batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l8308-l8369
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l8308-l8369
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: PAGE 118 / PAGE 121 / PAGE 124 / PAGE 126; lines 8308-8369
start: '8308'
end: '8369'
translation: Heroic Romances of Ireland
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: "“Emain's Hound towards us raceth, / Guards his land, the fight he faceth,
/ Every hue his body graceth”"
summary: The passage gives a literal and metrical rendering of a poem in which a
chariot with a silver yoke approaches. A heroic figure called the Hound of Emain
Macha drives or is associated with the war-car, urges horses southward, is expected
to bring battle and slaughter, and is described as guarding his land and bearing
many colors.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A chariot is heard creaking and is described with a beautiful silver yoke.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A perfected male figure is associated with the wheels of the stout chariot.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The chariot travels over named places and beside the lower part of the Burg
of the Trees.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: A heroic hound is said to drive the chariot, while a trusty charioteer yokes
it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: A noble hawk is said to scourge or urge the horses southward.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The approaching figure is called a stubborn or hardy hero and is linked with
heavy slaughter and battle.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: A person on a hillock is warned that woe will come while waiting for the hound.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The hound is identified as the Hound of Emain Macha and the Hound of battle.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: The hound’s form is described as bearing hues of all colors.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The metrical rendering repeats that the figure races toward the speakers and
guards his land while facing battle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Hound of Emain Macha
description: A heroic hound, hardy chief, or warrior figure associated with the
war-chariot, battle, guarding land, and a many-colored form.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Trusty charioteer or servant
description: A figure who yokes the chariot or ties the yoke-strap.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Person on the hillock
description: An addressed figure who waits for or scorns the hound and is warned
of coming woe.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: approaching warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The figure is called a hero or hardy chief and is associated with battle,
conquest, and slaughter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: territory-guarding hound
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The poem calls him the Hound of Emain Macha and says he guards his land or
territory and faces the fight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: chariot attendant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The figure yokes the chariot or ties the yoke-strap.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: warned watcher
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The addressed person on the hill or hillock is told woe is dawning while
waiting for the hound.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: war-chariot
literal_form: Chariot or war-car with a beautiful silver yoke.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: silver yoke
literal_form: Beautiful silver yoke or silver yokes appearing with the chariot.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: hound
literal_form: Heroic hound, Hound of Emain Macha, Hound of battle.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: hawk
literal_form: Noble hawk used as a description for the chariot-driving or horse-urging
action.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: many-colored body
literal_form: A form or body marked by hues of all colors.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: hillock
literal_form: Hill or hillock where a watcher waits for the hound.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Approach of the silver-yoked chariot
summary: A chariot with a silver yoke is heard and seen moving through named places,
with a perfected male figure associated with its wheels and victories.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: Hero hound drives toward battle
summary: The heroic hound drives or is likened to a hawk urging horses southward,
and the poem anticipates his battle-skill, conquest, and slaughter.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Warning to the hill watcher
summary: A person on a hill or hillock is warned of woe as the Hound of Emain Macha
approaches; the hound is described as many-colored, a guardian of territory, and
a battle figure.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: approaching warrior in a war-chariot
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage centers on the audible approach of a chariot or war-car, its
silver yoke, the figure guiding it, and the expectation of battle and conquest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is a poetic rendering and does not narrate a full episode
beyond the approach and battle expectation.
- id: motif:2
label: animal-named heroic defender
taxonomy_refs:
- culture_hero
basis: The warrior is repeatedly called a hound, identified with Emain Macha, said
to guard his land or territory, and linked with battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage supports a heroic defender
role but does not by itself supply a full culture-hero narrative.
- id: motif:3
label: ominous arrival bringing woe to a watcher
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The speaker warns the person on the hillock that woe will come with the arrival
of the hound.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The warned person's identity and the larger narrative outcome are not
supplied in this passage.
- id: motif:4
label: many-colored heroic form
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Hound of Emain Macha is described as having a form or body graced by
hues of all colors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explain whether the many colors are literal appearance,
poetic embellishment, or conventional epithet.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 8312-8319
quote_or_summary: "“I hear the creaking of a chariot / with a beautiful silver yoke,”
and a perfected male figure rises from or is associated with the chariot wheels
as it passes named places."
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:2
type: summary
locator: lines 8321-8328
quote_or_summary: The literal rendering says a heroic hound drives the chariot,
a trusty charioteer yokes it, a noble hawk urges the horses southward, and the
hero is expected to cause heavy slaughter and bring battle.
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: quote
locator: lines 8330-8338
quote_or_summary: "“Woe for him who shall be upon the hillock” waiting for the hound;
the figure is named “the Hound of Emain Macha,” “the Hound of battle,” and has
“hues of all colours.”"
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:4
type: summary
locator: lines 8344-8351
quote_or_summary: The metrical rendering describes shrieks from a war-car, silver
yokes, a perfect form guiding the wheels, movement past places, and songs of conquest.
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: lines 8353-8360
quote_or_summary: The metrical rendering calls the figure a Hero Hound, mentions
a servant tying the yoke-strap, compares the movement to a noble hawk, urges steeds
southward, and anticipates gory conquests and skilled war.
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: quote
locator: lines 8362-8369
quote_or_summary: 'The metrical rendering warns the hill watcher: “woe for thee
is dawning”; “Emain''s Hound” races toward them, guards his land, faces the fight,
and has every hue on his body.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is strong because the passage repeats the same imagery
in two renderings. Motif labels are descriptive and should be reviewed against
the wider episode before broader taxonomy assignment.
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 identification of the Hound of Emain Macha has been added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l8308-l8369
passage_sha256=edcd38c2ec5494b2e2caf0d2d7958d42501da81868ecf7e0711a32a4f9c4c525