batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l1371-l1506
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l1371-l1506
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 1371-1506
start: '1371'
end: '1506'
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: Ailill confesses that his year-long passion for Etain has made him physically
sick. Etain, wife of Eocho Fedlech, pities him, tends him, and appoints a tryst
outside the fort only to heal him. Each appointed morning Ailill falls into heavy
sleep, while a man in Ailill's likeness comes to Etain. On the final meeting the
man reveals himself as Mider of Bri Leith, claims to have been Etain's former
husband, says sorcery separated them, asks her to come with him, and admits he
caused Ailill's love and prevented Ailill from reaching the tryst.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Ailill says his passion for Etain began more than a year earlier and has become
a sickness affecting his body and reputation.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Etain offers to bring Ailill another woman if such a woman is the hidden cause
of his distress.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Etain perceives Ailill's sickness, grieves for him, and promises that his
longing will be satisfied so that he may be healed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Etain identifies herself as Eocho Fedlech's queen and recalls a large wedding-price
or dowry involving steeds, garments, cattle, gold, and beasts in hundreds.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Etain comes daily to Ailill, tends him, divides his allotted food for him,
and heals him because she does not want him to die for her sake.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Etain appoints a dawn tryst with Ailill in a house outside and beyond the
fort, promising that his request and desire will be granted there.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: At the appointed time Ailill falls into heavy sleep and misses the tryst.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Etain sees a weary, feeble man coming toward her in Ailill's likeness, but
she knows he is not Ailill.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: 'The same pattern recurs on following appointed days: Ailill does not arrive,
and the same man comes to Etain''s tryst.'
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Etain tells the man that she arranged the tryst with Ailill only to heal him
from sickness caused by love for her, not from desire or fear.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The man claims that Etain, as Etain of the Horses and daughter of Ailill,
had formerly been his wife.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: The man names himself Mider of Bri Leith.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Mider says the sorcery of Fuamnach and spells of Bressal Etarlam separated
him from Etain.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: Mider asks Etain whether she will come with him, and Etain refuses to exchange
the king of all Ireland for him because his kindred and lineage are unknown to
her.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: obs:15
text: Mider says he filled Ailill's mind with love for Etain and prevented Ailill
from coming to the tryst, so that Etain's honour would not be spoiled.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Etain
description: A beautiful woman, queen and bride of Eocho Fedlech, who tends Ailill
and meets the disguised visitor at the appointed tryst.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:14
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ailill
description: A royal young man or son of a king who suffers from a year-long passion
for Etain and repeatedly sleeps through appointed trysts.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:15
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Eocho Fedlech
description: King of all Ireland and husband of Etain, associated with the wedding-price
given to gain her.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:14
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Mider of Bri Leith
description: A man who comes in Ailill's likeness, names himself Mider of Bri Leith,
claims to be Etain's former husband, and says he manipulated Ailill's love and
sleep.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:15
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Fuamnach
description: A figure named by Mider as one whose sorcery separated Mider and Etain.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Bressal Etarlam
description: A figure named by Mider as one whose spells separated Mider and Etain.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
roles:
- id: role:1
label: beloved whose presence causes love-sickness
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ailill states that his longing is for Etain and that his sickness comes from
love of her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:10
- id: role:2
label: healer and caregiver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Etain tends Ailill, divides his food, and arranges the tryst to heal him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:10
- id: role:3
label: queen and wife of Eocho
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ailill and Etain refer to Eocho taking her as bride and making her queen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:14
- id: role:4
label: lovesick suitor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Ailill describes a long passion for Etain that causes bodily suffering.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: prevented tryst-participant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Ailill sleeps heavily at the appointed time and Mider later says he prevented
Ailill from coming.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:15
- id: role:6
label: king husband
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Eocho is described as having taken Etain as bride and as king of all Ireland.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:14
- id: role:7
label: disguised tryst-visitor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The man comes to Etain in the likeness of Ailill, though Etain recognizes
that he is not Ailill.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: claimed former husband
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Mider says Etain had formerly been his wife.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:9
label: magical manipulator of desire and access
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Mider claims he filled Ailill's mind with love and prevented him from coming
to the tryst.
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- id: role:10
label: sorcery agent named in backstory
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: Mider names Fuamnach's sorcery and Bressal Etarlam's spells as the cause
of separation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: fire in the eyes
literal_form: Poetic image of fire connected with eyes and hidden woman-secrets.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:16
- id: sym:2
label: water and ocean image
literal_form: Poetic image of passion being chilled or drowned as with water and
as a weapon submerged in ocean.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- id: sym:3
label: house beyond the fort
literal_form: The house outside and beyond the fort where Etain appoints the dawn
tryst.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: heavy sleep at the appointed hour
literal_form: Ailill's sleep falls heavily on him at the time set for the tryst.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:15
- id: sym:5
label: wedding-price of hundreds
literal_form: One hundred bridled steeds, one hundred garments, cattle, ounces of
gold, and one hundred of each beast known to men.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: likeness of Ailill
literal_form: A man approaching Etain in the likeness of Ailill while not being
Ailill.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ailill's confession of love-sickness
summary: Ailill tells Etain that his desire for her has lasted more than a year
and has made him sick, though she is Eocho's queen.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:17
- id: scene:2
label: Etain offers healing
summary: Etain pities Ailill, promises to heal him, and speaks of physical embrace
and the value given for her marriage.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Daily tending and appointed tryst
summary: Etain tends Ailill each day, then appoints a dawn meeting in the house
beyond the fort to grant his request for the purpose of healing him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Missed trysts and substituted visitor
summary: Ailill repeatedly falls asleep at the appointed time, while a weary and
feeble man in Ailill's likeness comes to Etain instead.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:5
label: Mider's revelation and Etain's refusal
summary: The substitute visitor says he is Mider of Bri Leith, claims Etain was
once his wife, attributes their separation to sorcery and spells, asks her to
come with him, and admits causing Ailill's love and preventing the tryst; Etain
refuses him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:15
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: love-sickness requiring the beloved's cure
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill's passion for Etain is described as a bodily sickness, and Etain tends
him and arranges the tryst explicitly to heal him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: 'The passage frames the cure ambiguously: Etain offers herself as healing,
but later says the tryst was not arranged from desire.'
