batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l12389-l12451
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l12389-l12451
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
passage_locator:
label: HERE NOW FOLLOWETH THE DISGUISING OF TAMON / HERE NOW COMETH THE HEAD-PLACE
OF FERCHU / XXIII / HERE FOLLOWETH THE TOOTH-FIGHT OF FINTAN; lines 12389-12451
start: '12389'
end: '12451'
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: '"This is a tooth-fight for us," said they; "the tooth-fight of Fintan''s
people and of Fintan himself."'
summary: Fintan son of Niall comes with armed followers to defend Ulster's honor
and avenge his son. His force fights the hosts fiercely, but nearly all his people
die except himself and his son Crimthann, who is protected and returned after
negotiation. Fintan agrees to withdraw and suspend hostilities until the great
future battle. The dead are later found biting one another after their weapons
were spent, giving the episode its name, the Tooth-fight of Fintan.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Fintan son of Niall Niamglonnach is identified as the father of Cethern son
of Fintan.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Fintan comes to save the honor of Ulster and avenge his son upon the hosts.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Fintan's group is numbered as thrice fifty and carries shafts with spear-heads
at both ends.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Fintan's people offer three battles to the hosts and kill thrice their own
number.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: All of Fintan's people fall except Fintan and his son Crimthann.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Crimthann is saved under a canopy of shields by Ailill and Medb and separated
from Fintan.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: The men of Erin propose to return Crimthann to Fintan, withdraw a day's march
north, and have Fintan cease hostilities until a later great battle.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Fintan consents, receives his son, makes friendship with the hosts, withdraws,
and the hosts march back north.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: After weapons are used up, bodies are found with lips, noses, and ears caught
in the teeth and tusks of opponents.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The men of Erin name the event the Tooth-fight of Fintan.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Fintan son of Niall Niamglonnach
description: A northern warrior from Dun da Benn; father of Cethern and father of
Crimthann in this passage; he attacks the hosts to defend Ulster's honor and avenge
his son.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Cethern son of Fintan
description: Named as Fintan's son; Fintan's vengeance is linked to him.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Crimthann son of Fintan
description: Fintan's son who survives the slaughter, is protected by Ailill and
Medb, and is later returned to Fintan.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Fintan's people
description: Fintan's armed followers, described as thrice fifty in number and carrying
double-ended spears; they fight the hosts and die except for Fintan and Crimthann.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Ailill
description: One of the rulers who saves Crimthann under a canopy of shields and
returns him in the settlement.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Medb
description: One of the rulers who saves Crimthann under a canopy of shields.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Men of Erin / the hosts
description: The opposing host that fights Fintan's people, negotiates for Fintan's
withdrawal, and later names the episode the Tooth-fight.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Conchobar
description: Named as the figure with whom Fintan is expected to come to the later
great battle.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Druids of the men of Erin
description: Figures whose foretelling of the later great battle is reported by
the passage.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: avenging warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Fintan comes to avenge his son upon the hosts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: father
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Fintan is identified as father of Cethern and as father of Crimthann.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: negotiating combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Fintan consents to accept his son back, make friendship, withdraw, and cease
hostilities temporarily.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: avenged son
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Fintan's arrival to avenge his son is linked to the identification of Cethern
son of Fintan.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: surviving son / returned captive or protected son
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Crimthann alone survives among Fintan's people besides Fintan, is saved and
separated, then returned to Fintan.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: doomed war-band
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Fintan's people fight, kill many opponents, and then all die except Fintan
and Crimthann.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: protector of Crimthann
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: Ailill and Medb save Crimthann under a canopy of shields.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:8
label: opposing host
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The hosts are the target of Fintan's attack and negotiation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: namers of the event
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The men of Erin call the episode the Tooth-fight of Fintan.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: future battle ally or leader named in truce terms
