batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l2317-l2464
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l2317-l2464
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: MAC DATHO'S BOAR / INTRODUCTION / MAC DATHO'S BOAR / FROM THE BOOK OF LEINSTER
(TWELFTH-CENTURY MS.); lines 2317-2464
start: '2317'
end: '2464'
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: Ket challenges Ulster warriors to a contest of renown for the right to
divide Mac Datho's boar, shaming several by recalling wounds or losses he inflicted
on them or their kin. Conall the Victorious enters, is greeted by the Ulstermen
and Conor, exchanges praise-rhetoric with Ket, asserts a superior claim based
on killing Connaught men, and proves Anluan's absence no obstacle by producing
Anluan's severed head. Ket yields the boar to Conall.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Ket recounts having driven off an opponent's cattle and struck out one of
the opponent's eyes with a spear.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Ket repeatedly calls for a 'strife for renown' among the men of Ulster.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Ket shames Munremur by saying he recently struck off the heads of three warriors
from Ulster, including Munremur's firstborn son.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Ket shames Mend by saying he gave Mend's father his nickname by cutting off
his heel with a sword.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Ket shames Celtchar by recalling a ravine combat in which Ket's spear pierced
Celtchar through the leg and groin, leaving him diseased and childless.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Ket shames Cuscrid by recalling that Cuscrid fled with a spear wound through
the throat and thereafter spoke unclearly.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Ket stands exulting near the boar with a knife in his hand before Conall enters.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Conall enters the palace, and the men of Ulster and Conor greet him publicly.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: Conor identifies Ket as the man holding the office of divider of the boar.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: Ket and Conall exchange formal praise-rhetoric before Conall tells Ket to
move away from the boar.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Conall claims that since first taking a spear he has rarely slept without
the head of a slain Connaught man as his pillow and has not let a day or night
pass without killing a Connaught man.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: Ket acknowledges Conall as a better warrior but says Anluan could battle with
him if present.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Conall produces Anluan's head from his belt and throws it at Ket, striking
Ket on the chest and splashing blood over his lips.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: After the head is thrown, Ket leaves the boar and Conall places himself beside
it.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ket, son of Mata
description: Connaught warrior who challenges the Ulstermen, claims the right to
divide the boar, and yields after Conall produces Anluan's head.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Munremur, Gerrcind's son
description: Ulster warrior who disputes Ket's right to divide the boar and sits
down after Ket recalls killing his firstborn son.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Mend, son of Salcholcam
description: Ulster warrior who offers strife to Ket and sits down after Ket recalls
maiming Mend's father.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Celtchar, son of Uitechar
description: Tall, grey, terrible Ulster warrior who offers combat and sits down
after Ket recalls wounding him.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Cuscrid the Stammerer of Macha
description: King Conor's son, described as kingly in form, whose stammer is attributed
by Ket to a spear wound through the throat.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Conall the Victorious
description: Ulster hero who enters the palace, is greeted by the Ulstermen and
Conor, challenges Ket's position at the boar, claims superior warrior-renown,
and produces Anluan's head.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Conor
description: Kingly figure who greets Conall and says Ket has the office of divider
of the boar.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Anluan
description: Absent warrior named by Ket as one who could battle Conall; Conall
reveals he has Anluan's severed head.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Men of Ulster
description: Group present in the palace who are challenged by Ket and hail Conall
when he enters.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: challenger in strife for renown
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ket repeatedly calls warriors to the strife for renown.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: claimed divider of the boar
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Conor says the office of dividing the boar is given to Ket.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: boastful shamer of opponents
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ket defeats successive challenges by recounting injuries or losses inflicted
on opponents and their kin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: Ulster challenger silenced by past defeat
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: Each figure challenges or disputes Ket and then sits down after Ket recounts
a humiliating prior injury or loss.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: king's son
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Cuscrid is called king Conor's son.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: victorious rival claimant
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Conall challenges Ket's right to remain by the boar and is acknowledged by
Ket as the better warrior.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: role:7
label: trophy-head bearer
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Conall pulls Anluan's head from his belt and throws it at Ket.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: role:8
label: recipient of public acclaim
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Ulstermen hail Conall and Conor swings his helmet to greet him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: public recognizer of office and hero
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Conor greets Conall and identifies Ket as divider of the boar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: slain champion invoked as counterweight
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Ket says Anluan could battle Conall if present, but Conall produces Anluan's
head.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:11
label: assembled warrior audience
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The men of Ulster are addressed by Ket and later hail Conall.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: boar to be divided
