batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l12761-l13012
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l12761-l13012
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: LITERAL TRANSLATION / TEXT OF LEABHAR NA H-UIDHRI / INTRODUCTION / TEXT WITH
INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION; lines 12761-13012
start: '12761'
end: '13012'
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: Eochaid Airem, king of Tara, sees an unknown richly armed young warrior
on the heights of Tara. The visitor names himself Mider of Bri Leith and proposes
a chess game. Mider produces a splendid chessboard and offers fifty dark-gray
horses as stake. A manuscript gap follows. The text resumes with earth, gravel,
and stones being placed on a bog to make a causeway, with yokes seen on the shoulders
of the people of the Mounds. The passage explains Eochaid's name Airem by saying
that he first put a yoke on the necks of oxen for the land of Ireland.
language: English with Old Irish interlinear text
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Eochaid Airem is identified as king of Tara and is on the heights of Tara
in summer viewing the plain of Breg.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Eochaid sees an unknown young warrior on the height beside him, though he
did not know that the man had been in Tara the night before and the enclosure
had not been opened at that hour.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The unknown warrior is described with a purple tunic, gold-yellow hair to
his shoulders, a lustrous gray eye, a five-pointed spear, and a white-bossed shield
with gold gems.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Eochaid welcomes the unknown hero; in dialogue the visitor says he knows Eochaid
and gives his own name as Mider of Bri Leith.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Mider says he has come to play chess with Eochaid.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Eochaid says the queen is asleep and that the house where the chessboard is
belongs to her.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Mider produces another chessboard, described as a silver board with gold men,
costly stones, and a men's bag of woven brass chains.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Eochaid refuses to play except for a stake, and Mider offers fifty dark-gray
horses with detailed physical qualities if Eochaid wins the stake.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: A note states that a complete column is missing from the manuscript and that
the lost part evidently described the issue of the chess game or games and the
penalties demanded by Eochaid.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: After the gap, earth, gravel, and stones are placed on a bog, apparently in
connection with making a causeway.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Yokes that had been on oxen among the men of Ireland are seen by that night
on the shoulders of the people of the Mounds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: The passage explains that Eochaid is called Airem because by him the yoke
was first put on the necks of oxen for the land of Ireland.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: A work-rhetoric or chant is reported as being on the lips of the host while
making the causeway over the moor of Lamrach.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:14
text: The text says that the causeway would have been the best in the world if people
had not been looking at the workers, and that a breach was left there afterward.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:15
text: A steward comes to Eochaid and reports news of a great serving band that he
saw.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Eochaid Airem
description: King of Tara; encounters Mider, speaks with him, agrees to play only
for a stake, and is associated with the first yoking of oxen in Ireland.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Mider of Bri Leith
description: Unknown young warrior appearing beside Eochaid at Tara; richly described,
armed, and self-identified as Mider of Bri Leith; proposes chess and produces
a costly board.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: The queen
description: The queen is asleep; Eochaid says the house where the chessboard is
kept belongs to her.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: People of the Mounds
description: A group associated with the Mounds; by night yokes are seen on their
shoulders during the causeway work.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Men of Ireland
description: People among whom yokes had been on the foreheads of oxen until the
night they were seen on the shoulders of the people of the Mounds.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The steward
description: A steward comes to Eochaid and reports news of a great serving band
he saw.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: king of Tara
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage identifies Eochaid Airem as king of Tara.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: unknown visitor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Eochaid sees a young warrior whom he does not know and whose presence in
Tara was unexplained.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: chess challenger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Mider says he has come to play chess with Eochaid and sets out the chessboard.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: origin figure for yoking oxen
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage says Eochaid was the first to put a yoke on oxen in Ireland,
explaining his name Airem.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:5
label: owner of the house containing the chessboard
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Eochaid says the queen is asleep and that the house where the chessboard
is belongs to her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: night laborers at the causeway
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Yokes are seen on the shoulders of the people of the Mounds during the nocturnal
causeway episode.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: messenger or reporter
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The steward comes to Eochaid and reports what he saw.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Tara height
literal_form: The heights of Tara from which Eochaid views the plain of Breg.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: armed radiant warrior appearance
literal_form: Purple tunic, gold-yellow hair, lustrous gray eye, five-pointed spear,
and white-bossed shield with gold gems.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: splendid chessboard
literal_form: A silver chessboard with gold pieces, costly stones, and a bag of
woven brass chains.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: fifty horses as wager
literal_form: Fifty dark-gray horses with dappled heads and other detailed traits,
offered as Mider's stake.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: causeway over bog
literal_form: Earth, gravel, and stones placed on the bog to make a causeway over
the moor of Lamrach.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: yoke on oxen and on shoulders
literal_form: Yokes formerly on oxen among the men of Ireland are seen on the shoulders
of the people of the Mounds; Eochaid is linked to first yoking oxen.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: people of the Mounds
literal_form: The group called the people of the Mounds, seen bearing yokes during
the work.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Eochaid views Breg from Tara
summary: On a summer day Eochaid Airem, king of Tara, is on the heights of Tara
looking over the plain of Breg.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Appearance of the unknown warrior
summary: Eochaid sees an unknown richly adorned and armed young warrior beside him
at Tara, although the enclosure had not been opened at that hour.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Mider names himself and proposes chess
summary: After Eochaid welcomes him and asks questions, the visitor names himself
Mider of Bri Leith and says he has come to play chess.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Chess stake proposed
summary: Eochaid requires a stake before playing, and Mider offers fifty fine dark-gray
horses as his stake.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Manuscript gap after the chess episode
summary: The editor notes that a torn manuscript column likely contained the result
of the game or games and the penalties demanded by Eochaid.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Causeway work over the bog
summary: The text resumes with earth, gravel, and stones being laid on a bog, yokes
appearing on the shoulders of the people of the Mounds, and a chant associated
with the host making the causeway.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: scene:7
label: Origin of Eochaid's name Airem
summary: The passage explains Eochaid's epithet by saying he was the first to place
yokes on the necks of oxen for the land of Ireland.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:8
label: Breach left and steward's report
summary: The text states that a breach remained in the causeway because people looked
on, and then a steward reports to Eochaid about a great serving band he saw.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Supernatural or mysterious visitor at royal center
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: An unknown richly adorned warrior appears beside Eochaid at Tara despite
the enclosure not having been opened, then identifies himself as Mider of Bri
Leith.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents the arrival as unexplained but does not explicitly
label Mider as supernatural in this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: Wagered game with costly stakes
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Mider comes to play chess; Eochaid refuses to play without a stake; Mider
names fifty horses as his stake, and the manuscript note says penalties followed
the game or games.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The missing manuscript column prevents direct extraction of the game outcome
and exact penalties from this passage.
