batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l8991-l9179
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l8991-l9179
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
passage_locator:
label: MORTALS / IMMORTALS / TAIN BO FRAICH / THE RAID FOR THE CATTLE OF FRAECH;
lines 8991-9179
start: '8991'
end: '9179'
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: The passage describes Ailill and Maev's splendid palace chamber, the welcome
of Fraech and his companions, a chess match between Maev and Fraech, the richly
adorned harpers who play for the company, the animated golden figures on their
harps, the death of twelve hearers from the music, the genealogy of the three
musical strains as children of Boand and the Harp of the Dagda, and Lothar's cutting
up of meat for the meal.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The house and royal chamber are described as richly built with pine, brass,
bronze, silver, gilded rails, and multiple windows.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Queen Maev and King Ailill welcome Fraech and the strangers.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A chess board of findruine with gold edges, jeweled light, and silver and
gold pieces is prepared.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Queen Maev and Fraech sit at the chess board and play chess.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Fraech's harpers carry their harps in otter-skin sacks embroidered with silver
and gold thread and showing rubies.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The harps are of gold, silver, and bronze and bear figures of serpents, birds,
and hounds of gold and silver.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: When the harpers move the strings, the figures on the harps run or float around
the men.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Twelve of Ailill and Medb's people die while hearing the harpers' playing.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The three named strains are Sorrow-strain, Joy-strain, and Sleep-strain, also
called the Chants of Uaithne or Child-birth.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Boand from the fairies is named as the mother of the triad, and the Harp of
the Dagda is associated with their fatherhood or origin.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Boand foretells that men who hear these harpers will be struck to death by
their art.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: After the music ceases, Fergus praises it, silence and peace come over all,
and Fraech calls for the food to be divided.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: Lothar crouches on the floor and splits the joints with a sword without striking
the dainty parts.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Queen Maev / Medb
description: Queen in the palace, royal host, and chess player against Fraech.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ailill
description: King in the palace, royal host, and speaker who asks whether Fraech's
harpmen should play.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Fraech
description: Visitor welcomed by the royal pair; he courteously replies, plays chess
with Maev, allows the harpers to play, and later calls for the food.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Fraech's harpers / the three brothers
description: Wondrous harpers associated with the three strains of Sorrow, Joy,
and Sleep; their playing kills twelve listeners.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Boand
description: A fairy-associated mother of the three strains who foretells death
from the harpers' art.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Fergus
description: Listener who says the music was stately after the strains die away.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Lothar
description: Man who sets his feet on the floor, crouches, and splits the joints
with a sword.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Twelve of Ailill and Medb's people
description: Listeners who die with weeping and sadness when the harpers play.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: royal host
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: Maev and Ailill welcome the strangers in their palace and direct the feast
and entertainment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: chess player
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:3
basis: Maev and Fraech sit at the chess-board and play.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: honored visitor
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Fraech and the strangers are welcomed by the queen and king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: supernatural or wondrous musicians
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The harpers are called wondrous, have richly decorated harps with animated
figures, and their playing kills listeners.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: fairy mother
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Boand from the fairies is named as mother of the triad.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: prophetic speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Boand's words foretell that hearers of the harpers will perish by their art.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: listener and evaluator of music
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Fergus remarks that the music was stately after it ends.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: meat divider
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Lothar crouches and divides the joints with his sword.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: fatal hearers
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Twelve of Ailill and Medb's people die while hearing the playing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: jeweled chess board
literal_form: Findruine chess board with gold edges, handles, jewels giving light,
and gold and silver pieces.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: enchanted harps
literal_form: Harps of gold, silver, and bronze played by the harpers.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: serpent figures on harps
