batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l2466-l2608
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l2466-l2608
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 2466-2608
start: '2466'
end: '2608'
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: Conall challenges the men of Connaught, divides the boar, and gives Connaught
only the forelegs, provoking a violent fight between Connaught and Ulster. Fergus
uproots an oak as the battle moves outside. Mac Datho releases the hound Ailbe
to choose a side; it joins Ulster, attacks the fleeing Connaughtmen, and is killed
at Ailill and Maev's chariot, producing place-name explanations. Ferloga later
seizes Conor, bargains for his own reward, and receives forced songs of praise
before returning to Connaught with horses and golden reins.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Conall calls for challengers, but no Connaughtman challenges him, and a wall
of shields is raised around him because of hostile disorder in the house.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Conall takes the boar's tail in his mouth and consumes it, although the tail
is described as a load for nine men.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Conall gives the men of Connaught only the two forelegs of the boar; both
Connaught and Ulster then rise and rush at each other.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The fighting inside the house produces a heap of bodies as high as the side-walls
and streams of blood under the doors.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The fighting breaks out into the outer court, where Fergus plucks up a great
oak-tree by the roots.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Mac Datho leads out the hound on a leash and releases it to see which army
it will choose.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The hound joins the men of Ulster and rushes against the fleeing Connaughtmen.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: At the plain of Ailbe, the hound seizes the poles of the chariot carrying
Ailill and Maev; Ferloga falls upon the hound, leaving its head on the chariot
poles and its body cast aside.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The passage explains the name of the plain of Ailbe from the hound Ailbe and
the Ford of the Hound's Head from the place where the hound's head fell.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Ferloga falls into the heather, springs behind Conor in his chariot, seizes
Conor by the head, and claims a boon in exchange for sparing his life.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: Ferloga asks to be taken to Emain Macha and to be serenaded by widows and
young maidens of Ulster at each ninth hour with a song naming him as darling.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: The women perform the songs because they fear Conor's wrath; after a year
Ferloga returns into Connaught with two of Conor's horses bridled with golden
reins.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Conall Cernach
description: Warrior who challenges the men of Connaught, consumes the boar's tail,
and divides the boar.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Men of Connaught
description: Faction that refuses to challenge Conall, receives a small share of
the boar, fights Ulster, and is later put to flight.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Men of Ulster
description: Faction that fights the men of Connaught and is chosen by the hound
Ailbe.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Fergus
description: Warrior who plucks a great oak-tree up by the roots during the fighting
outside the house.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Mac Datho
description: Person who leads the hound out by a leash and releases it between the
two armies.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Ailbe, the hound
description: Hound released between the armies; it joins Ulster, attacks Connaught,
seizes Ailill and Maev's chariot poles, and is dismembered.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Ailill and Maev
description: Riders in the chariot whose poles are seized by the hound Ailbe.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Ferloga
description: Charioteer to Ailill and Maev; he attacks the hound, later seizes Conor,
demands a boon, and returns with horses.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Conor
description: Person pursued in a chariot whom Ferloga seizes by the head; he grants
Ferloga a boon.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Widows and growing maidens of Ulster
description: Women compelled to serenade Ferloga because they fear the wrath of
Conor.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: challenger and boar-divider
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Conall calls for challengers, consumes the tail, and divides the boar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: aggrieved Connaught faction
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The men of Connaught receive only the forelegs, rise to fight, and later
flee.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: Ulster faction chosen by the hound
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The men of Ulster fight Connaught and the hound joins them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: warrior performing strength feat
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Fergus uproots a great oak-tree during the fighting.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: hound releaser
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Mac Datho brings out the hound on a leash to see which side it will choose.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: animal ally and place-name source
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The hound joins Ulster, attacks Connaught, and gives its name to places after
its death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: chariot riders attacked by the hound
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Ailill and Maev ride in the chariot whose poles the hound seizes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: charioteer and boon-claimant
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Ferloga is named as charioteer to Ailill and Maev, attacks the hound, then
seizes Conor and claims a boon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: boon-granter under threat
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Conor is seized by the head and agrees to grant Ferloga's requested boon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: compelled singers
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The women are forced to sing Ferloga's requested song because they fear Conor's
wrath.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: boar as divided feast portion
