batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l2775-l2894
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l2775-l2894
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
passage_locator:
label: THE PILLOW-TALK / THIS IS THE ROUTE OF THE TAIN / THE MARCH OF THE HOST /
THE YOUTHFUL EXPLOITS OF CUCHULAIN; lines 2775-2894
start: '2775'
end: '2894'
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: Fergus recounts Cuchulain's childhood setting and Conchobar's custom of
watching the boys of Emain play. The young Cuchulain asks his mother to let him
go to Emain, refuses to wait for an escort or protection, travels with his playthings
while displaying unusual skill, enters the boy-troop's games without first securing
their pledge of protection, and is attacked by the boys. He deflects or catches
their hurley sticks, balls, and play-spears, then undergoes a violent bodily transformation
marked by raised hair, distorted eyes and mouth, and a light rising from his crown.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The lad is said to have been reared in the house of his father and mother
at Dairgthech in the plain of Murthemne.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Conchobar's daily practice includes watching the youths play games of skill
and hurling, playing board games, and feasting with ale and music.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The child tells his mother he wants to go to the play-field of Emain to take
part in the boys' games.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The mother tells the child it is too soon and advises waiting for an Ulster
champion or attendant to secure his protection with the boy-troop.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The child refuses to wait and asks where Emain Macha lies; his mother says
it is northward, far away, hard to reach, and separated by Sliab Fuait.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The boy leaves with a lath-shield, bronze hurley, silver ball, little javelin,
and toy-staff with a fire-hardened butt-end.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: During the journey, the boy repeatedly throws or strikes his playthings ahead
and catches or gathers them before the toy-staff falls to the ground.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: At Emain, thrice fifty youths are playing under Folloman, Conchobar's son.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: The boy enters the play-field, keeps the ball between his legs within a narrow
height range, prevents the other boys from striking it, and carries it over the
goal.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: The passage states that no one customarily approached the boys' play-field
without first securing a pledge of protection, and the lad did not know this.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: Folloman says the newcomer insults the boys, identifies a geis against entering
without entrusting one's safety to them, and orders all the boys to attack him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:12
text: The boys throw thrice fifty hurl-bats, balls, and charred play-spears at the
lad.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:13
text: The lad wards off the hurl-bats with his toy-staff, parries or catches the
balls with his arms and hands, and blocks the play-spears with his lath-shield.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:14
text: 'After the attack, contortions take hold of the lad: his hair rises as if
hammered upward, sparks of fire are likened to each hair, one eye closes narrowly,
the other opens widely, his mouth stretches open, and a champion''s light rises
from his crown.'
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cuchulain as the lad or child
description: The young lad whose youthful exploits are recounted; he travels alone
to Emain, enters the boys' games, withstands their attack, and undergoes contortions.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fergus
description: Speaker who narrates the account and praises Conchobar as a warrior.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Conchobar
description: King associated with Emain; he watches youth games, plays board games,
feasts, and is praised by Fergus.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: The mother of the lad
description: The child's mother, who warns him that it is too soon to go and gives
directions toward Emain Macha.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Folloman, Conchobar's son
description: Leader or spokesman of the boy-troop at Emain who commands the boys
to attack the newcomer.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The boy-troop of Emain
description: Thrice fifty youths playing on the fair-green of Emain; they attack
the lad after he enters without securing protection.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: prodigious child performer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The child displays extraordinary control of his playthings during travel
and in the play-field.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: unprotected entrant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He enters the boys' game without first securing their pledge of protection.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:3
label: transformed combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He withstands the boys' thrown objects and then undergoes contortions with
a champion's light rising from his crown.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:4
label: narrator
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Fergus is the named speaker recounting the lad's upbringing and Conchobar's
customs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: king and patron of youth games
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Conchobar is described as king and as spending part of each day watching
the youths' games.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: warning mother and guide
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: She warns the child to wait for protection and indicates the direction and
difficulty of the route to Emain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: boy-troop commander
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Folloman is with the boys at their games and orders them to attack the newcomer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: collective challengers
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The boys collectively throw hurl-bats, balls, and play-spears at the lad.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: playthings as martial toys
literal_form: lath-shield, bronze hurley, silver ball, little javelin, and toy-staff
with fire-hardened butt-end
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:11
- id: sym:2
label: pledge of protection
literal_form: required pledge of protection before entering the boy-troop's play-field
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: sym:3
label: thrice fifty youths and weapons
literal_form: thrice fifty boys; thrice fifty hurl-bats, balls, and play-spears
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: sym:4
label: fiery champion's light
literal_form: sparks of fire likened to the lad's hair and a champion's light rising
from his crown
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:5
label: Emain play-field
literal_form: play-field and fair-green of Emain where the boy-troop plays
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Upbringing and courtly context
summary: Fergus locates the lad's upbringing at Dairgthech and describes Conchobar's
practice of watching the boys of Emain at games.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Request to go to Emain
summary: The child asks to join the games at Emain; his mother urges him to wait
for an escort who can secure his protection, but he refuses and asks for directions.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Solo journey with playthings
summary: The boy sets out alone with his shield, hurley, ball, javelin, and toy-staff,
using them in rapid displays of skill as he travels.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Entry into the boys' game
summary: The boy arrives at Emain, enters the play-field among the thrice fifty
youths, and outplays them by controlling the ball and taking it over the goal.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Breach of protection custom and attack
summary: Because the boy has entered without entrusting his safety to the boy-troop,
Folloman orders an attack, and the youths throw their play weapons at him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: scene:6
label: Defense and contortions
summary: The lad deflects or catches the thrown weapons and then undergoes a bodily
distortion marked by raised hair, altered eyes and mouth, and a champion's light.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: prodigious childhood feats before formal recognition
taxonomy_refs:
- miraculous_child
basis: The child travels alone, performs extraordinary feats with toys, dominates
the boys' game, and withstands a collective attack.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents heroic skill rather than a birth miracle; the taxonomy
fit is based on extraordinary childhood action.
