batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l12872-l12949
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l12872-l12949
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
passage_locator:
label: HERE FOLLOWETH THE ACCOUTREMENT OF THE CHARIOTEERS / HERE FOLLOWETH ILIACH'S
CLUMP-FIGHT / HERE NOW THE DEER-STALKING OF AMARGIN IN TALTIU / THE ADVENTURES
OF CUROI SON OF DARE FOLLOW NOW; lines 12872-12949
start: '12872'
end: '12949'
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: Curoi learns that one man has been checking the provinces of Erin and goes
to fight Cuchulain, but finds him badly wounded after Ferdiad and refuses to take
advantage. Curoi then confronts Amargin near Taltiu by hurling rocks and boulders.
Medb asks him to stop because the throwing brings no help, and Curoi agrees to
cease when Amargin also ceases and on condition that Curoi no longer aids the
men of Erin. Amargin later turns against the moving hosts, pelting them and killing
an innumerable number while Conall Cernach supplies stones and spears. The hosts
negotiate a retreat and a postponement until the great battle; this episode is
called the Deer-stalking of Amargin in Taltiu.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Curoi is told that a single man has been checking and stopping four of the
five grand provinces of Erin during the three winter months.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Curoi sets out to the host to fight Cuchulain.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Curoi finds Cuchulain moaning, full of wounds, and pierced through after the
combat with Ferdiad.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Curoi decides that it would not be honourable or fair to fight Cuchulain in
that wounded condition, although Cuchulain offers battle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Curoi sees Amargin near Taltiu with his left elbow under him to the west of
Taltiu.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Curoi's people equip him with rocks, boulders, and great clumps, which he
hurls against Amargin.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The hurled battle-stones collide in the clouds and high air and shatter into
many stones.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Medb asks Curoi to desist because the throwing brings no real help to the
men of Erin.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Curoi pledges not to cease until Amargin ceases first.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: Amargin agrees to cease if Curoi promises not to return to succour or aid
the men of Erin; Curoi consents and returns to his own land and people.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: When the hosts pass westward near Taltiu, Amargin says he was not bound never
to cast at them, only to part from them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: Amargin moves west of the hosts, turns them northeast past Taltiu, and pelts
them for a long time, killing an unnumbered multitude.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:13
text: Conall Cernach remains with Amargin, providing stones and spears.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:14
text: The men of Erin propose that Amargin leave the camp and stop attacking the
hosts until the future great battle at Garech and Ilgarech.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:15
text: Amargin accepts the offer, the hosts retreat a day's march northward, and
the episode is named the Deer-stalking of Amargin in Taltiu.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Curoi son of Dare
description: A warrior who goes to fight Cuchulain, refuses to fight him while wounded,
hurls rocks against Amargin, and later agrees not to aid the men of Erin further.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Cuchulain
description: The single man said to be checking the provinces of Erin; when Curoi
arrives, he is wounded after fighting Ferdiad but still offers battle.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ferdiad
description: The earlier combatant whose wounds on Cuchulain are cited as the reason
Curoi will not fight him.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Amargin
description: A warrior near Taltiu who exchanges cessation pledges with Curoi and
later pelts the hosts with stones, killing an unnumbered number.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Medb
description: A speaker who asks Curoi to stop throwing because it brings no useful
aid.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The men or hosts of Erin
description: The host aided by Curoi, later attacked by Amargin, and finally retreating
a day's march northward after a negotiated agreement.