literal_form: Gold and silver serpent figures decorating the harps and moving when
the strings are played.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: bird and hound figures on harps
literal_form: Gold and silver figures of birds and hounds on the harps that move
with the music.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: three musical strains
literal_form: Sorrow-strain, Joy-strain, and Sleep-strain, called the Chants of
Uaithne or Child-birth.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: roe-hide and swan-white cloaks
literal_form: White roe-hide girdles with dark spots and white linen cloaks compared
to swan's wings or tunics.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Splendid palace and royal welcome
summary: The palace and royal chamber of Maev and Ailill are described in rich materials,
and Fraech and the strangers are welcomed by the royal pair.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Chess match before the feast
summary: A jeweled chess board is set out, and Maev plays chess with Fraech while
the question of food is deferred.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Harpers perform with animated harp figures
summary: Fraech's wondrous harpers appear with richly adorned harp cases and harps
bearing serpent, bird, and hound figures that move when the strings are played.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Lethal music and origin of the three strains
summary: The harpers' playing causes twelve of Ailill and Medb's people to die;
the passage explains the three strains as Sorrow, Joy, and Sleep, children of
Boand and connected with the Harp of the Dagda, with Boand foretelling deadly
effects from their art.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Music ceases and food is divided
summary: After the strains cease and Fergus praises the music, Fraech calls for
the meat, and Lothar divides the joints with a sword.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: lethal supernatural music
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The harpers' performance causes twelve listeners to die, and Boand's prophecy
says men who hear these harpers will be struck to death by their art.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the effect directly, but no external motif index
number is supplied.
- id: motif:2
label: animated images responding to music
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Serpent, bird, and hound figures on the harps move or float around the harpmen
when the strings are played.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explicitly explain whether the animation is magical,
mechanical, or poetic; it only states the figures move with the music.
- id: motif:3
label: supernatural parentage of musical powers
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_parent_child
basis: The three musical strains are described as noble brothers, with Boand from
the fairies as mother and the Harp of the Dagda as their father or source.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage treats the children as musical
strains and harpers, not simply human offspring.
- id: motif:4
label: sacred or wondrous birth of three strains
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_birth
basis: Sorrow, Joy, and Sleep are narrated as arising during Boand's childbirth
and being named as the three sons of Uaithne or Child-birth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The birth account is embedded in a poetic explanation of musical strains,
so literal versus symbolic status requires review.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 8991-9025
quote_or_summary: The palace and central chamber are described with pine planks,
brass frames and columns, bronze walls, silver and gilded rails, and a royal couch
area for Maev and Ailill.
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: 9026-9053
quote_or_summary: Maev and Ailill welcome Fraech and the strangers; Maev has the
men set up chess, and she and Fraech play on a jeweled board with gold, silver,
and luminous decoration.
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: 9054-9083
quote_or_summary: Ailill asks whether Fraech's harpmen should play. They carry harps
in decorated otter-skin cases, wear roe-hide and white cloaks, and have gold,
silver, and bronze harps with serpent, bird, and hound figures that move when
the strings are played.
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: quote
locator: 9084-9095
quote_or_summary: The harpers play so that twelve of Ailill and Medb's people die
with weeping and sadness.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief paraphrased quotation/summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 9096-9158
quote_or_summary: The three strains are named as Sorrow-strain, Joy-strain, and
Sleep-strain, the Chants of Uaithne or Child-birth. Boand from the fairies is
their mother, and the Harp of the Dagda is identified as their father or source
in the birth narrative.
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: 9159-9170
quote_or_summary: Boand foretells that cows, women, and men who hear these harpers
will be slain or perish by the harpers' art; after the strains die away, Fergus
praises the music and silence and peace come over all.
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: 9171-9179
quote_or_summary: Fraech calls for the food to be divided, and Lothar crouches on
the floor and splits the joints with a sword without striking the dainty parts.
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: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strongly supported by the supplied passage. Motif labels
for lethal music and animated harp figures are direct, while taxonomy mappings
for parentage and sacred birth are broader and need human review. No comparison
claims were made because the passage itself does not establish a specific cross-textual
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Footnote material was treated as part of the supplied passage when it clarified wording or identified the Dagda, but no external claims were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l8991-l9179
passage_sha256=6799ef2e8c16292b1457caa2f42a0141fcc05a3efda7d4dca17fdfbacac04875