batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l1598-l1692
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l1598-l1692
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: THE COURTSHIP OF ETAIN / EGERTON VERSION / THE COURTSHIP OF ETAIN / LEABHAR
NA H-UIDHRI VERSION; lines 1598-1692
start: '1598'
end: '1692'
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 Airemon becomes sovereign over Ireland, but the men of Ireland
refuse to hold the Festival of Tara until he has a queen. Messengers find Etain,
who becomes his wife. At Tara, Ailill Anguba falls in love with Etain, becomes
sick from concealed desire, and is diagnosed by the physician as suffering from
love or envy. Etain cares for Ailill and learns the cause of his sickness. She
agrees to a tryst outside the fort, but Ailill falls asleep and misses it; Etain
instead meets a man who resembles him. Ailill later plans to keep watch with fire
and water so as not to miss the next opportunity.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Eochaid Airemon takes sovereignty over Ireland, and the five provincial kings
are described as obedient vassals.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The men of Ireland say they will not hold the Festival of Tara for Eochaid
until he finds a queen to stand beside him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Eochaid sends messengers through the five provinces to seek the fairest woman
or girl in Ireland, with the condition that she has not previously been wife to
any man of the land.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Etain, daughter of Etar, is found at the Bay of Cichmany and brought to Eochaid’s
palace as his wife.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Ailill Anguba gazes at Etain after her marriage to Eochaid and becomes sick
from love for her.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: 'Fachtna, Eochaid’s chief physician, says Ailill suffers from one of two deadly
pangs not healed by medicine: envy or love.'
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Eochaid leaves Etain near Ailill while he goes on royal progress, so that
she may perform rites if Ailill dies.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Etain visits Ailill daily; his sickness is eased by her presence, and he gazes
at her while she is present.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Ailill tells Etain that his sickness comes from love for her, and Etain says
he could have been healed sooner if the cause had been known.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Etain tends Ailill by fomenting his head, giving him food, and pouring water
over his hands; after three weeks he is whole.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: Etain agrees to complete Ailill’s cure by meeting him on a hill beyond the
fort, but says the act must not occur in the lawful monarch’s abode.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: Ailill falls asleep at the hour of the tryst and does not wake until the third
hour of the day.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: Etain goes to the tryst and sees a man whose form is like Ailill’s and whose
answers are fitting for Ailill.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: Ailill later keeps watch with a great fire before him and water beside him
to put upon his eyes.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Eochaid Airemon
description: Sovereign over Ireland; husband of Etain; lawful monarch whose abode
is named in connection with the proposed tryst.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Etain daughter of Etar
description: Woman found at the Bay of Cichmany and brought to Eochaid as wife;
later visits and tends Ailill.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ailill Anguba
description: One of Finn son of Findloga’s three sons; falls in love with Etain,
becomes sick, confesses his love, and misses the tryst because of sleep.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Fachtna
description: Chief physician of Eochaid who examines Ailill and identifies the sickness
as a deadly pang of envy or love.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Men of Ireland
description: Collective group summoned to Tara; they refuse the festival until Eochaid
has a queen.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Man resembling Ailill
description: A man seen by Etain at the tryst; his form is like Ailill’s, and he
answers as Ailill should answer.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sovereign of Ireland
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Eochaid takes sovereignty over Ireland and the provincial kings are his vassals.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: lawful monarch and husband
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Etain becomes Eochaid’s wife, and Etain later refers to the abode of the
lawful monarch.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: queen required for royal festival
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The men of Ireland require a queen to stand beside Eochaid before they will
hold the Festival of Tara.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: beloved caretaker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Etain’s presence eases Ailill’s sickness, and she tends him with food, fomenting,
and water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: love-sick suitor
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ailill gazes at Etain, becomes sick from love, and seeks completion of his
cure through her favor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: diagnosing physician
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Fachtna identifies Ailill’s condition as either the pangs of envy or the
pangs of love.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: assembly setting condition for kingship ritual
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The men of Ireland refuse to hold the Festival of Tara until the king has
a queen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:8
label: look-alike tryst figure
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Etain sees a man at the tryst whose form and answers resemble Ailill’s.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Tara festival
literal_form: royal festival and assembly at Tara for settling taxes and imposts
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: queen beside king
literal_form: queen standing by the king’s side
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: hill beyond the fort
literal_form: hill rising beyond the fort, named as the tryst location
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: fire for night watch
literal_form: great fire before Ailill during his watch
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: water for keeping awake
literal_form: water beside Ailill to put upon his eyes
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: water poured over hands
literal_form: water poured over Ailill’s hands as part of Etain’s care
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Sovereignty and condition for Tara festival
summary: Eochaid becomes sovereign over Ireland and summons the men of Ireland to
Tara, but they refuse to hold the festival until he has a queen.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Search for Etain
summary: Messengers search Ireland for a suitable bride, and Etain is found and
brought to Eochaid’s palace as wife.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Ailill’s love sickness
summary: Ailill falls in love with Etain at the Festival of Tara, hides the cause,
becomes seriously ill, and is diagnosed by Fachtna as suffering from love or envy.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Etain’s care and Ailill’s confession
summary: Etain visits Ailill, learns that his sickness comes from love for her,
and tends him until he recovers.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Tryst beyond the fort and missed meeting
summary: Etain sets a tryst on a hill beyond the fort. Ailill sleeps through the
appointed time, while Etain meets a man resembling him.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Ailill’s night watch
summary: After missing the tryst, Ailill attempts to stay awake with a great fire
before him and water beside him for his eyes.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: queen required for royal legitimacy ritual
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
- sacred_marriage
basis: The men of Ireland refuse to hold the Festival of Tara until Eochaid has
a queen to stand beside him, linking queenship with the functioning of royal assembly
and rule.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states a political-ritual requirement for a queen; broader
sacred-marriage interpretation should be reviewed against the larger text and
tradition.