role_refs:
- role:11
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Conall Cernach
description: Amargin's son, who remains with him and supplies him with stones and
spears.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: would-be challenger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Curoi sets out to fight and contend with Cuchulain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: honour-bound abstainer from unfair combat
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Curoi refuses to fight Cuchulain because Cuchulain is already badly wounded
from the combat with Ferdiad.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: stone-hurling combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Curoi hurls rocks, boulders, and clumps against Amargin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: single opponent checking the provinces
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: A single man is said to be checking and stopping four of the five provinces
of Erin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: wounded combatant who still offers battle
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Cuchulain is described as full of wounds but offers to engage Curoi in battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: prior wound-inflictor
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ferdiad's earlier wounds on Cuchulain are specifically cited.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: opponent in stone combat
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Curoi hurls rocks against Amargin near Taltiu.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: conditional oath-maker
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Amargin agrees to cease if Curoi will no longer aid the men of Erin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: host-harrying warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Amargin pelts the hosts and kills more than can be numbered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: intervening speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Medb asks Curoi to stop throwing because it is no true help.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: army under pressure
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The hosts are attacked by Amargin and later retreat northward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:12
label: negotiating collective
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The men of Erin propose terms for Amargin to leave and postpone further feats
until the great battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:13
label: weapon-supplier son
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Conall Cernach, Amargin's son, remains with him providing stones and spears.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: rocks, boulders, and great clumps
literal_form: Missile stones equipped for Curoi and hurled against Amargin.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Badb's battle-stones
literal_form: Battle-stones colliding in the clouds and air and shattering into
many stones.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: stones and spears
literal_form: Weapons supplied by Conall Cernach to Amargin during his attack on
the hosts.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: Taltiu
literal_form: The place around which Curoi finds Amargin and where Amargin turns
and attacks the hosts.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Curoi refuses to fight the wounded Cuchulain
summary: Curoi comes to fight Cuchulain but, seeing him severely wounded after Ferdiad,
judges the combat unfair and does not fight him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Curoi's stone-hurling against Amargin
summary: Curoi approaches the men of Erin, sees Amargin near Taltiu, and hurls rocks
and boulders so violently that the stones collide high in the air and shatter.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Cessation pact between Curoi and Amargin
summary: Medb asks Curoi to stop; Curoi pledges to stop only when Amargin does,
and Amargin agrees if Curoi will no longer aid the men of Erin.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Amargin harries the hosts at Taltiu
summary: Amargin interprets the earlier agreement narrowly, moves to the west of
the hosts, turns them northeast past Taltiu, and kills an unnumbered multitude
while Conall supplies weapons.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Negotiated withdrawal and naming of the episode
summary: The men of Erin offer to retreat and ask Amargin to cease until the future
great battle; Amargin accepts, the host retreats, and the tale is named the Deer-stalking
of Amargin in Taltiu.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: honourable refusal to fight a wounded opponent
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Curoi comes to fight Cuchulain but refuses because Cuchulain is already badly
wounded from a prior combat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames the action in terms of honour and fairness, but no
wider comparative claim is made here.
- id: motif:2
label: giant stone-hurling combat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Curoi is armed with rocks, boulders, and clumps, hurls them against Amargin,
and the stones collide in the clouds and shatter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches this passage-level combat
image.
- id: motif:3
label: conditional cessation oath between opponents
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Curoi pledges to stop only if Amargin first stops, and Amargin ceases on
condition that Curoi not aid the men of Erin again.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: This is a local narrative agreement rather than an explicit sacred covenant
in the passage.
- id: motif:4
label: literal wording of an agreement exploited in battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Amargin says he was not forbidden ever to cast at the hosts, only required
to part from them, and then attacks them from another position.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage supports a narrow-interpretation action, but does not explicitly
call it trickery.
- id: motif:5
label: heroic harrying of an army with supplied missiles
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Amargin pelts the hosts for a long time, kills an unnumbered number, and
is supplied with stones and spears by Conall Cernach.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The scale of slaughter is stated, but exact numbers and battle mechanics
are not given.
- id: motif:6
label: postponement of conflict until a destined great battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The hosts ask Amargin to stop until the day of the great battle at Garech
and Ilgarech, and he accepts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage identifies a future great battle but does not present a formal
prophecy.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 12872-12882
quote_or_summary: Curoi is told that one man has checked four of the five provinces
of Erin through the winter, and he sets out to the host to fight Cuchulain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 12882-12892
quote_or_summary: Curoi finds Cuchulain moaning, full of wounds and pierced through
after Ferdiad, and decides it would not be honourable or fair to fight him, though
Cuchulain offers battle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 12902-12912
quote_or_summary: Curoi sees Amargin west of Taltiu, is equipped with rocks and
boulders, and hurls them so that Badb's battle-stones collide high in the air
and shatter.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 12912-12924
quote_or_summary: Medb tells Curoi to stop because the throwing gives no real help;
Curoi says he will stop only when Amargin stops, and Amargin agrees if Curoi will
no longer aid the men of Erin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 12928-12938
quote_or_summary: As the hosts pass westward, Amargin states he was only required
to part from them, moves west of them, turns them northeast past Taltiu, and pelts
them while Conall supplies stones and spears.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 12940-12949
quote_or_summary: The men of Erin propose that Amargin leave the camp and stop his
feats until the future great battle; Amargin accepts, the hosts retreat a day's
march northward, and the episode is named the Deer-stalking of Amargin in Taltiu.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied English passage. Motif labels are
descriptive and passage-level; no external comparisons 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: |-
No available taxonomy references were assigned because the passage does not clearly support the listed motif-family or symbol IDs.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg__l12872-l12949
passage_sha256=ade470d1d1f79a18cb51da343467cad417f5995b1766f378128668fcc1b0d1f7