batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l3007-l3083
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l3007-l3083
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 3007-3083
start: '3007'
end: '3083'
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: 'The passage recounts youthful exploits of Cuchulain: he finds and rescues
Conchobar from concealment in a ditch on a battlefield, makes a fire for him,
kills an armed man roasting pork and brings the pig to Conchobar, then carries
the wounded Cuscraid back toward Emain Macha. Fergus then tells how, while the
Ulstermen were afflicted by their Pains, raiders from the Isles of Faiche entered
the fort; the women screamed and the boys fled except Cuchulain, who fought the
raiders with hand-stones and a playing-staff, killing nine while receiving many
wounds. Speakers then emphasize that this deed was done when he was five years
old and that he is now seventeen. The passage ends with Cormac beginning another
account: Culann the Smith prepares a feast for Conchobar and asks that only a
few true guests come, since his property consists of the products and tools of
his own labor.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Conchobar is found in a ditch with earth piled on both sides to hide him.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Cuchulain lifts Conchobar out of the ditch, an act compared in the narration
to what six strong men of Ulster could not have done more bravely.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Conchobar orders Cuchulain to go to a house and make a fire, and Cuchulain
kindles a great fire for him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Conchobar says that if someone brought him a roast pig he would live.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Cuchulain finds an ill-favoured man at a cooking-pit in the wood, holding
weapons with one hand and roasting pork with the other.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Cuchulain attacks the man, takes his head and the pig, and brings the pig
back for Conchobar to eat.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Cuchulain carries the wounded Cuscraid son of Conchobar on his back as the
three proceed to Emain Macha.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Fergus says the Ulstermen were in their Pains, but women, boys, people outside
Ulster, Cuchulain, and Cuchulain's father were not subject to them.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Fergus states that no one dared shed the blood of the men of Ulster because
the Pains would fall on the one who wounded them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Thrice nine men from the Isles of Faiche pass over the rear fort while the
Ulstermen are in their Pains.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The women scream in the fort; the youths come from the play-field at the cry
but flee when they see the swarthy men, except for Cuchulain alone.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Cuchulain hurls hand-stones and his playing-staff at the raiders, kills nine
of them, and receives fifty wounds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: Fergus says the deed was done by a youngster five years after his birth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: Fergus contrasts the five-year-old deed with Cuchulain's current age of seventeen
during the Cattle-lifting of Cualnge.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:15
text: Conall Cernach says that they know the youth because he is their fosterling.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:16
text: Cormac Conlongas introduces another deed performed by the little lad in the
following year, in response to Ailill's question.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:17
text: Culann is described as a goodly smith in Ulster who prepares a feast for Conchobar
and invites him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:18
text: Culann asks Conchobar to bring only a few true guests, explaining that what
he has is the fruit of his two hands, including sledges, anvils, fists, and tongs.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cuchulain
description: A young Ulster hero who rescues Conchobar, provides fire and food,
carries Cuscraid, and as a child fights raiders alone.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Conchobar
description: Cuchulain's master and kingly figure, found hidden in a ditch on the
battlefield; he directs Cuchulain and later eats the pig.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Cuscraid son of Conchobar
description: A wounded man whom Cuchulain carries on his back.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: unnamed ill-favoured man at the cooking-pit
description: A man in the wood who holds weapons with one hand and roasts pork with
the other; Cuchulain kills him and takes his pig.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Fergus
description: Narrator of the account of the Ulstermen's Pains and Cuchulain's childhood
deed.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Ulstermen
description: Men of Ulster afflicted by the Pains during the raid episode.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: women in the fort
description: Women who are not afflicted by the Pains and who scream when the raiders
enter the fort.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: youths or boys in the play-field
description: Boys who come at the women's cry but flee when they see the raiders,
except for Cuchulain.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: thrice nine men from the Isles of Faiche
description: Raiders who enter the rear fort while the Ulstermen are in their Pains;
nine are slain by Cuchulain.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Conall Cernach
description: Speaker who identifies Cuchulain as a fosterling of their own.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Cormac Conlongas son of Conchobar
description: Speaker who introduces the next youthful deed of Cuchulain.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Ailill
description: Speaker who asks what deed Cormac refers to.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Culann the Smith
description: A smith in Ulster who prepares a feast for Conchobar and requests a
limited guest party.