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Fintan is to cease hostilities until he comes with Conchobar to the great
battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:11
label: foretellers
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The clash of the four provinces is said to have been foretold by the druids
of the men of Erin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: double-ended spears
literal_form: Shafts with a spear-head at the top and a spear-head at the butt.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: canopy of shields
literal_form: A protective covering of shields under which Crimthann is saved.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: teeth and tusks in combat
literal_form: Opponents' lips, noses, and ears held in the teeth and tusks of the
dead after weapons were exhausted.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: four grand provinces clashing
literal_form: The later great battle where the four grand provinces of Erin are
to clash at Garech and Ilgarech.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fintan's armed arrival
summary: Fintan arrives with a thrice-fifty war-band carrying double-ended spears,
intending to defend Ulster's honor and avenge his son.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Battles against the hosts
summary: Fintan's people offer three battles, kill thrice their own number, and
are nearly annihilated, leaving Fintan and Crimthann alive.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Crimthann protected and returned
summary: Crimthann is protected by Ailill and Medb; the men of Erin propose to restore
him, retreat, and secure a temporary end to Fintan's attacks.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Foretold later battle
summary: The truce terms refer to a future great battle at Garech and Ilgarech where
the four provinces of Erin will clash, as foretold by druids.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:5
label: Naming of the Tooth-fight
summary: After the fight, the dead are found biting one another after their weapons
have been exhausted, and the men of Erin name the event the Tooth-fight of Fintan.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: vengeance attack for an injured or slain son
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Fintan explicitly comes to avenge his son upon the hosts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not elaborate the prior injury or death within this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: small war-band inflicts disproportionate losses before annihilation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Fintan's thrice-fifty followers kill thrice their own number and then almost
all die.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: Numbers and some details are given with manuscript variant notes in the
passage.
- id: motif:3
label: protected survivor returned to halt a warrior's fury
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Crimthann is saved by Ailill and Medb, then returned to Fintan as part of
an agreement that stops Fintan's attacks until a later battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The text says Crimthann is saved out of fear of Fintan; it does not frame
him with a formal hostage category.
- id: motif:4
label: combat continues with teeth after weapons are exhausted
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The dead are found with body parts in one another's teeth and tusks after
their arms have been used up, leading to the name Tooth-fight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The description is literal battlefield aftermath; any broader symbolic
reading is not stated.
- id: motif:5
label: battle foretold by druids
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The later clash of the four provinces at Garech and Ilgarech is said to have
been foretold by the druids of the men of Erin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The prophecy is mentioned only as background to the truce terms.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 12389-12399
quote_or_summary: Fintan son of Niall Niamglonnach, father of Cethern, comes to
defend Ulster's honor and avenge his son; his force numbers thrice fifty and carries
shafts with spear-heads at both ends.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 12399-12408
quote_or_summary: Fintan's people offer three battles, kill thrice their own number,
and all fall except Fintan and Crimthann; Crimthann is saved under a canopy of
shields by Ailill and Medb and separated from Fintan.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 12408-12420
quote_or_summary: The men of Erin say Fintan may withdraw without disgrace; they
will give Crimthann back, retreat one day's march north, and Fintan will cease
attacks until the foretold great battle at Garech and Ilgarech with Conchobar.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 12420-12425
quote_or_summary: Fintan consents, receives his son, makes friendship with the hosts,
withdraws, and the hosts march a day's journey back north.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: lines 12425-12434
quote_or_summary: After their arms are used up, bodies are found with lips, noses,
and ears in opponents' teeth and tusks; the men of Erin say, "This is a tooth-fight
for us."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation used for identification.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is self-contained for figures, actions, and the naming of the
Tooth-fight. Motif labels are descriptive and not linked to broader taxonomy families
because the provided taxonomy does not contain close matches.
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 comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not support an explicit external comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg__l12389-l12451
passage_sha256=f7386d7a4225c0ba67b558d7ed97505dc14447cbc7af0ba8711754c5b9f6b0f8