batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l13264-l13440
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l13264-l13440
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
passage_locator:
label: HERE FOLLOWETH ILIACH'S CLUMP-FIGHT / HERE NOW THE DEER-STALKING OF AMARGIN
IN TALTIU / THE ADVENTURES OF CUROI SON OF DARE FOLLOW NOW / THE REPEATED WARNING
OF SUALTAIM; lines 13264-13440
start: '13264'
end: '13440'
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: Conchobar and Celtchar meet men of Ailill and Medb's bodyguard holding
captive Ulster women, kill the guards, and release the women. That night several
figures utter battle predictions or dream-visions concerning the coming battle
at Garech and Ilgarech. Nemain causes confusion and terror among the host, leading
to deaths in the camp. Ailill, with Medb and Fergus in counsel, orders scouts
and boasts of having devastated Ulster and taken its people and livestock as spoil.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Conchobar and Celtchar go with thirty hundred spear-bristling chariot-fighters
to Ath Irmidi, the Ford of Spear-points.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Eight-score men of Ailill and Medb's bodyguard are each holding an Ulster
woman captive as plunder.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Conchobar and Celtchar behead the eight-score bodyguards and release the eight-score
captive women.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The ford receives the later name Ath Fene because warriors of the Fene from
east and west met there in battle on the brink of the ford.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:5
text: Celtchar, in sleep, utters words before the men of Ulster predicting that
battle will be fought at Garech and Ilgarech.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Cormac Conlongas speaks to the men of Erin at Slemain Mide, predicting confusion,
flight of kings, broken necks, bloodied sand, and slaughter at Garech and Ilgarech.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Dubthach Doel sees a dream of the hosts at Garech and Ilgarech and speaks
in sleep among the men of Erin.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Dubthach's utterance names a great fight, great steeds, a plague, and Ulster's
battle-storm round Conchobar.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Nemain brings confusion on the host, and warriors fall trembling under their
own arms and spear-points.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: One hundred warriors die in the camp and quarters from the fearfulness of
the raised shout.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Ailill, Medb, and Fergus counsel sending messengers to spy out whether the
men of Ulster have taken possession of the plain.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Ailill states that his side has wasted Ulster and taken women, children, horses,
herds, flocks, and droves.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: Ailill says he will not be the first to retreat if the men of Ulster come,
because retreat is not the custom of a good king.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Conchobar
description: Leader among the men of Ulster who travels to the ford, helps kill
the bodyguards, releases the captive women, and is named in battle predictions.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Celtchar
description: Ulster warrior who accompanies Conchobar, helps release the women,
arouses the men of Ulster, and utters a sleeping prediction.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Eight-score bodyguards of Ailill and Medb
description: Huge men of Ailill and Medb's bodyguard, each holding an Ulster woman
captive as spoil, and killed at the ford.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Eight-score captive women of Ulster
description: Ulster women held as plunder by the bodyguards and released by Conchobar
and Celtchar.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Men of Ulster
description: Ulster host gathered near Iraird Cuillinn and predicted to fight for
their women and herds.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Cormac Conlongas
description: Conchobar's son who speaks a battle prediction to the men of Erin at
Slemain Mide.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Dubthach Doel of Ulster
description: Ulster figure who sees a dream of the hosts and utters words in sleep
among the men of Erin.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Nemain
description: A named supernatural figure who brings confusion on the host.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Men of Erin / Connacht host
description: The host at Slemain Mide and later in camp, subject to forebodings,
visions, and panic.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Ailill
description: Ruler associated with the bodyguard and with counsel to send scouts;
he boasts of devastation and refuses to retreat first.
