batch.motif.celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg-l7955-l8056
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg-l7955-l8056
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 7955-8056
start: '7955'
end: '8056'
translation: The Mabinogion
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Blodeuwedd, at Gronw's urging, draws from Llew the precise conditions under
which he can be killed. Gronw prepares the required spear, Blodeuwedd arranges
the bath, roof, river setting, and buck, and Gronw wounds Llew with a poisoned
dart while he stands with one foot on the bath and one on the buck. Llew flies
away as an eagle. Gronw and Blodeuwedd take power. Gwydion searches for Llew,
follows a sow to a tree by a brook, and sees an eagle dropping putrid flesh and
vermin, concluding it is Llew.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Gronw instructs Blodeuwedd to converse with Llew under the guise of love and
discover how he may be killed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Llew tells Blodeuwedd that he cannot easily be slain except by a wound from
a spear that must be formed over a year, with work only during Sunday sacrifice.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Llew states that he cannot be slain inside or outside a house, nor on horseback
or on foot.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: 'Llew describes the required killing posture: a bath beside a river, a roof
over the cauldron, a buck beside it, and one foot on the buck and one on the cauldron
edge.'
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Gronw makes the spear, and after a year it is ready.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Blodeuwedd asks Llew to demonstrate how he could stand on the cauldron edge
and the buck, and she arranges for Gronw to be in ambush on Bryn Kyvergyr by the
river Cynvael.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Llew enters the bath, anoints himself, and then places one foot on the bath
edge and the other on the buck's back.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Gronw rises from the hill, kneels on one knee, and throws a poisoned dart
that strikes Llew in the side.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: After being struck, Llew flies up in the form of an eagle, screams, and is
no more seen there.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: After Llew departs, Gronw and Blodeuwedd go to the palace, and Gronw takes
possession and rule of Ardudwy and Penllyn.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Math grieves when the tidings arrive, and Gwydion vows not to rest until he
has news of his nephew.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: At a vassal's house, Gwydion learns of a sow that leaves the sty daily and
whose destination is unknown.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Gwydion follows the sow as it travels against the course of a river to a brook
called Nant y Llew.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: The sow feeds beneath a tree on putrid flesh and vermin falling from an eagle
in the top of the tree.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: obs:15
text: Gwydion thinks the eagle is Llew and sings an englyn addressing an oak and
identifying Llew by his wounds.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Gronw Pebyr
description: The man who instructs Blodeuwedd to discover Llew's death conditions,
makes the spear, ambushes Llew, wounds him, and later takes possession of Ardudwy.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Blodeuwedd
description: Llew's partner who questions him about how he may be slain, arranges
the bath and animals, sends for Gronw, and goes with Gronw after Llew's departure.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Llew Llaw Gyffes
description: The man who reveals his unusual death conditions, is struck by Gronw's
poisoned dart, and flies away in the form of an eagle.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Math the son of Mathonwy
description: The figure who receives tidings of Llew and is overcome with heaviness
and grief.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Gwydion
description: Llew's kinsman who vows to seek news of him, follows the sow, sees
the eagle in the tree, and identifies it as Llew.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:15
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Swineherd
description: A youth at the vassal's house who reports the sow's unexplained daily
departure and opens the sty while Gwydion watches.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sow
description: An animal that leaves the sty, leads Gwydion to Nant y Llew, and feeds
on putrid flesh and vermin beneath the tree.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Eagle in the tree
description: An eagle at the top of a tree from which vermin and putrid flesh fall;
Gwydion thinks the eagle is Llew.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
roles:
- id: role:1
label: ambusher and attacker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Gronw waits on the hill and throws the poisoned dart at Llew.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: deceptive questioner
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Blodeuwedd questions Llew about how he might be slain after Gronw tells her
to find it out under the guise of love.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: wounded transformed victim
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Llew is struck by the poisoned dart and flies away in eagle form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:4
label: usurping pair
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: After Llew departs, Gronw and Blodeuwedd go to the palace, and Gronw takes
possession and rule of the land.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:5
label: grieving lord
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Math receives the tidings and grief comes upon him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:6
label: kinsman-seeker
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Gwydion says he will not rest until he has tidings of his nephew and then
travels in search of him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:13
- ev:15
- id: role:7
label: informant and animal keeper
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The swineherd reports the sow's habits and opens the sty for Gwydion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:8
label: animal guide
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Gwydion follows the sow to the place where the eagle is found.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: role:9
label: hidden wounded form
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The eagle is associated with falling putrid flesh and vermin, and Gwydion
concludes it is Llew by his wounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: year-made spear or poisoned dart
literal_form: A spear formed over a year and later a poisoned dart thrown by Gronw.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: bath or cauldron beside river
literal_form: A bath beside a river with a roof over the cauldron, forming part
of Llew's stated death condition.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: buck
literal_form: A buck placed beside the cauldron or bath; Llew places one foot on
its back.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: river and brook
literal_form: The river Cynvael near the ambush and the brook called Nant y Llew
reached by the sow.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:13
- id: sym:5
label: hill of ambush
literal_form: Bryn Kyvergyr, the hill from which Gronw rises to throw the poisoned
dart.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: eagle form
literal_form: Llew flies up in the form of an eagle; later an eagle in a tree is
thought to be Llew.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:14
- ev:15
- id: sym:7
label: tree or oak
literal_form: A tree, called an oak in Gwydion's englyn, with the eagle at its top.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
- id: sym:8
label: sow
literal_form: A sow whose daily path leads Gwydion to the tree and eagle.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: sym:9
label: putrid flesh and vermin
literal_form: Putrid flesh and vermin fall from the eagle and are eaten by the sow.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Concealment and disclosure of death conditions
summary: Blodeuwedd, urged by Gronw, persuades Llew to reveal the exceptional conditions
under which he may be slain.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: Preparation of the fatal arrangement
summary: Gronw prepares the spear over a year, and Blodeuwedd arranges the bath,
river setting, buck, and ambush.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:3
label: Ambush, wounding, and eagle transformation
summary: When Llew stands with one foot on the bath edge and one on the buck, Gronw
strikes him with a poisoned dart; Llew flies away as an eagle.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: Taking of the realm
summary: After Llew disappears, Gronw and Blodeuwedd go to the palace, and Gronw
gains rule over Ardudwy and Penllyn.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Gwydion's search begins
summary: Math grieves, and Gwydion vows to seek news of Llew; he reaches a vassal's
house and learns of a sow's mysterious daily departure.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: scene:6
label: Sow leads seeker to eagle in tree
summary: Gwydion follows the sow to Nant y Llew, where it feeds on matter falling
from an eagle in a tree; Gwydion identifies the eagle as Llew.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:15
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: secret vulnerability obtained by deceptive intimacy
taxonomy_refs:
- forbidden_knowledge
basis: Blodeuwedd is directed to question Llew under the guise of love and obtains
the precise secret conditions for his death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents the secret as dangerous knowledge, but it does not
explicitly frame it as forbidden knowledge.
