batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l9528-l9700
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg-l9528-l9700
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 9528-9700
start: '9528'
end: '9700'
translation: Heroic Romances of Ireland
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: '"The Ban-Shee Wail," was heard'
summary: After fairies depart with lamentation, Fraech is welcomed back at the fort
and reconciled with Ailill and Maev. Fraech arranges for a salmon from the river
to be broiled for Finnabar because a lost ring is inside it. Ailill demands that
Finnabar produce the ring or die, but the ring is revealed on the cooked salmon.
Ailill admits he threw the ring into the river, and Fraech explains that he saw
a salmon catch it and later recovered the fish. Finnabar declares her loyalty
to Fraech.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Fairies depart from the Liss while crying out over Fraech, and their wailing
is heard by the men.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage names this first heard lament as the Ban-Shee Wail and explains
the note that Ban Side means fairy women.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Fraech comes to the dun, is welcomed by the hosts, and is described as seeming
newly born among men from an unknown world.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Maev and King Ailill rise for Fraech, confess their fault, perform penance,
receive pardon, and make peace.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Fraech sends a man to the river bank to find a salmon near the place where
Fraech sank in the stream.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Fraech says the ring is in the middle of the fish and instructs that Finnabar
alone should broil it.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Ailill displays jewels, summons Finnabar, asks for the ring he had given her,
and threatens her life when she says it is lost.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Fraech offers his own jewels if Finnabar is freed and says he owes his life
to her because she brought him a sword in his need.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Ailill refuses substitutes and says only restoration of the ring will save
Finnabar.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Ailill swears by the god of Connaught that Finnabar will die unless she places
the ring in his hand, and he claims the ring cannot be recovered.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: Finnabar vows that she will leave the land and no longer be under her father's
power.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: Finnabar's maid returns with a broiled salmon garnished with honey-sweet sauce,
and the sought gold ring lies on the fish's breast.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: Ailill admits the ring had been in Fraech's purse, that he knew his daughter
had given it, and that he hurled it into the river.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: Fraech explains that he first found the ring near Ailill's court, hid it in
his purse, and later saw Ailill throw it toward the water.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:15
text: Fraech says he saw a salmon leap, catch the ring, and sink; he then seized
the salmon and brought it to the bank.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:16
text: Finnabar says she will never turn her thoughts to another man.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: fairies / Ban Side
description: Fairy women who depart from the Liss and whose wailing is identified
with the Ban-Shee Wail.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fraech
description: The hero welcomed at the dun, reconciled with Ailill and Maev, and
revealer of the ring's path through the salmon.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Maev
description: A ruler who rises to welcome Fraech, confesses fault, performs penance,
and makes peace.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: King Ailill
description: King who demands Finnabar produce the ring, threatens her life, and
later admits throwing the ring into the river.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Finnabar
description: Ailill's daughter, associated with the lost ring, earlier aid to Fraech,
the preparation of the salmon, and a final declaration of loyalty.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Fraech's unnamed man
description: A man from Fraech's people sent to the river bank to retrieve the salmon
and take it to Finnabar.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Finnabar's maid
description: The maid sent in the quest for the ring who returns with the prepared
salmon bearing the ring.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: fairy lamenters
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They depart while wailing over Fraech, and the wail is named as the Ban-Shee
Wail.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: returned hero
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Fraech comes to the dun and is described as seeming born among men from an
unknown world.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: royal tester and threatener
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Ailill demands the ring from Finnabar, threatens death, and makes recovery
seem impossible.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: endangered daughter and ring recipient
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Finnabar is threatened over the missing ring and is the one to whom Fraech
has the salmon and ring conveyed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: penitent royal host
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: Maev and Ailill rise, confess their fault, do penance, and make peace with
Fraech.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: messenger or servant
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: One unnamed man is sent by Fraech to the river, and Finnabar's maid is sent
and returns with the dish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: pledged lovers
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:5
basis: Fraech says Finnabar promised him a year of love if he found the ring, and
Finnabar later declares she will not think on another man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Ban-Shee Wail
literal_form: A mournful fairy-women's wail or musical air first heard as the fairies
depart.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: gold ring
literal_form: A ring of gold given by Ailill to Finnabar, later found in Fraech's
purse, thrown into the river, caught by a salmon, and displayed on the cooked
fish.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:3
label: salmon
literal_form: A salmon from the river that catches the ring and is later broiled
with the ring displayed on it.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: river or dark water
literal_form: The river or dark water where Fraech sank and where Ailill threw the
ring.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: sword brought in need
literal_form: A sword that Finnabar brought to Fraech in his need, cited by him
as the reason he owes her his life.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: jewel heap
literal_form: A dazzling heap of jewels displayed by Ailill and offered against
the value of the missing ring.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fairy departure and first Ban-Shee Wail
summary: Fairies leave the Liss lamenting Fraech, and the passage identifies the
lament as the first Ban-Shee Wail.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Fraech's return and reconciliation
summary: Fraech arrives at the dun, is welcomed as if returned from an unknown world,
and Ailill and Maev make peace with him.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Instruction to recover and cook the salmon
summary: Fraech sends a man to find a salmon at the river bank and tells him to
have Finnabar broil it because the ring is inside.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Ailill's demand for the ring
summary: Ailill displays jewels, summons Finnabar, demands the missing ring, and
threatens her life if it is not restored.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Ring revealed on the salmon
summary: The maid returns with the broiled salmon, and the gold ring sought by Ailill
lies on the fish.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Confession of the ring's path
summary: Ailill admits throwing the ring into the river, and Fraech recounts seeing
the salmon catch it and recovering the fish.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:7
label: Finnabar's declaration
summary: After the ring is explained and praised, Finnabar declares that she will
not turn her thoughts to any other man.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Fairy-women lament as origin of a named wail
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage explicitly says the fairies' lament over Fraech is the first
time the Ban-Shee Wail was heard.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The extraction does not infer later banshee lore beyond the passage's
own note.