- id: motif:2
label: disguised or substituted lover at a tryst
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: A man repeatedly arrives at Etain's tryst in Ailill's likeness while Ailill
sleeps, and the man is later revealed as Mider.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states that the man appears in Ailill's likeness but does
not explicitly describe the mechanics of transformation.
- id: motif:3
label: enchanted sleep prevents a meeting
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill falls into heavy sleep at the appointed time, and Mider later claims
he prevented Ailill from coming to the tryst.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:15
confidence: medium
cautions: The text links Mider to the prevention but does not explicitly say the
sleep itself was a spell.
- id: motif:4
label: former spouses separated by sorcery seek reunion
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Mider claims Etain was once his wife, that sorcery and spells separated them,
and asks her to come with him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:13
- ev:14
confidence: medium
cautions: Only Mider's account establishes the former marriage and separation; Etain
questions and then refuses him in this passage.
- id: motif:5
label: magically induced desire as a stratagem
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: Mider claims he filled Ailill's mind with love for Etain and kept him from
reaching the tryst while preserving Etain's honour.
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives Mider's explanation but not an independent description
of how he induced the desire.
- id: motif:6
label: royal marriage value and exchange
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
- sacred_exchange
basis: Etain's marriage to Eocho is linked with kingship and a large enumerated
transfer of horses, garments, cattle, gold, and beasts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:14
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage emphasizes marriage-price and royal status, but it does not
explicitly state a political legitimation ritual.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1388-1426
quote_or_summary: Ailill says Eocho made Etain queen, that his own passion began
more than a year ago, and that his body and reputation suffer from it.
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: lines 1384-1387
quote_or_summary: Etain offers to bring to Ailill any nearby woman whose hidden
love may be causing his distress.
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: lines 1430-1442
quote_or_summary: Etain sees Ailill's sickness, grieves, tells him to arise, and
promises that his longing will be satisfied for his healing.
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: lines 1443-1454
quote_or_summary: Etain says Eocho gave a great price to gain her, including one
hundred bridled steeds, garments, cattle, gold, and one hundred of each beast.
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: lines 1456-1459
quote_or_summary: Etain comes daily to Ailill, tends him, divides his allotted food,
and works healing on him because she is grieved that he might perish for her sake.
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:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1459-1463
quote_or_summary: Etain tells Ailill to come at daybreak to a tryst in the house
outside and beyond the fort, where his request and desire will be granted.
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:7
type: summary
locator: lines 1463-1467
quote_or_summary: Ailill lies awake during the night, but when the appointed time
comes, a heavy sleep falls on him and he sleeps until his rising hour.
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:8
type: summary
locator: lines 1467-1470
quote_or_summary: Etain goes to the tryst and sees a weary, feeble man approaching
in Ailill's likeness, but she knows that he is not Ailill.
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:9
type: summary
locator: lines 1470-1477
quote_or_summary: After Ailill's grief over missing the meeting, Etain appoints
further meetings; the same pattern occurs, and the same man comes to the tryst
on the last appointed day.
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:10
type: summary
locator: lines 1477-1482
quote_or_summary: Etain tells the man that she did not make the tryst with him and
had appointed Ailill only to heal his love-sickness, not because of desire or
fear.
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:11
type: summary
locator: lines 1482-1485
quote_or_summary: The man says it would be more fitting for Etain to tryst with
him because, when she was Etain of the Horses and daughter of Ailill, he was her
husband.
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:12
type: quote
locator: lines 1485-1488
quote_or_summary: '"Mider of Bri Leith is my name."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for identification.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 1488-1491
quote_or_summary: Mider says the sorcery of Fuamnach and the spells of Bressal Etarlam
separated him from Etain.
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:14
type: summary
locator: lines 1491-1498
quote_or_summary: Mider asks Etain whether she will come with him; Etain refuses
to exchange the king of all Ireland for a man whose kin and lineage are unknown.
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:15
type: summary
locator: lines 1498-1506
quote_or_summary: Mider states that he filled Ailill's mind with love for Etain,
prevented him from coming to the tryst, and did not allow him to spoil Etain's
honour.
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:16
type: summary
locator: lines 1371-1374
quote_or_summary: The opening speech uses a poetic image of eyes laden with fire
and warns against waking woman-secrets.
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:17
type: summary
locator: lines 1407-1414
quote_or_summary: Ailill describes passion through images of force, ascent, water-chilling,
drowning, and a weapon submerged in ocean.
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 principal narrative actions and figures are explicit. Motif labels involving
magic, disguise, and exchange are candidate interpretations and require human
review. No external comparison claims were made.
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: |-
Line locators are approximate within the supplied stable range and based only on the provided passage text.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l1371-l1506
passage_sha256=be893eddd6033fc238b45d2193da87deae7b63c23f155c6f6d4a903027d922a2