batch.motif.celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg-l2814-l2860
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg-l2814-l2860
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
passage_locator:
label: C. E. G. / THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN / PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC / GERAINT
THE SON OF ERBIN; lines 2814-2860
start: '2814'
end: '2860'
translation: The Mabinogion
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: After eating, Geraint questions an elderly host about the palace and the
preparations in town. The host explains how he lost his possessions to a nephew
after withholding the nephew's property. He then describes a tournament for a
Sparrow-Hawk set on a silver rod between two forks, where each contestant must
be accompanied by the lady he loves best. A knight has won the Sparrow-Hawk for
two years and seeks to win it a third time. Geraint asks for counsel about avenging
insults from the dwarf; the host offers arms and a horse. Geraint asks permission
to challenge on behalf of the host's daughter, and the plan is settled for daybreak.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Geraint asks the hoary-headed man who owns the palace in which they are staying.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The hoary-headed man says he built the palace and formerly owned the city
and castle as well.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The hoary-headed man says he lost a great earldom after taking his nephew's
possessions and withholding them when the nephew demanded them.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The nephew made war on the hoary-headed man and took from him all that he
possessed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The next day's preparations are for a game or tournament held by the young
Earl.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: In the meadow, two forks will be set up, with a silver rod on them and a Sparrow-Hawk
on the rod.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Men, horses, and arms from the city will go to the tournament.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Each man must go with the lady he loves best, and no man can joust for the
Sparrow-Hawk unless that lady is with him.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The knight seen by Geraint has won the Sparrow-Hawk for two years.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: If the knight wins the Sparrow-Hawk for a third year, it will be sent to him
every year and he will be called the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Geraint asks for counsel concerning the knight because of insults received
from the dwarf and by the maiden of Gwenhwyvar.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: The hoary-headed man says Geraint has neither dame nor maiden belonging to
him for whom he can joust, but offers him arms and a horse.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: Geraint accepts the arms but says his own horse will suffice.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: Geraint asks permission to challenge for the hoary-headed man's daughter and
pledges to love her as long as he lives if he escapes the tournament.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:15
text: The hoary-headed man permits Geraint's plan and says his horse and arms must
be ready at daybreak.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:16
text: At daybreak, the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk will proclaim his lady the fairest
of women and will defend her claim by force if anyone denies it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Geraint
description: A guest who questions the hoary-headed man, seeks counsel about an
insult, accepts arms, and plans to challenge in the tournament for the host's
daughter.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: hoary-headed man
description: An elderly host who built the palace, lost an earldom, explains the
tournament customs, and permits Geraint to challenge for his daughter.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: nephew / young Earl
description: The son of the hoary-headed man's brother; after demanding his property,
he made war and took the hoary-headed man's possessions. He is identified with
the young Earl holding the next day's game.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: the knight / Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk
description: A knight who has won the Sparrow-Hawk for two years and will proclaim
his lady's right to take it at daybreak.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: the lady loved best by the knight
description: The knight's lady, who will be asked to take the Sparrow-Hawk and declared
the fairest of women.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: dwarf
description: The figure whose insult to Geraint and to Gwenhwyvar's maiden prompts
Geraint's concern with the knight.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: maiden of Gwenhwyvar
description: A maiden of Gwenhwyvar, the wife of Arthur, who had received an insult
from the dwarf.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: daughter of the hoary-headed man
description: The maiden for whom Geraint asks permission to challenge in the tournament.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: questioning guest
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Geraint asks the host about the palace, the preparations, and counsel concerning
the knight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: dispossessed former lord
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The hoary-headed man says he formerly owned the palace, city, castle, and
a great earldom, but lost them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: host and adviser
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He explains the tournament, offers Geraint arms and a horse, and permits
Geraint to challenge for his daughter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:4
label: kinsman claimant and current young Earl
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The nephew demands his property, wins back the possessions by war, and is
associated with the young Earl holding the game.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: prospective challenger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Geraint asks to challenge for the host's daughter in the next day's tournament.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: reigning tournament winner
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The knight has gained the Sparrow-Hawk for two years and seeks a third victory.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: lady whose beauty claim is contested
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:8
basis: The tournament requires a contestant's beloved lady to be present; the knight's
lady is to be proclaimed fairest, while Geraint plans to challenge for the host's
daughter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: insulter
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Geraint refers to the insult he and Gwenhwyvar's maiden received from the
dwarf.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: insulted maiden
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The maiden of Gwenhwyvar is named as having received an insult from the dwarf.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Sparrow-Hawk prize
literal_form: A Sparrow-Hawk placed on a silver rod between two forks in the meadow
as the object of the tournament.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: silver rod
literal_form: A silver rod set upon two forks, supporting the Sparrow-Hawk.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: two forks
literal_form: Two forks set up in the middle of the meadow to hold the silver rod.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: arms and horse
literal_form: Arms and a horse offered by the hoary-headed man to Geraint for the
tournament.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: daybreak proclamation
literal_form: The time and speech act by which the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk will
ask his lady to take the prize and declare her fairest.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Geraint questions the host about lost lordship
summary: After eating, Geraint asks who owns the palace. The hoary-headed man says
he built it and formerly owned the city, castle, and an earldom, but lost them
after a dispute with his nephew over withheld property.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Explanation of the Sparrow-Hawk tournament
summary: The hoary-headed man explains that the young Earl's next-day game will
place a Sparrow-Hawk on a silver rod between two forks in a meadow, and that contestants
must bring the lady they love best in order to joust for it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Geraint seeks means to answer an insult
summary: Geraint asks for counsel about the knight because of insults by the dwarf.
