batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l2611-l2704
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l2611-l2704
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: MAC DATHO'S BOAR / FROM THE BOOK OF LEINSTER (TWELFTH-CENTURY MS.) / THE
SICK-BED OF CUCHULAIN / INTRODUCTION; lines 2611-2704
start: '2611'
end: '2704'
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: An editorial introduction explains the manuscript witnesses and composite
structure of the Irish romance called “The Sick-bed of Cuchulain,” also known
in its latter part as “The Jealousy of Emer.” It distinguishes an Antiquarian
form, which gives the cause of Cuchulain’s illness and Laeg’s journey to Fairyland
to test a healing message, from a Literary form, which begins with Cuchulain’s
rousing from the sick-bed, retells Laeg’s Fairyland journey differently, and supplies
the conclusion involving a fairy lady who voluntarily gives up her lover to a
rival.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The romance is said to be preserved in an eleventh-century manuscript and
a fifteenth-century manuscript that give substantially the same account but are
not direct copies of one another.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The eleventh-century manuscript names the now-lost Yellow Book of Slane as
its authority.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The introduction states that an earlier compiler appears to have combined
two different forms of the story into the version now preserved.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Antiquarian form relates the cause of Cuchulain’s illness and Laeg’s journey
to Fairyland to test a message that Cuchulain can be healed by fairy help.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Both manuscripts include an intervening account of Lugaid Red-Stripes being
elected king, a Bull Feast prophecy, and Cuchulain’s counsel to Lugaid.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: 'The Literary form begins with Cuchulain being roused from his sick-bed, with
the agency of the rousing differing from the Antiquarian form: a son of the fairy
king in one form and Emer in the other.'
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The Literary form retells Laeg’s journey to Fairyland with different detail
and supplies the full conclusion of the story.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The Literary form’s conclusion is described as including the voluntary action
of a fairy lady who gives up her lover to her rival and the motives for that act.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Thurneysen is reported as assigning the second description of Fairyland by
Laeg to the Antiquarian form, partly because of an allusion to Ethne and a tone
of rough humour.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cuchulain
description: A named hero associated with illness, a sick-bed, possible fairy healing,
rousing from the sick-bed, counsel to Lugaid, and accounts of his deeds.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Laeg
description: Cuchulain’s servant, whose journey to Fairyland is described in both
forms of the story.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Emer
description: Cuchulain’s wife; in the Literary form she is the agency by which Cuchulain
is roused from his sick-bed.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: son of the fairy king
description: A supernatural figure described as rousing Cuchulain in the Antiquarian
form.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: fairy king
description: A fairy ruler mentioned indirectly through his son.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Lugaid Red-Stripes
description: A figure whose election as king over Ireland and associated Bull Feast
prophecy are inserted into the manuscripts; Cuchulain gives him counsel.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: fairy lady
description: A fairy woman in the conclusion who voluntarily gives up her lover
to her rival.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Ethne
description: A figure named in an allusion connected with the second description
of Fairyland by Laeg.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sick hero
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cuchulain is repeatedly associated with the sick-bed, illness, rousing, and
possible fairy healing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: servant and Fairyland envoy
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Laeg is identified as Cuchulain’s servant and as the one who journeys to
Fairyland.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: wife and rouser
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Emer is identified as Cuchulain’s wife and as the agent of his rousing in
the Literary form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: supernatural rouser
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: A son of the fairy king is named as the agent who rouses Cuchulain in the
Antiquarian form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: fairy ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The passage refers to the fairy king through the phrase “a son of the fairy
king.”
