batch.motif.celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg-l6937-l7016
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg-l6937-l7016
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
passage_locator:
label: PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC / GERAINT THE SON OF ERBIN / THE DREAM OF RHONABWY
/ PWYLL PRINCE OF DYVED; lines 6937-7016
start: '6937'
end: '7016'
translation: The Mabinogion
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The surviving companions carry Bendigeid Vran's head toward Harlech and
hear of Caswallawn's conquest and invisible killings. At Harlech they feast for
seven years while three birds sing. At Gwales they spend eighty joyous years with
the head, forgetting sorrow until Heilyn opens a forbidden door toward Cornwall;
memory and grief return, and they bury the head in the White Mount, where its
concealment protects the island from overseas invasion. The passage then recounts
that Ireland is repopulated by five sons born to five pregnant women who survived
in a cave.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Seven men journey toward Harlech while bearing a head with them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A multitude reports that Caswallawn son of Beli has conquered the Island of
the Mighty and been crowned king in London.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Caswallawn kills six men while concealed by the Veil of Illusion; observers
can see the sword but not the wielder.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Caradawc's heart breaks from grief after seeing the sword kill the men without
seeing who wielded it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:5
text: At Harlech, three birds sing a song that makes all other songs seem unpleasant;
the birds seem far over the sea yet appear distinct as if close by.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The Harlech repast continues for seven years.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: At Gwales the companions find a hall with two open doors and a third closed
door looking toward Cornwall, which Manawyddan says they may not open.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: During the sojourn at Gwales, they remember neither food previously seen nor
sorrow, remain joyful, do not feel weary, and do not know how much time has passed.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: Heilyn opens the closed door; after looking toward Cornwall and Aber Henvelen,
the companions become conscious of former evils, lost friends, misery, and their
lord's fate.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: The companions bury the head in the White Mount; while the head remains concealed
there, no invasion from across the sea comes to the island.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: In Ireland, only five pregnant women survive in a cave in the wilderness;
each bears a son in the same night.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: The five sons grow up, take wives from the mothers of their companions, govern
the country, and people it.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:13
text: The five sons divide Ireland among themselves, and the passage explains the
five divisions of Ireland by this partition.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: the seven men journeying from Ireland
description: The surviving group travels with the head, rests at Harlech, stays
at Gwales, and later carries the head to London for burial.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Manawyddan
description: He asks the encountered multitude for tidings and later identifies
the door that may not be opened.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Caswallawn son of Beli
description: He conquers the Island of the Mighty, is crowned king in London, and
kills men while hidden by the Veil of Illusion.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Caradawc son of Bran
description: He sees the killing sword but not its wielder, and his heart breaks
from grief.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Pendaran Dyved
description: A young page who escapes into the wood.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: three birds / birds of Rhiannon
description: Three birds sing at Harlech; the passage later identifies the singing
as that of the birds of Rhiannon.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Bendigeid Vran / Bran / the noble Head
description: The head is carried by the companions, remains with them during the
eighty-year sojourn, and is buried in the White Mount.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Heilyn son of Gwynn
description: He declares that he will open the forbidden door and does so.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: five pregnant women in the Irish wilderness
description: They are the only survivors left alive in Ireland and give birth to
five sons in a cave.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: five sons born in Ireland
description: Born to the five surviving pregnant women, they mature, take wives,
govern and people the country, and divide it into five parts.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Branwen
description: The passage's closing summary links this portion of the Mabinogi to
the blow given to Branwen and the revenge expedition to Ireland.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: surviving companions and bearers of the head
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They journey with the head, feast, sojourn, and finally carry it toward London
for burial.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: speaker who seeks tidings and identifies taboo boundary
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Manawyddan asks for news and says the closed door is one they may not open.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: conqueror and invisible killer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Caswallawn conquers the island, becomes king, and kills under the Veil of
Illusion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: grief-stricken witness
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Caradawc sees the killing sword but not the wielder, and his heart breaks
from grief.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: escaped page
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Pendaran Dyved is said to have escaped into the wood.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: enchanted singers
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The birds sing an incomparable song during the Harlech feast.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: dead lord present as protective head
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The head remains with the companions, is treated as though Bran himself were
present, and its concealment prevents sea-borne invasion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: opener of the forbidden door
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Heilyn opens the door that had been identified as one not to be opened.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: surviving mothers
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The five pregnant women survive in a cave and give birth to five sons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: repopulators and territorial founders
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The five sons govern, people the country, and divide Ireland among themselves.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: wronged woman whose blow prompts revenge
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The passage summarizes the story as concerning the blow given to Branwen
and the expedition to avenge it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Veil of Illusion
literal_form: A veil cast on Caswallawn so that no one can see him, only the killing
sword.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: visible sword without visible wielder
literal_form: The sword that kills the men is visible while the wielder is hidden.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: three singing birds
literal_form: Three birds singing at Harlech, later called the birds of Rhiannon.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: the noble head
literal_form: The head of Bendigeid Vran / Bran carried by the companions and later
buried.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: closed third door toward Cornwall
literal_form: A third door in the hall at Gwales, closed and identified as not to
be opened.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: White Mount burial place
literal_form: The White Mount where the head is buried in concealment.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:7
label: cave in the Irish wilderness
literal_form: A cave where five pregnant women survive in Ireland.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:8
label: fivefold division of Ireland
literal_form: The partition of Ireland among five sons, explaining the five divisions
of Ireland.