literal_form: The boar divided by Conall, including the tail and forelegs.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: wall of shields
literal_form: A shield-wall raised like a great vat around Conall.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: blood and body heap in the hall
literal_form: Bodies piled to the side-walls and blood flowing under the doors.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: uprooted oak-tree
literal_form: A great oak-tree plucked up by the roots in the outer court.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: hound Ailbe
literal_form: The hound released between the armies and later dismembered at the
chariot.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: hound's head on chariot poles
literal_form: The head of the hound left upon the chariot poles and later falling
at the Ford of the Hound's Head.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: golden reins
literal_form: Golden reins on the two horses Ferloga takes from Conor.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Conall's challenge and division of the boar
summary: Conall challenges the Connaughtmen, is protected by shields, consumes the
boar's tail, and gives Connaught only the forelegs.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Battle in the house and court
summary: The unequal portion provokes combat between Connaught and Ulster, filling
the hall with bodies and blood before the fighting breaks outside; Fergus uproots
an oak-tree.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Release and death of the hound
summary: Mac Datho releases Ailbe between the armies; the hound joins Ulster, attacks
the fleeing Connaughtmen, seizes Ailill and Maev's chariot, and is struck by Ferloga.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:3
- fig:2
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Rout and place-name explanation
summary: The rout moves northward through named places, and the hound's head falls
at the place called the Ford of the Hound's Head.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Ferloga's seizure of Conor and demanded reward
summary: Ferloga seizes Conor in his chariot, demands a boon for sparing him, receives
forced songs from Ulster women, and later returns to Connaught with horses bearing
golden reins.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: disputed feast portion leading to battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The division of the boar gives Connaught only the forelegs, after which Connaught
and Ulster immediately rise and fight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage itself presents the quarrel over the boar's share but does
not supply an external motif classification.
- id: motif:2
label: champion consumes prodigious portion
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Conall consumes the boar's tail, described as a full load for nine men.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: This is a literal feat within the feast scene; broader heroic-feasting
parallels are not asserted here.
- id: motif:3
label: animal chooses a side in battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Mac Datho releases the hound to see which side it will choose, and it joins
Ulster before attacking the Connaughtmen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explain the hound's motive beyond its choice of side.
- id: motif:4
label: place-name etiology from an animal's body
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The plain of Ailbe is explained as named from the hound Ailbe, and the Ford
of the Hound's Head is explained by the fall of the hound's head there.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The extraction records only the etiological explanations given in this
passage.
- id: motif:5
label: boon extorted from a captured pursuer
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ferloga seizes Conor by the head and demands a boon in exchange for giving
him his life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames the exchange as a demanded boon, not as a sacred or
ritual exchange.
- id: motif:6
label: uprooted tree as warrior strength feat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Fergus plucks up a great oak-tree by the roots as the battle moves into the
outer court.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports the feat but does not state whether the tree is used
as a weapon in the prose portion.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 2466-2479
quote_or_summary: Conall challenges the Connaughtmen; none answers. A shield-wall
is raised around him, and he consumes the boar's huge tail, described as a load
for nine men.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 2480-2487
quote_or_summary: Conall gives Connaught only the boar's two forelegs. Connaught
and Ulster rise against each other; bodies pile up inside the house and blood
flows under the doors.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 2488-2494
quote_or_summary: The fighting breaks through the doors into the outer court. Fergus
uproots a great oak-tree, and the battle continues outside.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 2495-2505
quote_or_summary: Mac Datho brings out the hound on a leash to test which army it
will choose. The hound joins Ulster, attacks the fleeing Connaughtmen, seizes
Ailill and Maev's chariot poles, and is struck by Ferloga; the plain of Ailbe
is explained as named from the hound.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 2506-2513
quote_or_summary: The rout proceeds northward through a sequence of named places.
At the Ford of the Hound's Head in western Meath, the hound's head falls from
the chariot.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 2514-2530
quote_or_summary: Ferloga seizes Conor by the head and claims a boon for sparing
him. He requests transport to Emain Macha and repeated serenades from Ulster women.
After a year he returns to Connaught with two of Conor's horses bridled with golden
reins.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 2531-2608
quote_or_summary: A concluding poem recalls the divided boar, the struggle for the
Ailbe hound, named warriors, Fergus with the oak and shield, slaughter at a ford,
and the destructive deeds of champions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Main narrative actions and figures are explicit. Motif labels are descriptive
and not tied to external taxonomy except the available tree symbol. No comparison
claims are made because the passage does not itself establish an external comparison.
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: |-
Extraction uses only the supplied passage and metadata. Poetic catalogue names are summarized in evidence but not individually extracted as figures unless central to the prose action.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l2466-l2608
passage_sha256=d7cbf70b4520216bcb044c2ac5ef7b164d71b7da04578386c61130b891897c79