- id: motif:2
label: conditional or liminal death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: 'Llew can be killed only under compound boundary conditions: neither indoors
nor outdoors, neither mounted nor on foot, at a bath by a river, with one foot
on a buck and one on the cauldron or bath edge.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No exact supplied taxonomy reference covers this motif directly.
- id: motif:3
label: wounded human takes animal form
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: After the poisoned dart strikes him, Llew flies up in the form of an eagle
and later is recognized in eagle form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:14
- ev:15
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives transformation into eagle form but does not explain
its mechanism.
- id: motif:4
label: animal guide to hidden wounded figure
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: Gwydion follows the sow's otherwise unknown path to the brook and tree where
the eagle associated with Llew is found.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:15
confidence: medium
cautions: The sow is not described as intentionally guiding Gwydion; the guide function
is inferred from the sequence of pursuit and discovery.
- id: motif:5
label: tree as site of hidden transformed being
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_tree_axis
basis: The eagle thought to be Llew is located at the top of a tree, addressed as
an oak in Gwydion's song.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
confidence: low
cautions: The text names a tree and oak but does not explicitly mark it as cosmic,
sacred, or axial.
- id: motif:6
label: violent displacement and seizure of rule
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: After Llew is wounded and disappears, Gronw and Blodeuwedd go to the palace,
and Gronw takes possession and rule of Ardudwy and Penllyn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage records seizure of rule, but it does not present a legitimating
ritual or explicit claim of rightful kingship.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: 7955-7958
quote_or_summary: Gronw tells Blodeuwedd to converse with Llew “under the guise
of the dalliance of love” and learn how he may die.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 7968-7974
quote_or_summary: Llew says he cannot easily be slain except by a wound from a spear
that must be made over a year, with work only during Sunday sacrifice.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: 7976-7978
quote_or_summary: Llew says he cannot be slain “within a house, nor without” and
“on horseback nor on foot.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 7978-7985
quote_or_summary: Llew explains that a bath must be made by a river, roofed over
the cauldron, with a buck beside it; if he stands with one foot on the buck and
one on the cauldron edge, a striker can kill him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 7987-7989
quote_or_summary: Blodeuwedd sends to Gronw, who works at making the spear; after
a year it is ready.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 7990-8000
quote_or_summary: Blodeuwedd asks Llew to show the impossible stance, sends for
Gronw to wait in ambush on Bryn Kyvergyr by the river Cynvael, and gathers goats
across the river.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 8002-8011
quote_or_summary: Blodeuwedd says the roof and bath are ready; Llew enters the bath,
anoints himself, has the buck brought, and stands with one foot on the bath edge
and one on the buck's back.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 8012-8015
quote_or_summary: Gronw rises from Bryn Kyvergyr, rests on one knee, throws the
poisoned dart, and strikes Llew in the side so the head remains in him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:9
type: quote
locator: 8015-8016
quote_or_summary: "“Then he flew up in the form of an eagle and gave a fearful scream.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 8018-8022
quote_or_summary: Gronw and Blodeuwedd go to the palace after Llew's departure;
Gronw takes possession of Ardudwy and rules Ardudwy and Penllyn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 8023-8028
quote_or_summary: Math receives the tidings and grieves; Gwydion says he will never
rest until he has news of his nephew, and Math blesses his strength.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 8028-8040
quote_or_summary: At a vassal's house, the swineherd reports that a sow leaves the
sty every day and no one knows where she goes; Gwydion asks that the sty not be
opened until he is present.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: 8041-8047
quote_or_summary: At daybreak the swineherd opens the sty; the sow leaps out, Gwydion
follows, and she goes against a river's course to Nant y Llew.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: 8047-8053
quote_or_summary: The sow feeds under a tree on putrid flesh and vermin; Gwydion
looks up and sees an eagle at the top of the tree shedding that matter.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: 8053-8056
quote_or_summary: Gwydion thinks the eagle is Llew and sings an englyn addressing
an oak and saying he can identify Llew by his wounds.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-welsh/project-gutenberg/mabinogion-guest.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strongly supported by the supplied passage. Motif labels
are candidate analytic tags and require human review, especially where available
taxonomy references are broader than the passage details.
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: |-
No external sources or comparisons were used; comparison_claims left empty because the passage itself does not explicitly establish cross-textual comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-welsh-mabinogion-guest-gutenberg__l7955-l8056
passage_sha256=6c4307dcb032e0b5f7dbfa35e1fc3c0f8c8f19faf57d5f3340742a9f4b3010e9