they will not attend while the king has no worthy wife; the passage frames kingship
and queenship as linked.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Search for a worthy wife
summary: Eochaid sends royal agents throughout Ireland to find a woman of suitable
beauty, grace, countenance, birth, and unmarried status.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Etain identified and reported
summary: The agents find Etain daughter of Etar near the Bay of Cichmany and report
her appearance and qualities to Eochaid.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Eochaid sees Etain at the spring
summary: Eochaid sees Etain at a spring near the assembly ground of Bri Leith, holding
precious grooming objects and wearing richly ornamented clothing.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: Etain's beauty and fairy-mound comparison
summary: The passage describes Etain's bodily beauty in extended detail and says
she seems like one from the fairy mounds.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Royal legitimacy requiring a queen
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The passage states that the men of Ireland will not attend the Festival of
Tara while the king lacks a worthy wife and explicitly says there can be no king
without a queen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents a social and royal condition rather than a full coronation
or succession narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: Marriage as condition for royal assembly
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_marriage
basis: Eochaid's public kingship at Tara is blocked until he has a worthy wife,
linking royal order and marital pairing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not describe a ritual marriage, divine spouse, or consummated
sacred union; the taxonomy reference is tentative.
- id: motif:3
label: Kingdom-wide quest for the worthy bride
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: Eochaid sends agents throughout Ireland to search for a wife who meets precise
standards of appearance, grace, birth, and prior unmarried status.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The search is administrative and royal rather than explicitly supernatural
or initiatory.
- id: motif:4
label: Otherworldly-seeming beloved
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: Etain is presented as surpassingly beautiful and is said to seem like one
who has come from the fairy mounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage only reports an appearance or impression; it does not prove
within this excerpt that Etain is divine or otherworldly.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself supports a cautious comparison between Etain's described
appearance and beings associated with the fairy mounds, since the narrator says
she seemed to be one of those who came from them.
claim_level: visual_similarity
target: fairy-mound beings within the passage's Irish otherworld frame
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The statement is based on seeming or appearance in this excerpt, not
on a demonstrated origin or explicit identification.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 1164-1182
quote_or_summary: Eochaid Airemm is introduced as a glorious and stately king with
supreme lordship over Ireland, followed by a long genealogy.
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: 1183-1192
quote_or_summary: The five provinces of Ireland are obedient to Eochaid; Conor,
Messgegra, Curoi, Ailill, and Maev are named in relation to his rule, and two
strongholds are mentioned.
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: 1193-1198
quote_or_summary: Less than a year after Eochaid assumes sovereignty, the Festival
of Tara is proclaimed so all men of Ireland may come before the king and he may
know tributes and customs.
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: 1199-1208
quote_or_summary: The men answer that they will not attend while the king remains
without a worthy wife; the passage adds, "nor can there be any king without a
queen."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 1209-1218
quote_or_summary: Eochaid sends horsemen, wizards, road officers, and boundary couriers
throughout Ireland to seek a wife worthy in form, grace, countenance, and birth,
with the added condition that she had not been wife to another man.
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: 1219-1226
quote_or_summary: The agents search north and south and find Etain daughter of Etar,
king of Echrad, near the Bay of Cichmany; they report her form, grace, and countenance
to Eochaid.
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: 1227-1230
quote_or_summary: Eochaid goes to take the maiden and, while crossing the assembly
ground of Bri Leith, sees her at the brink of a spring.
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: 1230-1235
quote_or_summary: Etain holds a silver comb adorned with gold; near her for washing
is a silver basin chased with four birds and rimmed with bright carbuncle gems.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 1235-1243
quote_or_summary: Etain wears a bright purple mantle, a silver-fringed mantle, a
golden brooch, a hooded tunic of green silk with red-gold embroidery, and silver-and-gold
clasps.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 1244-1253
quote_or_summary: Etain's golden hair, pale arms, rosy cheeks, pearl-like teeth,
blue eyes, crimson lips, white shoulders, wrists, fingers, side, thighs, knees,
ankles, and feet are described in detail.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: quote
locator: 1253-1257
quote_or_summary: The passage says no fairer maiden had been seen and that "she
must be one of those who have come from the fairy mounds."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is well supported by the passage. Motif assignments involving
sacred marriage, mystical quest, or divine beloved are interpretive and should
be reviewed against broader corpus context.
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 comparisons or unsupported taxonomy identifiers were added; comparison claim is limited to the passage's own fairy-mound comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l1164-l1257
passage_sha256=04aa42a8214e168fbfc61908e316b5392394766b91c0f65c235c207e172c2648