- id: motif:3
label: Otherworld-associated labor fulfilling a demand
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After the gap, the text describes material being laid on a bog for a causeway
and yokes being seen on the shoulders of the people of the Mounds during the work.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The connection between this work and the preceding chess penalties is
supplied partly by the editor's note because the intervening manuscript column
is lost.
- id: motif:4
label: Culture-origin explanation for animal yoking
taxonomy_refs:
- culture_hero
basis: The passage explicitly explains Eochaid's name Airem by saying he was the
first to put yokes on oxen for the land of Ireland.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The figure is a king rather than explicitly called a culture hero; the
motif label is based on the etiological explanation of a practice.
- id: motif:5
label: Work spoiled or marked by being watched
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The text says the causeway would have been the best in the world if people
had not been looking at those making it, and a breach was left afterward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is brief and does not fully explain the rule or prohibition
concerning looking at the workers.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 12761-12769
quote_or_summary: Eochaid Airem, king of Tara, is on the heights of Tara on a summer
day viewing the plain of Breg, whose color and blossoms are described favorably.
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: 12770-12793
quote_or_summary: Eochaid sees an unknown young warrior beside him, described with
purple clothing, gold-yellow hair, a lustrous gray eye, a five-pointed spear,
and a jeweled white-bossed shield; Eochaid is silent because he did not know the
man was in Tara and the enclosure had not been opened.
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: 12794-12822
quote_or_summary: Eochaid welcomes the unknown hero; the warrior says he knows Eochaid,
gives his name as Mider of Bri Leith, and says he has come to play chess with
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:4
type: summary
locator: 12823-12830
quote_or_summary: Eochaid says the queen is asleep and that the house where the
chessboard is kept belongs to her.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 12831-12846
quote_or_summary: Mider says another chessboard is present and sets it out; it is
a silver board with gold men, costly stones, and a men's bag of woven brass chains.
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: 12847-12872
quote_or_summary: Eochaid says he will not play except for a stake; Mider asks what
stake, and then offers fifty dark-gray horses with detailed traits if Eochaid
wins his stake.
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: note
locator: 12873-12882
quote_or_summary: 'Editorial note: a complete manuscript column is missing; the
lost part evidently described the outcome of the chess game or games, the penalties
demanded by Eochaid, and the work of Mider and his folk in paying them.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized editorial note.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 12883-12905
quote_or_summary: The text resumes with earth, gravel, and stones being placed on
a bog; yokes that had been on oxen among the men of Ireland until that night are
seen on the shoulders of the people of the Mounds.
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: 12906-12918
quote_or_summary: The passage says this was done by Eochaid, and that he is called
Eochaid Airem because by him a yoke was first put on the necks of oxen for the
land of Ireland.
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: 12919-12958
quote_or_summary: A rhetoric or chant is described as being on the lips of the host
during the making of the causeway, referring to putting into hand, noble oxen
after sunset, a heavy request, and the causeway over the moor of Lamrach.
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: summary
locator: 12959-12970
quote_or_summary: The passage says there would not be a better causeway in the world
if people had not been looking at them; because of this, a breach was left there
afterward.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 12971-13012
quote_or_summary: A steward comes to Eochaid and reports news of the great serving
band that he saw; the provided excerpt ends mid-sentence.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is extractable but includes an explicit manuscript gap and ends
mid-sentence, limiting reconstruction of the chess outcome and the full causeway
episode.
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: |-
Only the provided passage and metadata were used. Taxonomy references were applied only where directly supported by the excerpt.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l12761-l13012
passage_sha256=749364d1e8cd9ec5bbeb0af308fc756705b46d5a93d30cc1d0d6bb9a07fd5ac8