literal_form: The Boar near which Ket stands and which Conall later occupies beside.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:13
- id: sym:2
label: knife in hand
literal_form: Ket's knife held while he stands exulting near the boar.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: spear wounds
literal_form: Spears used in Ket's accounts of eye, leg, groin, and throat wounds,
and in Conall's oath about first receiving a spear.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:11
- id: sym:4
label: severed heads
literal_form: Heads of slain enemies used in Ket's boasts and Conall's proof, including
Anluan's head.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: sym:5
label: helmet greeting
literal_form: Conor takes his helmet from his head and swings it on high to greet
Conall.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: blood on lips
literal_form: Blood from Anluan's thrown head is dashed over Ket's lips.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ket shames the Ulster challengers
summary: Ket calls for a contest of renown and answers successive Ulster figures
by recounting prior wounds, killings, or humiliations, causing them to sit down.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:2
label: Conall's acclaimed entrance
summary: While Ket stands near the boar with a knife, Conall enters the palace and
is hailed by the Ulstermen and Conor.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:3
label: Challenge over the boar
summary: Conall asks who divides the boar, Conor identifies Ket, and Ket and Conall
exchange formal praise before Conall orders Ket away from the boar.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:4
label: Anluan's head decides the contest
summary: Conall asserts his killings of Connaught men, Ket says Anluan could oppose
him, and Conall reveals Anluan's head, throws it at Ket, and takes Ket's place
beside the boar.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: contest of renown for the right to divide a feast animal
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage centers on a public contest in which warriors' claims to renown
determine who may divide the boar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The passage names the contest and the boar but does not explicitly call
the portion a 'champion's portion' in this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: boastful recounting of past victories to silence challengers
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ket answers each challenger by narrating earlier injuries, killings, or humiliations
he inflicted, after which the challengers sit down.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The extraction treats the repeated speech pattern as a motif candidate
without assigning an external taxonomy ID.
- id: motif:3
label: severed enemy head as proof of superior prowess
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Conall's production of Anluan's head directly answers Ket's claim that Anluan
could oppose him and causes Ket to leave the boar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the head as decisive evidence in a rivalry, but broader
ritual or symbolic meaning is not stated.
- id: motif:4
label: public acclamation of the arriving hero
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Conall enters the palace, the men of Ulster shout in greeting, and Conor
raises his helmet to greet him before the contest shifts in Conall's favor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The acclamation is a brief episode and may function mainly as narrative
staging.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2317-2325
quote_or_summary: Ket says that when driving away an opponent's cattle he returned
the opponent's spear and tore out one of his eyes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 2327-2334
quote_or_summary: '"Come to the strife for renown!"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2327-2336
quote_or_summary: Munremur disputes Ket's right to divide the boar; Ket says he
struck off three Ulster warriors' heads, the middle one being Munremur's firstborn
son, and Munremur sits down.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2338-2353
quote_or_summary: Mend offers strife; Ket says he cut the heel from Mend's father
with a sword, giving him his nickname, and Mend sits down.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2357-2373
quote_or_summary: Celtchar offers warfare; Ket recalls a ravine combat in which
his spear pierced Celtchar through leg and groin, after which Celtchar was diseased
and had no children; Celtchar sits down.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2375-2390
quote_or_summary: Cuscrid challenges; Ket says Cuscrid first tried weapons against
him, lost a third of his people, fled with a spear wound through the throat, and
was thereafter called the Stammerer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2392-2397
quote_or_summary: As Ket exults near the boar with knife in hand, Conall the Victorious
enters the palace; the Ulstermen shout and Conor swings his helmet to greet him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 2398-2405
quote_or_summary: Conall asks who divides the boar; Conor says the office belongs
to Ket, son of Mata; Conall asks Ket whether he is the man to allot the boar.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 2406-2418
quote_or_summary: Ket greets Conall in verse, praising him with images including
stony spleen, flame, ice, boiling blood, scars, and fame.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 2420-2436
quote_or_summary: Conall replies in verse greeting Ket and anticipating combat,
then tells Ket to rise and depart from the boar.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 2438-2447
quote_or_summary: Conall swears that since first receiving a spear he has seldom
slept without a slain Connaught man's head as his pillow and has not let a day
or night pass without killing a Connaught man.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 2449-2452
quote_or_summary: Ket acknowledges Conall as the better warrior and says Anluan
could battle with Conall if he were present.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 2454-2464
quote_or_summary: Conall says Anluan is present, pulls Anluan's head from his belt,
throws it at Ket so it strikes his chest and splashes blood over his lips; Ket
leaves the boar and Conall takes his place beside it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is well supported by the passage. Motif labels are descriptive
candidates only and are not mapped to supplied taxonomy families. No comparison
claims are made because the passage itself does not explicitly compare this episode
to another tradition or motif family.
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; available taxonomy references were not applied because none were directly supported as taxonomy mappings by the passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l2317-l2464
passage_sha256=e301403756fd9bd7bb455943fabe550b661985743ff297f2519d2fba76834691