role_refs:
- role:9
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Medb
description: Ruler associated with the bodyguard and named in counsel to send scouts.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Fergus
description: Named with Ailill and Medb in the counsel to send messengers to spy
out the men of Ulster.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Ulster rescuing warriors
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: They kill the bodyguards and release the captive Ulster women.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: Ulster host leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Conchobar is named with hosts around him and in relation to the Ulster battle-storm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: Battle-predicting sleeper or speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: Celtchar speaks in sleep, Cormac predicts battle, and Dubthach dreams and
speaks in sleep.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: Captors holding human spoil
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Each bodyguard holds an Ulster woman as his portion of plunder.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: Captive women released from plunder
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The women are held as spoils and then released.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: Defenders of women and herds
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Predictions say their women will they defend and for their herds will they
fight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: Supernatural cause of battle-panic
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Nemain brings confusion on the host.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: Host afflicted by forebodings and terror
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The host experiences forebodings, spectres, visions, confusion, trembling,
and deaths in camp.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: Connacht counsel figures
assigned_to:
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
basis: Ailill, Medb, and Fergus counsel sending messengers to spy on the Ulstermen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: Boasting king who refuses first retreat
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Ailill boasts of devastation and says he will not be first to retreat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Ford as battle and renaming place
literal_form: Ath Irmidi / Ath Fene, a ford where captives are freed and warriors
meet in battle on the brink
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: Sleep utterance and dream before battle
literal_form: Speech in sleep and dream-vision of the hosts at Garech and Ilgarech
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: Battle foreboding through spectres and visions
literal_form: Forebodings, predictions, spectres, and visions revealed to the host
before battle
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: Supernatural battle confusion
literal_form: Nemain bringing confusion so warriors tremble under spear-points and
weapons
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: Spoils of war
literal_form: Captive women, sons, children, steeds, horses, herds, flocks, and
droves taken in war
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Captive women released at the ford
summary: Conchobar and Celtchar reach Ath Irmidi, encounter Ailill and Medb's bodyguards
holding Ulster women as spoil, kill the captors, release the women, and the place
is associated with a new name.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Night predictions before Garech and Ilgarech
summary: At night, Celtchar, Cormac Conlongas, and Dubthach Doel utter predictions
or sleep-speeches about a coming battle, defense of women and herds, slaughter,
and Ulster's battle-storm.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Nemain's terror in the host
summary: Nemain brings confusion on the host; warriors tremble under their own weapons,
one hundred die in camp, and the night is marked by forebodings, predictions,
spectres, and visions.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Connacht counsel and Ailill's boast
summary: Ailill, Medb, and Fergus decide to send scouts to watch for the men of
Ulster. Ailill recounts the devastation of Ulster and declares he will not retreat
first if battle comes.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Captives reclaimed after killing their captors
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ulster leaders kill the bodyguards who hold captive women and release the
women.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents this as a battlefield episode; no broader mythic
interpretation is required.
- id: motif:2
label: Prophetic sleep and dream before battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Celtchar and Dubthach speak in sleep or dream, and their utterances foretell
battle at Garech and Ilgarech; Cormac also speaks a battle prediction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The translation note says part of one rosc is conjectural, so details
of the poetic wording should be treated cautiously.
- id: motif:3
label: Supernatural battle-terror causing death within a host
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Nemain brings confusion, the host trembles under its own weapons, and one
hundred warriors die from the fearfulness of the shout.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage identifies Nemain's action but does not explain her nature
within this excerpt.
- id: motif:4
label: War leader boasts of devastation and refuses retreat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill lists the women, children, livestock, and land taken or wasted, then
declares he will not be first to retreat if Ulster approaches.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a recurrent heroic-war pattern rather than a taxonomy-supported
mythic motif in the supplied list.
- id: motif:5
label: Defense of women and herds as battle cause
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Multiple predictions state that the Ulstermen will defend their women and
fight for their herds at Garech and Ilgarech.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The motif is directly supported as a stated battle motive, not as an abstract
symbolic interpretation.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 13264-13278
quote_or_summary: Conchobar and Celtchar go to Ath Irmidi with chariot-fighters,
meet eight-score bodyguards of Ailill and Medb holding eight-score Ulster women
as spoil, behead the captors, release the women, and the ford is renamed Ath Fene
after warriors meet there in battle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 13280-13322
quote_or_summary: Celtchar returns near the men of Ulster, arouses them, and in
sleep utters words to Conchobar predicting that the battle line will be formed
and battle fought at Garech and Ilgarech.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 13337-13358
quote_or_summary: Cormac Conlongas speaks at Slemain Mide of a wondrous morning
when hosts will be confused, kings turned back, sand made red, and heroes, hounds,
and steeds slaughtered; he says the Ulstermen will defend their women and fight
for their herds at Garech and Ilgarech.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 13362-13388
quote_or_summary: Dubthach Doel sees a dream of the hosts at Garech and Ilgarech
and speaks in sleep of a great fight, steeds, plague, Ulster's battle-storm around
Conchobar, and the defense of women and herds.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 13390-13405
quote_or_summary: Nemain brings confusion on the host; they tremble under their
spears and weapons, one hundred warriors die in camp from the frightening shout,
and the night is marked by forebodings, predictions, spectres, and visions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 13410-13440
quote_or_summary: By the counsel of Ailill, Medb, and Fergus, messengers are to
be sent to spy on the men of Ulster. Ailill says he has laid waste Ulster, taken
women, children, horses, herds, flocks, and droves, and will not be the first
to retreat if battle comes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Main actions, figures, and scenes are explicit in the passage. Motif labels
are descriptive and not tied to supplied motif-family taxonomy except where no
supported taxonomy was available. No comparison claims are made because the excerpt
itself does not support an external comparison.
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 provided passage and metadata. Translation note in the passage indicates conjectural rendering for part of Celtchar's rosc; extraction avoids relying on omitted or uncertain lines.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg__l13264-l13440
passage_sha256=50f09fe7314260ee24717c7ec20cc49a71e85cf46a32c7d0e7d47c7fa49d020d