The host notes that Geraint lacks a lady for whom to joust, but offers him arms
and a horse.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Challenge arranged for the host's daughter
summary: Geraint asks permission to challenge for the host's daughter and promises
lifelong love if he survives. The host agrees and instructs him to be ready at
daybreak, when the reigning knight will proclaim his lady the fairest and defend
the claim by force.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Contest for a symbolic prize tied to a lady's status
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Sparrow-Hawk tournament requires each contestant to bring the lady he
loves best, and the prize is linked to declaring a lady the fairest of women.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the tournament rules but does not explain the deeper
symbolic meaning of the Sparrow-Hawk.
- id: motif:2
label: Third victory grants lasting title and possession
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The knight has won the Sparrow-Hawk for two years; if he wins a third year,
it will be sent to him annually and he will be called the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a local narrative rule in the passage; broader comparative significance
is not asserted.
- id: motif:3
label: Dispossession through kinship conflict
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The hoary-headed man loses his earldom and possessions after withholding
property from his nephew, who then makes war and wrests everything from him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage concerns
property and earldom, but does not explicitly frame legitimacy in ritual or divine
terms.
- id: motif:4
label: Borrowed arms for a challenge
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The host offers Geraint arms and a horse for the tournament; Geraint accepts
the arms while keeping his own horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents practical assistance, without explicit enchantment
or sacred status.
- id: motif:5
label: Champion challenges on behalf of a maiden
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Geraint asks to challenge for the hoary-headed man's daughter and pledges
to love her if he survives the tournament.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not yet narrate the outcome of the challenge.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The episode fits a general chivalric pattern in which a public combat determines
or defends a lady's claim to exceptional beauty or honor.
claim_level: same_function
target: chivalric lady-vindication tournament pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage itself supplies only the tournament rule and planned challenge;
it does not compare this custom to other texts or traditions.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 2814-2820
quote_or_summary: Geraint questions the hoary-headed man about the palace; the man
says he built it and formerly owned the city and castle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 2820-2827
quote_or_summary: The hoary-headed man says he lost a great earldom because he took
his nephew's possessions, withheld them, and was defeated when the nephew made
war.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 2827-2835
quote_or_summary: 'The host explains that the preparations are for the young Earl''s
game: in a meadow two forks, a silver rod, and a Sparrow-Hawk will be set up for
a tournament.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 2835-2840
quote_or_summary: The city's men, horses, and arms will go to the tournament; each
man must bring the lady he loves best, or he cannot joust for the Sparrow-Hawk.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 2840-2847
quote_or_summary: The knight has won the Sparrow-Hawk for two years; if he wins
it a third year, it will be sent to him each year and he will be called the Knight
of the Sparrow-Hawk.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 2847-2853
quote_or_summary: Geraint asks counsel about the knight because of insults from
the dwarf; the host says Geraint lacks a lady for whom to joust, but offers arms
and a horse.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 2853-2857
quote_or_summary: Geraint asks to challenge for the host's daughter and promises
to love her as long as he lives if he escapes the tournament; if not, she remains
unsullied.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 2857-2860
quote_or_summary: The host agrees and says Geraint must be ready at daybreak, when
the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk will ask his lady to take the prize and will defend
her beauty claim by force.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage clearly describes figures, tournament rules, and planned action.
Motif labels are cautious and mostly not mapped to the supplied taxonomy because
the passage does not explicitly support broader mythic categories.
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; comparison is limited to a functional chivalric pattern directly supported by the passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg__l2814-l2860
passage_sha256=0d2897adeea1029eeb368fcb3d7d87ee91fa91d096f3a9c94eccd0e195ec6736