- id: motif:2
label: love sickness from gazing upon a desired woman
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill gazes upon Etain after her marriage, falls into sickness from longing,
and the physician identifies love as one of the possible deadly pangs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives love as the stated cause; no supernatural cause for
the illness is stated in this excerpt.
- id: motif:3
label: beloved’s presence as cure
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill’s sickness is eased by Etain’s presence, and after she tends him for
three weeks he becomes whole.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a literal healing-through-care pattern in the passage; it should
not be generalized beyond the excerpt without further context.
- id: motif:4
label: sleep prevents tryst while a look-alike appears
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Ailill falls asleep at the appointed hour, while Etain reaches the tryst
and encounters a man whose form and answers resemble Ailill’s.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The excerpt does not identify the resembling man as a shapeshifter or
explain how he appears; the taxonomy reference is tentative and based only on
resemblance/substitution.
- id: motif:5
label: fire and water used to resist sleep
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After missing the tryst through sleep, Ailill keeps watch with a great fire
before him and water beside him for his eyes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The objects are literal aids to wakefulness in this passage; no symbolic
or ritual meaning is stated.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The queen’s required presence before the Festival of Tara can be cautiously
compared to a royal-legitimacy pattern in which a ruler’s public authority depends
on a consort’s recognized role.
claim_level: same_function
target: royal_legitimacy motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage supports functional comparison only; it does not explicitly
theorize sovereignty, sacral kingship, or a goddess-bride relationship.
- id: claim:2
claim: The tryst episode shows visual similarity to a shapeshifter or double-substitution
pattern because Etain encounters a man like Ailill while Ailill is asleep elsewhere.
claim_level: visual_similarity
target: shapeshifter motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The man’s identity and nature are not explained in this excerpt, so
historical contact, transformation, or supernatural agency cannot be claimed.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 1598-1605
quote_or_summary: Eochaid Airemon takes sovereignty over Ireland; the five provincial
kings are obedient vassals, and his royal forts are named.
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: 1607-1616
quote_or_summary: Eochaid summons Ireland to Tara for a festival to settle taxes
and imposts; the men of Ireland answer that they will not hold it until he finds
a queen, since no queen stands by 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:3
type: summary
locator: 1618-1628
quote_or_summary: Eochaid sends messengers through the five provinces to find the
fairest woman or girl, requiring that she has not been another man’s wife; Etain
daughter of Etar is found and brought to his palace because of her form, beauty,
descent, brilliancy, youth, and renown.
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: 1630-1645
quote_or_summary: Ailill Anguba falls in love with Etain at the Festival of Tara
after gazing at her; he becomes sick, hides the cause, and Fachtna says the deadly
pang upon him is either envy or love.
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: 1645-1657
quote_or_summary: Ailill refuses to confess the cause of illness; Eochaid leaves
Etain behind near him so she can perform funeral duties if he dies; Etain visits
daily, and his sickness is eased by her presence.
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: 1659-1673
quote_or_summary: Etain asks the cause of Ailill’s sickness; he says it is love
for her. She tends him with fomenting, food, and water over his hands, and after
three weeks he is whole.
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: 1673-1680
quote_or_summary: Ailill says the completion of his cure is still lacking; Etain
appoints a tryst for the next day on the hill beyond the fort, not in the lawful
monarch’s abode.
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: 1682-1690
quote_or_summary: Ailill falls asleep at the tryst hour and wakes at the third hour;
Etain goes to the tryst and sees a man like Ailill in form, who gives fitting
answers; Ailill later laments missing 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:9
type: summary
locator: 1690-1692
quote_or_summary: Etain says there is another day; that night Ailill keeps watch
with a great fire before him and water beside him to put upon his eyes.
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: low
notes: Literal extraction is strong because the passage is explicit. Motif classification
involving royal legitimacy and love sickness is relatively secure; shapeshifter/double
classification is tentative because the excerpt does not identify the resembling
man.
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 supplied passage and metadata were used. No external identifications from the wider tale were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l1598-l1692
passage_sha256=4b2747656778c1804ee05eb7d22bbd121836a14002ddb99723f3ee86e7039c0d