- id: motif:2
label: entry-test through breach of youth-group protection custom
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: The child enters the Emain play-field without securing the required pledge
of protection, provoking a collective attack that he survives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly call this an initiation, but the sequence
functions as a trial-like entrance into the boys' sphere.
- id: motif:3
label: battle-frenzy transformation with fiery sign
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After the assault, contortions seize the lad, his body distorts, sparks of
fire are likened to his hair, and a champion's light rises from his crown.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: No available motif-family taxonomy directly names this transformation;
the description is recorded as a passage-level motif candidate.
- id: motif:4
label: heroic child's martial toys foreshadowing weapons
taxonomy_refs:
- culture_hero
basis: The boy carries child-sized implements corresponding to shield, hurley, javelin,
and staff, and uses them in combat-like defense against the boy-troop.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage shows heroic martial aptitude
but does not describe culture-founding action.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2775-2780
quote_or_summary: The lad is reared in the house of his father and mother at Dairgthech
in the plain of Murthemne, and Fergus begins the account of the youths of Emain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2780-2789
quote_or_summary: 'Conchobar''s reign is described through a daily division: provincial
affairs, watching youths'' games, board games, and feasting with ale and music;
Fergus praises him as unmatched in Erin or Alba.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2799-2807
quote_or_summary: The child says he will go to take part in the games at Emain;
his mother says it is too soon and tells him to wait for a champion or attendant
to secure his protection and safety with the boy-troop.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2807-2815
quote_or_summary: The child refuses to wait, asks where Emain Macha lies, and is
told it is northward, far away, difficult to reach, with Sliab Fuait between him
and Emain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2816-2822
quote_or_summary: The boy sets out carrying a little lath-shield, bronze hurley,
silver ball, little javelin, and toy-staff with a fire-hardened butt-end.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2822-2830
quote_or_summary: He shortens the journey by striking or throwing the ball, hurley,
darts, and toy-staff ahead and then catching or retrieving them before the staff
reaches the ground.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2834-2837
quote_or_summary: The boy reaches the mound-seat of Emain, where thrice fifty youths
are playing with Folloman, Conchobar's son, on the fair-green.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 2838-2845
quote_or_summary: The lad enters the play-field, keeps the ball between his legs
within a narrow height range, prevents the boys from striking it, and carries
it over the goal.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 2845-2849
quote_or_summary: The passage explains that no one used to approach the play-field
without first securing the boys' pledge of protection, and the lad was unaware
of this.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 2853-2863
quote_or_summary: Folloman says the newcomer insults them, states that it is geis
for a youth to enter without entrusting his safety to them, and orders the boys
to attack together.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 2865-2878
quote_or_summary: The boys throw thrice fifty hurl-bats, balls, and charred play-spears;
the lad wards off the hurl-bats with his toy-staff, parries or catches the balls,
and blocks the play-spears with his lath-shield.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 2878-2894
quote_or_summary: 'Contortions take hold of the lad: his hair rises, fire is likened
to each hair, one eye closes narrowly while the other opens widely, his mouth
stretches open, and a champion''s light rises from his crown.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The literal sequence and figures are explicit in the supplied passage. Motif
labels are cautious, especially where the available taxonomy is broad or does
not directly name the Irish heroic transformation.
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 comparisons were added because the supplied passage does not itself establish contact, inheritance, or comparison with another corpus.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg__l2775-l2894
passage_sha256=5e8f3dfb38246fac29e22b1a388aa244874e64cff9378e1d593fb597499d5838