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: king-elect
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Lugaid Red-Stripes is described as elected king over Ireland and as receiving
Cuchulain’s counsel.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: self-renouncing fairy woman
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The fairy lady is described as voluntarily giving up her lover to her rival.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: alluded figure
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Ethne is mentioned as an allusion in discussion of the second description
of Fairyland.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sick-bed
literal_form: Cuchulain’s sick-bed and illness
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: Fairyland
literal_form: A supernatural destination visited by Laeg
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: sym:3
label: fairy healing message
literal_form: A message saying Cuchulain can be healed by fairy help
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: Bull Feast
literal_form: A feast at which Lugaid’s coming is prophesied
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Manuscript and source history
summary: The introduction identifies two manuscript witnesses and reports an older
lost authority, the Yellow Book of Slane.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Composite story forms
summary: The passage states that the extant version appears to combine an Antiquarian
form and a Literary form of the story.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: 'Antiquarian form: illness and Fairyland inquiry'
summary: The Antiquarian form gives the cause of Cuchulain’s illness and sends Laeg
to Fairyland to test whether a healing message is true.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Inserted royal episode
summary: Both manuscripts insert material about Lugaid Red-Stripes’ election, a
Bull Feast prophecy, and Cuchulain’s counsel to the new king.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: 'Literary form: rousing and second Fairyland journey'
summary: The Literary form begins with Cuchulain being roused from the sick-bed,
distinguishes Emer’s role from the fairy king’s son, retells Laeg’s journey to
Fairyland, and supplies the conclusion.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Fairy lady’s voluntary renunciation
summary: The conclusion of the Literary form is described as relating how a fairy
lady gives up her lover to her rival and why she does so.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Sick hero aided by supernatural healing
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Cuchulain’s illness is central to the story opening, and a message says that
he can be healed by fairy help.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is an introduction and does not narrate the healing episode
in full.
- id: motif:2
label: Journey to Fairyland to verify a healing message
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: Laeg journeys to Fairyland to test the truth of a message that Cuchulain
can be healed by fairy help; the Literary form also retells Laeg’s journey with
different detail.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage names Fairyland but does not identify it as an afterlife realm;
no afterlife taxonomy is assigned.
- id: motif:3
label: Alternative rousing of the incapacitated hero
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: 'The two story forms differ in the agency that rouses Cuchulain from his
sick-bed: a son of the fairy king in one form and Emer in the other.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is presented as a variant feature between textual forms rather than
a complete independent motif.
- id: motif:4
label: Supernatural woman yields beloved to rival
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: The Literary form’s conclusion is described as the voluntary action of a
fairy lady who gives up her lover to her rival, with her motives explained.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage calls her a fairy lady, not a deity; the taxonomy link is
therefore broad and should be reviewed.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly compares an Antiquarian form and a Literary form as
two distinct forms of the same original legend, sharing major elements such as
Cuchulain’s sick-bed and Laeg’s Fairyland journey while differing in details and
conclusion.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Antiquarian and Literary forms of “The Sick-bed of Cuchulain”
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an internal comparison supplied by the editor; it does not
establish a comparison with an external tradition.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 2613-2619
quote_or_summary: The romance is preserved in an eleventh-century Leabhar na h-Uidhri
and a fifteenth-century Trinity College manuscript; the two are related but the
later is not a copy of the older.
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: 2620-2623
quote_or_summary: The eleventh-century manuscript gives the lost Yellow Book of
Slane as its authority, possibly the ultimate authority for the tale as preserved.
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: 2623-2628
quote_or_summary: Internal evidence is said to show that an earlier compiler had
two different forms of the story and combined them in the extant version.
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: 2628-2634
quote_or_summary: The Antiquarian form tells the cause of Cuchulain’s illness and
Laeg’s journey to Fairyland to test a message that Cuchulain can be healed by
fairy help, then breaks off.
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: 2634-2642
quote_or_summary: Both manuscripts include material on Lugaid Red-Stripes’ election
as king, the Bull Feast prophecy, and Cuchulain’s counsel to Lugaid.
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: 2642-2648
quote_or_summary: The Literary form begins with Cuchulain being roused from his
sick-bed; the agency differs, with a son of the fairy king in the Antiquarian
form and Emer in the Literary form.
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: 2648-2653
quote_or_summary: The Literary form tells Laeg’s journey to Fairyland with different
detail and alone supplies the full conclusion, while the two forms are described
as distinct versions of the original legend.
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: 2681-2685
quote_or_summary: The passage praises the final account in which a fairy lady voluntarily
gives up her lover to her rival and explains her motives.
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: 2696-2704
quote_or_summary: Thurneysen assigns the second description of Fairyland by Laeg
to the Antiquarian form, citing the allusion to Ethne and rough humour, though
the editor leaves it in the manuscript position.
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: high
notes: The passage is an editorial introduction rather than the full narrative,
so motifs are extracted from summarized plot descriptions and textual comparison.
Taxonomy links are conservative and require review.
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: |-
No external information or unprovided taxonomy IDs were used.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l2611-l2704
passage_sha256=a44bf231b3b781548d6252a40f6abba4c43cda5e4a551452c30c25352994fb1e