- id: motif:2
label: Return from an unknown or otherworldly sphere
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: Fraech is welcomed back, and the narrator says it seemed as if his birth
among men came from a world unknown to earth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage implies unusual return but does not fully narrate the prior
otherworld episode within this line range.
- id: motif:3
label: Lost ring recovered through a fish
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill throws the ring into the river; Fraech sees a salmon catch it, captures
the salmon, and the ring is later revealed on the broiled fish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: No external analogue is asserted; this is a passage-level pattern only.
- id: motif:4
label: Impossible recovery task under threat of death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill demands Finnabar restore the lost ring or die, while declaring the
recovery effectively impossible.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The task is imposed in a courtly family setting, not explicitly as a formal
initiation in this passage.
- id: motif:5
label: Beloved helper and reciprocated token
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Fraech says Finnabar saved him by bringing a sword and earlier promised love
if he recovered the ring.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: low
cautions: The sacred_exchange taxonomy fit is tentative because the passage presents
courtship and aid rather than an explicitly sacred transaction.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself links the fairies' lament to the named Ban-Shee Wail,
supporting comparison with an Irish fairy-women lament motif.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Irish Ban-Shee / Ban Side lament pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage gives only an origin-like notice and a footnote; it does
not provide a broader typology of banshee traditions.
- id: claim:2
claim: The ring's concealment and recovery through a salmon supports comparison
with the narrative pattern of a lost valuable object found inside or by means
of a fish.
claim_level: same_motif
target: lost token recovered from fish pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The claim identifies a structural resemblance only; the supplied passage
does not establish historical contact or dependence.
- id: claim:3
claim: Fraech's welcome as if born among men from an unknown world supports cautious
comparison to a return-from-otherworld motif family.
claim_level: same_function
target: return motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The prior journey or state is not narrated in this excerpt, so the
comparison rests on a single descriptive phrase.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 9528-9537
quote_or_summary: Fairies depart at the Liss, cry over Fraech, and the lament is
identified as the first Ban-Shee Wail; the note glosses Ban Side as fairy women.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; short summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 9538-9546
quote_or_summary: Fraech comes to the dun; hosts welcome him as if born among men
from an unknown world; Maev and Ailill confess fault, do penance, are pardoned,
and make peace.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 9547-9554
quote_or_summary: Fraech sends a man to the river bank for the salmon near where
he sank and instructs that Finnabar broil it because the ring is inside.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 9555-9569
quote_or_summary: Ailill displays jewels, calls Finnabar, asks for the ring he gave
her, and threatens her life when she says it is lost.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 9570-9582
quote_or_summary: Others object to the cruelty; Fraech offers jewels and says Finnabar
brought him a sword in his need; Ailill says only the restored ring can save her.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 9583-9601
quote_or_summary: Ailill swears Finnabar will die without the ring and says it is
effectively impossible to recover; Finnabar insists she will find it, and the
king tells her to send her maid.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 9602-9616
quote_or_summary: Finnabar vows to leave her father's power; her maid returns with
a broiled salmon garnished with honey-sweet sauce, and the gold ring lies on the
fish.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 9617-9626
quote_or_summary: Fraech challenges Ailill to tell the truth; Ailill admits the
ring was in Fraech's purse, that Finnabar had given it, and that he threw it into
the river.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 9627-9664
quote_or_summary: Fraech recounts finding the ring near Ailill's court, bargaining
for Finnabar's love, seeing Ailill cast the ring toward the water, watching a
salmon catch it, and recovering the fish.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 9665-9700
quote_or_summary: After questions and praise, Finnabar says she will never turn
her thoughts to another man.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal actions and objects are explicit in the passage. Some motif-family
assignments are cautious because the excerpt does not include the preceding episode
of Fraech's sinking or fuller otherworld context.
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 parallels or unsupplied context were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-heroic-romances-of-ireland-leahy-gutenberg__l9528-l9700
passage_sha256=2f4c828ae00393594c1dc1bd412175f405bc9f8abacf990313248a3f05e801c4