batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l14289-l14411
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l14289-l14411
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 14289-14411
start: '14289'
end: '14411'
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: 'MacRoth reports successive companies arriving at the mound in Slane of
Meath. Fergus identifies their leaders and groups: Fergna son of Findchoem, Furbaide
Ferbenn son of Conchobar, and the poets of Ulster led by Fercerdne, with Athirne
and Ailill Miltenga. The passage emphasizes martial appearance, noble dress, triadic
praise epithets, destructive warrior imagery, and the verbal power and wisdom
of poets.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A company arrives at the mound in Slane of Meath with a tall, broad warrior
at its head, bearing a red cloak, silver brooch, white linen shirt, red shield
with gold boss, sword, and spear.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Fergus identifies the leader of the first described company as Fergna son
of Findchoem, king of Burach and royal hospitaller of Ulster.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A second company appears vaster than a division of three thousand, led by
a man in noble arms and clothing, including a blue shield with gold boss, gold-hilted
sword, five-pronged spear, gold brooch, decorated tunic, and golden crown.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Fergus identifies the second leader as Furbaide Ferbenn son of Conchobar and
describes him with images of overpowering force, wrath, fire, and annihilation
of men.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: A third company arrives in many-colored apparel, described as a stately royal
company in which each chosen man could be likened to a king.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Three distinguished men stand in the front rank of the third company.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: One front-rank man throws a tooth-hilted sword so that it grazes the heads
of the other two men without cutting hair or skin, and the two men do not perceive
it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: One of the men has a voice and song compared to strings of lutes, giving delight
to the host.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The third company does not carry spears or swords themselves; their servants
carry the weapons.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Fergus identifies the third group as the poets of Ulster, including Fercerdne,
Athirne the chief poet, and Ailill Miltenga, whose words of wisdom are said to
be sweet as honey.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Fercerdne is said to make lakes and rivers sink when he upbraids and swell
when he applauds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: macRoth
description: Reporter who continues describing the companies arriving at the mound.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ailill
description: Questioner who asks Fergus to identify the arriving figures and groups.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Fergus
description: Speaker who identifies the arriving leaders and the poets of Ulster.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Fergna son of Findchoem
description: King of Burach from Coronn and royal hospitaller of Ulster, described
as a formidable warrior associated with triadic epithets.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Furbaide Ferbenn son of Conchobar
description: Leader of a large company, wearing noble arms and a golden crown, described
by Fergus as wrathful and annihilating to foes.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: poets of Ulster
description: A stately company in many-colored apparel, appearing like kings and
having servants carry their weapons.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Fercerdne
description: The fair, much-gifted learned master of Ulster; his upbraiding and
applause affect lakes and rivers.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Athirne
description: Named by Fergus as the chief poet, one of the two others seen with
Fercerdne.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Ailill Miltenga son of Carba
description: Named by Fergus as Honey-tongue because words of wisdom fall from him
sweet as honey.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: reporter of arrivals
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: MacRoth repeatedly continues the report of companies arriving at the mound.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: questioner
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Ailill asks Fergus who the arriving figures are.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: identifier of figures
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Fergus answers Ailill and names the leaders and poets.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: armed warrior leader
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: Both Fergna and Furbaide are described at the head or van of companies with
shields, swords, spears, and martial epithets.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: royal hospitaller of Ulster
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Fergus explicitly calls Fergna the royal hospitaller of Ulster.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: poet
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
basis: Fergus identifies the third company as the poets of Ulster and names Fercerdne,
Athirne, and Ailill Miltenga among them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: learned master with speech affecting waters
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Fercerdne is called the learned master of Ulster, and lakes and rivers are
said to sink or swell according to his upbraiding or applause.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: honey-tongued speaker of wisdom
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Ailill Miltenga is said to be called Honey-tongue because words of wisdom
fall from him sweet as honey.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: mound as assembly point
literal_form: the mound in Slane of Meath
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: triadic warrior praise
literal_form: three blows, three highways, three roads, three paths, three ways,
three victories, three triumphs, three shouts
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: fire image of wrath
literal_form: wild rage of fire
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: water responding to poetic speech
literal_form: lakes and rivers sink when Fercerdne upbraids and swell when he applauds
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: honey-sweet wisdom speech
literal_form: words of wisdom compared to honey
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: non-wounding sword display
literal_form: a tooth-hilted sword thrown so that it grazes heads without cutting
hair or skin
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fergna's company arrives at Slane
summary: MacRoth describes an armed company at the mound in Slane of Meath. Ailill
asks who its leader is, and Fergus identifies him as Fergna son of Findchoem,
king of Burach and royal hospitaller of Ulster.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Furbaide's company arrives at Slane
summary: MacRoth describes a very large company led by a richly armed, crowned man.
