batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l12332-l12386
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l12332-l12386
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
passage_locator:
label: XVIII / HERE NOW IS TOLD THE MISTHROW AT BELACH EOIN. / HERE NOW FOLLOWETH
THE DISGUISING OF TAMON / HERE NOW COMETH THE HEAD-PLACE OF FERCHU; lines 12332-12386
start: '12332'
end: '12386'
translation: The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Tain Bo Cualnge
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A poetic lament names Cethern, son of Fintan, as slain after killing many
of the host with a double-headed pike. The speaker, Finna daughter of Eocho, mourns
him, recalls places associated with the host, vows not to take another man, and
says the Cow-raid of Cualnge brought this sorrow upon her.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Cethern, son of Fintan, is described as having brought seven times fifty of
the hosts to their graves with a double-headed pike.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A woman is described as wandering through the mist while contrasting the condition
of the dead with that of the living.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The speaker vows never to take or sleep with a man.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The poem names a homestead called Horse-head's Dun, water described as soft
and sweet, and an isle called Isle of the Red.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The speaker says the Cow-raid of Cualnge brought care upon her and identifies
Cethern, son of Fintan, as the one she keens.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The speaker says she will bewail the slain man until death.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The speaker identifies herself as Finna, daughter of Eocho.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Finna says she found a fight of circling spears and imagines that, had her
champion had his arms, a slaughtered heap would have lain by his side.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cethern, son of Fintan
description: A slain warrior mourned in the poem; he is credited with killing seven
times fifty of the hosts.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Finna, daughter of Eocho
description: The speaking woman who laments Cethern and vows not to take another
man.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: the hosts
description: The opposing or collective host members, seven times fifty of whom
are said to have been brought to their graves.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: my champion
description: A champion referred to by Finna in connection with arms and a slaughtered
heap.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: fallen warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cethern is named as smitten down and as the subject of the speaker's keening.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: lamenting speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Finna identifies herself and speaks of keening and bewailing the slain man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: slain host members
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Seven times fifty of the hosts are said to have been brought to their graves.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: champion
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The speaker refers to 'my champion' in the closing stanza.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: double-headed pike
literal_form: weapon held by Cethern's hand
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: mist
literal_form: mist through which a woman wanders
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: Horse-head's Dun
literal_form: named homestead
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: water
literal_form: water described as soft and sweet
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: Isle of the Red
literal_form: named isle
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:6
label: circling spears
literal_form: spears in the fight Finna says she found
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Cethern's slaughter and death
summary: Cethern is associated with a double-headed pike and with the deaths of
seven times fifty of the hosts; he is also described as smitten down.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: Finna's lament and vow
summary: The speaker mourns the dead man, says the living woman may find a man,
then vows she herself will never take or sleep with a man.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Remembered places of the host
summary: The poem remembers Horse-head's Dun, sweet water, and Isle of the Red as
dear places associated with the hosts.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Finna names herself and recalls the spear-fight
summary: Finna, daughter of Eocho, says she found a fight of circling spears and
speaks of her champion in relation to arms and a slaughtered heap.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: lament for a fallen warrior
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage centers on Finna keening Cethern, describing him as smitten down,
and saying she will bewail him until death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly matches formal lament or keening.
- id: motif:2
label: widowed or bereaved vow not to remarry
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The speaker declares that she will never take a man and never sleep with
a man after the death she laments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives the vow in poetic form; the exact social status of the
speaker relative to Cethern is not explicitly defined in the excerpt.
- id: motif:3
label: heroic last slaughter before death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Cethern is credited with sending seven times fifty of the hosts to their
graves and is then mourned as smitten down.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The excerpt does not narrate the whole combat sequence, only the lament's
retrospective description.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: 12332-12335
quote_or_summary: '"Felled by double-headed pike... Seven times fifty of the hosts,
/ Fintan''s son brought to their graves!"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for extraction evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 12337-12344
quote_or_summary: A woman is described as wandering through mist; the living may
find a man, but the speaker vows never to take or sleep with a man.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: 12346-12349
quote_or_summary: '"Dear the homestead, ''Horse-head''s Dun''... Dear the water,
soft and sweet; / Dear the isle, ''Isle of the Red!''"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for extraction evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 12351-12358
quote_or_summary: The speaker says the Cow-raid of Cualnge brought sad care upon
her, names Cethern son of Fintan as the one to keen, and says she will bewail
the smitten man until death.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 12360-12364
quote_or_summary: Finna, daughter of Eocho, says she found a fight of circling spears
and that, had her champion had his arms, a slaughtered heap would have been by
his side.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction evidence.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is a poetic lament with footnotes and variant notes; figure relations
are partly inferential, so motifs are recorded cautiously. No comparison claims
are made because the excerpt itself does not support comparison to another tradition
or motif family.
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 text and metadata. Taxonomy references were applied only to the literal water image; no available motif-family reference directly matched the principal lament motifs.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg__l12332-l12386
passage_sha256=1399c54300ac7deecee4c4156287eabcdf4e52bafc4cae5d4928442bc5e22904