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: News of Caswallawn's conquest and invisible killings
summary: The seven men carrying the head meet a multitude and hear that Caswallawn
has conquered the island, killed six men while concealed, and left Caradawc dead
of grief.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Seven-year feast at Harlech with the birds of Rhiannon
summary: At Harlech the companions feast while three birds sing an incomparable
song, and the repast lasts seven years.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: scene:3
label: Eighty-year joyous sojourn at Gwales
summary: The companions enter a hall at Gwales with two open doors and one closed
door, feast joyfully, forget sorrow, feel no weariness, and remain with the head
for eighty years.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Opening of the forbidden door and burial of the head
summary: Heilyn opens the door toward Cornwall; memory of suffering returns, the
companions can no longer rest, and they bury the head in the White Mount, where
its concealment protects the island from invasion.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Survival and repopulation of Ireland
summary: After the devastation in Ireland, five pregnant women survive in a cave,
bear five sons, and those sons grow up to govern, repopulate, and divide the country.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Invisible killer under a magical concealment
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Caswallawn kills while hidden by the Veil of Illusion, so that only the sword
is seen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage names the device but does not elaborate its origin or wider
rules.
- id: motif:2
label: Enchanted feast with altered perception of time and distance
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: The companions feast for seven years while birds sing from a seeming distance
over the sea yet appear close and distinct.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly call this an otherworld journey, though
the time span and perception are extraordinary.
- id: motif:3
label: Joyous timeless sojourn with forgetfulness of sorrow
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: At Gwales the companions forget sorrow, feel no weariness, do not know the
time spent there, and remain eighty years.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: Classification as a quest or otherworldly sojourn is interpretive; the
literal passage describes the effects without naming their cause.
- id: motif:4
label: Forbidden door whose opening restores painful knowledge
taxonomy_refs:
- forbidden_knowledge
basis: A closed door is identified as not to be opened; after Heilyn opens it, the
companions regain consciousness of losses, evils, misery, and their lord's fate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The forbidden object is a door, not an abstract doctrine; the knowledge
recovered is memory of suffering.
- id: motif:5
label: Protective burial of a severed head
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The head is buried in the White Mount, and no invasion from across the sea
comes while it remains concealed there.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy ref exactly names a protective buried head or talismanic
concealment.
- id: motif:6
label: Concealment and ill-fated disclosure
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The burial is called the third goodly concealment, and its later disinterment
is called the third ill-fated disclosure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage mentions the ordinal pattern but does not identify the other
concealments or disclosures.
- id: motif:7
label: Survivors in a cave repopulate a devastated land
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
basis: Only five pregnant women remain alive in Ireland; their five sons grow up,
take wives, govern the country, and people it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The motif involves social renewal after devastation, but the passage does
not describe literal resurrection or a flood.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 6937-6948
quote_or_summary: The seven men travel toward Harlech with the head; a multitude
reports Caswallawn's conquest, his killing of six men under the Veil of Illusion,
Caradawc's death from grief, and Pendaran Dyved's escape.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 6950-6956
quote_or_summary: At Harlech the companions eat and drink; three birds sing an incomparable
song, seem far over the sea yet appear close, and the repast lasts seven years.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 6958-6969
quote_or_summary: At Gwales they enter a hall with two open doors and a closed third
door toward Cornwall; Manawyddan says it may not be opened. They feast joyfully,
forget sorrow, feel no weariness, lose awareness of time, and remain eighty years
with the head.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 6971-6981
quote_or_summary: Heilyn opens the closed door; the companions remember all evils,
lost companions, misery, and their lord's fate. They carry the head to London
and bury it in the White Mount; the concealment prevents overseas invasion while
it lasts.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 6985-6992
quote_or_summary: In Ireland only five pregnant women in a wilderness cave survive;
each bears a son the same night, and the sons grow up, take wives from the mothers
of their companions, govern the country, and people it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 6994-6996
quote_or_summary: The five sons divide Ireland among themselves, explaining its
five divisions, and find gold and silver on the battlefields.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 6998-7005
quote_or_summary: The closing summary names the blow given to Branwen, the expedition
to Ireland to avenge it, the seven-year banquet in Harlech, the singing of the
birds of Rhiannon, and the head's eighty-year sojourn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal events and figures are explicit in the passage. Motif labels are
cautious and limited to the supplied taxonomy where applicable. No external comparison
claims were added.
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 provided passage and metadata were used; no external Mabinogion context was added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg__l6937-l7016
passage_sha256=726ddb3073ddac17944705a2f750805c38ee71d089607dc62ebe49d44cb9c9d2