Fergus identifies him as Furbaide Ferbenn son of Conchobar and characterizes him
with images of force, fire, wrath, and annihilation.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: The poets of Ulster arrive
summary: MacRoth describes a stately, richly dressed company with three notable
men in front. A sword display occurs without injury, one man's voice delights
the host, and Fergus identifies the group as the poets of Ulster, naming Fercerdne,
Athirne, and Ailill Miltenga.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Arrival and recognition of heroic companies
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage repeatedly presents companies arriving at the same mound, followed
by Ailill's question and Fergus's identification of their leaders or group identity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: This is a local narrative pattern in the passage rather than a named taxonomy
motif.
- id: motif:2
label: Triadic praise-name of a warrior
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Fergna is identified through a repeated series of threefold epithets involving
blows, roads, victories, triumphs, and shouts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly corresponds to triadic praise.
- id: motif:3
label: Destructive warrior likened to fire
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Furbaide is described through images of overpowering force, wrath against
foes, annihilation of men, and the wild rage of fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The fire reference is figurative in this passage, not a literal fire event.
- id: motif:4
label: Poetic wisdom with power over nature
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Fercerdne is called the learned master of Ulster; lakes and rivers respond
to his upbraiding and applause, and Ailill Miltenga's words of wisdom are compared
to honey.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage attributes power to poetic speech but does not explain its
mechanism.
- id: motif:5
label: Non-wounding display of elite skill
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A tooth-hilted sword is thrown over the heads of two men without cutting
hair or skin and without their perception.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes the feat literally but does not label it as magical
or ritual.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The poets' wisdom, honey-sweet speech, and power to make waters sink or swell
support a cautious alignment with the supplied wisdom motif family.
claim_level: same_motif
target: wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The alignment is based only on this passage's depiction of learned
poetic speech and its effects; no broader comparative context is supplied in the
passage.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 14289-14315; first described company
quote_or_summary: MacRoth reports another company at the mound in Slane of Meath,
led by a tall, broad warrior with black hair, red cloak, silver brooch, white
linen shirt, red shield with gold boss, sword, and spear.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 14315-14332; identification of Fergna
quote_or_summary: Ailill asks who the warrior is; Fergus identifies him through
repeated threefold epithets and names him Fergna son of Findchoem, king of Burach,
royal hospitaller of Ulster.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 14333-14363; second described company
quote_or_summary: MacRoth reports another company at the same mound, appearing vaster
than a division of three thousand, with a noble leader bearing a blue shield with
gold boss, gold-hilted sword, five-pronged spear, gold brooch, decorated tunic,
and golden crown.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 14364-14374; identification of Furbaide
quote_or_summary: Ailill asks who the leader is; Fergus names Furbaide Ferbenn son
of Conchobar and describes him as sea over rivers, wild rage of fire, unbearable
in wrath against foes, and annihilation of men.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 14375-14394; third described company begins
quote_or_summary: 'MacRoth reports another company at the mound: a sharp, proud,
stately royal company in multicolored apparel, with three noble distinguished
men in the front rank.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 14394-14425; sword display, song, and servants bearing weapons
quote_or_summary: One front-rank man throws a tooth-hilted sword so that it grazes
the heads of the other two without cutting them or being perceived; one man's
voice and song are compared to lute strings; the company does not bear spears
or swords themselves, but their servants do.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 14426-14411; identification of the poets of Ulster
quote_or_summary: Ailill asks who the proud body is; Fergus identifies them as the
poets of Ulster, including Fercerdne the learned master, before whom lakes and
rivers sink when he upbraids and swell when he applauds, Athirne the chief poet,
and Ailill Miltenga, whose words of wisdom are sweet as honey.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied translated passage. Some locator
subdivisions are approximate within the provided line range, and one internal
evidence locator reflects the passage sequence rather than independently verified
markdown line numbers.
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 unsupported taxonomy IDs were used. Taxonomy references are limited to supplied available refs where directly supported.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg__l14289-l14411
passage_sha256=e55e2e9cc688dc03b35f1b8b568cd18fc4a6ca52857a09e6d0b024c82ec55f2b