role_refs:
- role:13
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: rescuer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cuchulain lifts Conchobar from the ditch and later carries wounded Cuscraid.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: provider of fire and food
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cuchulain kindles a fire for Conchobar and brings him the pig.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: lone child defender
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: When other boys flee from the raiders, Cuchulain alone fights them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: wounded youthful combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cuchulain receives fifty wounds while killing nine raiders, and the deed
is said to occur when he is five years old.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: battlefield leader or master
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Cuchulain calls Conchobar his master, and Conchobar gives him orders.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: wounded or imperiled noble figure
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: Conchobar is hidden in a ditch on the battlefield, and Cuscraid has heavy
wounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: armed food-holder opponent
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The man holds weapons while roasting pork and is attacked by Cuchulain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: speaker or narrator
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
basis: These figures are represented as speaking or continuing the narration.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:9
label: incapacitated community
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Ulstermen are described as being in their Pains when the raiders enter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: alarm-raisers
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The women scream in the fort, prompting the youths to come.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: fleeing peer group
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The boys come at the cry but flee at the sight of the raiders, except for
Cuchulain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:12
label: foreign raiders
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The men from the Isles of Faiche pass into the rear fort during the Ulstermen's
Pains.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:13
label: smith
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Culann is directly described as a smith in Ulster.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:14
label: feast host
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Culann prepares a feast for Conchobar and sets out to invite him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: concealing ditch and piled earth
literal_form: ditch with earth piled on both sides
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: fire
literal_form: great fire kindled in a house
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: roast pig
literal_form: pig roasted at a cooking-pit and brought to Conchobar
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: cooking-pit in the wood
literal_form: cooking-pit in the heart of the wood
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: hand-stones and playing-staff
literal_form: child's stones and playing-staff used as weapons
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: Pains of the Ulstermen
literal_form: condition called the Pains affecting the men of Ulster
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: smith's tools
literal_form: sledges, anvils, fists, and tongs
associated_figures:
- fig:13
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Cuchulain rescues and revives Conchobar
summary: Cuchulain finds Conchobar hidden in a ditch on the battlefield, lifts him
out, kindles a fire for him, kills an armed man roasting pork, and brings the
pig so Conchobar can eat.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Cuchulain carries Cuscraid to Emain Macha
summary: After Conchobar eats, the party meets the heavily wounded Cuscraid, whom
Cuchulain carries on his back as they go to Emain Macha.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Raid during the Pains of the Ulstermen
summary: While the Ulstermen are incapacitated by the Pains, men from the Isles
of Faiche enter the rear fort; the women scream and the youths come from the play-field
but flee except Cuchulain.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Child Cuchulain fights the raiders
summary: Cuchulain alone attacks the raiders with hand-stones and a playing-staff,
killing nine and receiving fifty wounds.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Speakers interpret the youthful exploit
summary: Fergus emphasizes Cuchulain's young age at the time of the deed and his
current age in the cattle-raid; Conall Cernach says the youth is known as their
fosterling.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:10
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: Culann prepares a feast for Conchobar
summary: Cormac introduces another youthful deed, and the narrative begins with
Culann the Smith preparing a feast for Conchobar and asking that only a few true
guests come.
figure_refs:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: extraordinary child hero performs adult warrior deeds
taxonomy_refs:
- miraculous_child
basis: Cuchulain is said to have killed raiders and received many wounds when only
five years old, and this is presented as evidence that greater deeds at seventeen
should not surprise anyone.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage emphasizes precocious heroism rather than a miraculous birth
or explicitly supernatural childhood.
- id: motif:2
label: youthful initiation through combat
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: The passage frames the raider episode as one of Cuchulain's youthful exploits,
in which he alone stands against enemies while his peers flee.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The text does not explicitly call the deed an initiation rite; the label
is based on narrative function within a sequence of youthful exploits.
- id: motif:3
label: hero rescues an imperiled leader and restores him with fire and food
taxonomy_refs:
- culture_hero
basis: Cuchulain saves Conchobar from concealment on the battlefield, makes a fire,
obtains a pig, and assists the wounded party back toward Emain Macha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: low
cautions: The available taxonomy term is broad; the passage shows heroic rescue
and provisioning, not explicit culture-founding activity.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 3007-3012
quote_or_summary: Cuchulain asks whether Conchobar is on the battlefield, finds
him hidden in a ditch with earth piled around him, and lifts him out.
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 3012-3017
quote_or_summary: Conchobar tells Cuchulain to go to a house and make a fire; Cuchulain
kindles a great fire, and Conchobar says he would live if given a roast pig.
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 3017-3023
quote_or_summary: Cuchulain goes out, sees an ill-favoured man at a cooking-pit
in the wood holding weapons and roasting pork, kills him, and takes his head and
pig; Conchobar eats the pig.
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 3023-3026
quote_or_summary: Conchobar and Cuchulain meet Cuscraid son of Conchobar, who has
heavy wounds; Cuchulain carries him on his back, and the three proceed to Emain
Macha.
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: summary
locator: lines 3030-3036
quote_or_summary: Fergus says the Ulstermen were in their Pains, while women, boys,
outsiders, Cuchulain, and Cuchulain's father were not; he adds that one who wounded
the men of Ulster would suffer the Pains.
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:6
type: summary
locator: lines 3036-3042
quote_or_summary: Thrice nine men from the Isles of Faiche pass over the rear fort
while the Ulstermen are incapacitated; women scream, youths come from the play-field,
and the boys flee at the sight of the swarthy men except Cuchulain.
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:7
type: summary
locator: lines 3042-3045
quote_or_summary: Cuchulain hurls hand-stones and his playing-staff at the raiders,
kills nine of them, receives fifty wounds, and the raiders continue onward.
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:8
type: summary
locator: lines 3051-3059
quote_or_summary: Fergus says a youngster did the deed five years after his birth
and argues that it is no wonder if the same youth, now seventeen during the Cattle-lifting
of Cualnge, performs great deeds.
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:9
type: summary
locator: lines 3059-3062
quote_or_summary: Conall Cernach says they know the youth because he is their fosterling.
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:10
type: summary
locator: lines 3070-3074
quote_or_summary: Cormac Conlongas son of Conchobar says the little lad performed
a second deed in the following year; Ailill asks what deed it was.
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:11
type: summary
locator: lines 3075-3083
quote_or_summary: Culann the Smith, a smith in Ulster, prepares a feast for Conchobar,
invites him, and asks him to bring only a few true guests, describing his property
as the fruit of his own hands and tools.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is direct from the supplied passage. Motif labels are
cautious because the passage is an excerpt from a larger youthful-exploits sequence
and does not complete the smith's hound episode announced by the heading.
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 supplied passage does not itself support a specific comparison beyond candidate motif-family assignment.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg__l3007-l3083
passage_sha256=6cb84b2b1d2b938b547992e60bf8c49fd1517b0236bbb508061bc9e956012953