batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l9076-l9175
---
record_id: batch.motif.celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg-l9076-l9175
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SCYTHED CHARIOT / XVIII / HERE NOW IS TOLD THE MISTHROW AT BELACH EOIN.
/ HERE NOW FOLLOWETH THE DISGUISING OF TAMON; lines 9076-9175
start: '9076'
end: '9175'
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: because no 'blood on weapons' resulted therefrom
summary: Cuchulain greets Fergus, who has come not for hospitality but to fight.
Cuchulain observes that Fergus lacks a real sword because Ailill had earlier replaced
it with a wooden one. Fergus invokes his former training and honor-bond with Cuchulain
and asks him to give way before him, promising that he will later retreat before
Cuchulain in the battle of the Tain, causing the men of Erin to flee as well.
Cuchulain retreats in his chariot before Fergus in public view. Medb urges pursuit,
but Fergus refuses. The encounter is called Fergus's White Battle because no blood
is shed on weapons, and the host moves on to camp in Crich Roiss.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Fergus tells Cuchulain that he has come to fight and do battle rather than
to receive hospitality.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Cuchulain states that Fergus has no sword in the sheath of the great staff
he carries.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Ailill had earlier removed Fergus's sword from its sheath and put a wooden
sword in its place.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Fergus invokes the honor and training he and others bestowed on Cuchulain
and asks Cuchulain to give way before him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Fergus promises that he will later retreat before Cuchulain when Cuchulain
is wounded and bloody in the battle of the Tain.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Cuchulain mounts his chariot and flees from Fergus before the men of Erin.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The men of Erin rejoice when they see Cuchulain flee, and Medb urges Fergus
to pursue him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Fergus refuses to pursue Cuchulain further and says the flight he obtained
from him is more than the men of Erin could have obtained.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The episode is called the White Battle because no blood on weapons resulted
from it.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: After the encounter, the host continues past Cuchulain and camps in Crich
Roiss.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cuchulain
description: Warrior who greets Fergus, identifies the missing sword, and retreats
in his chariot before Fergus.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fergus
description: Cuchulain's master who comes to fight, carries a sheath without a real
sword, asks Cuchulain to give way, and refuses to pursue him further.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ailill
description: Figure who removed Fergus's sword from its sheath and replaced it with
a wooden sword.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Medb
description: Speaker who urges Fergus to pursue Cuchulain after Cuchulain flees.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: men of Erin
description: Collective witnesses who see Cuchulain flee, rejoice, and are said
by Fergus to be unable to obtain such a retreat from him.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: fosterling
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Fergus addresses Cuchulain as fosterling.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: master and former trainer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Cuchulain calls Fergus his master, and Fergus invokes the honor and training
he bestowed on Cuchulain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: strategic retreater
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cuchulain gives way and flees before Fergus for Ulster's advantage and so
Fergus may later give way before him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: challenger without an effective sword
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Fergus comes to fight, but Cuchulain notes there is no sword in his sheath.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: weapon-substituter
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ailill removed Fergus's sword and placed a wooden sword in its stead.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: pursuit-urging speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Medb cries out for Fergus to pursue Cuchulain quickly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: watching army
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The men of Erin see Cuchulain's flight, rejoice, and comment on it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: absent true sword and wooden replacement
literal_form: Fergus's sword removed from its sheath and a wooden sword put in its
place
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: chariot of retreat
literal_form: Cuchulain's chariot, mounted before he flees from Fergus
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: White Battle
literal_form: A battle-name explained by the absence of blood on weapons
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fergus arrives and announces combat
summary: Cuchulain welcomes Fergus and offers lodging, but Fergus says he has come
to fight and do battle.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: The missing sword is explained
summary: Cuchulain observes Fergus lacks a real sword, and the narration explains
that Ailill had replaced Fergus's sword with a wooden one.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Fergus negotiates a reciprocal retreat
summary: Fergus asks Cuchulain to give way before him by invoking their bond and
promises to retreat before Cuchulain later, causing the men of Erin to flee as
well.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Cuchulain flees in public view
summary: Cuchulain mounts his chariot and flees from Fergus before the men of Erin,
going as far as Grellach Dolluid.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Medb urges pursuit and Fergus refuses
summary: The men of Erin rejoice at Cuchulain's flight; Medb urges pursuit, but
Fergus refuses and says the feat is greater than the host could have achieved.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: The White Battle and onward march
summary: The episode is named the White Battle because no blood was shed on weapons,
and the army continues onward to camp in Crich Roiss.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: bloodless battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The encounter is explicitly named the White Battle because no blood on weapons
resulted from it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a local episode label in the passage; no broader taxonomy mapping
is asserted.
- id: motif:2
label: reciprocal strategic retreat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Fergus asks Cuchulain to retreat before him now and promises that he will
later retreat before Cuchulain, with the men of Erin following in flight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents a tactical exchange rather than an explicit ritual
category.
- id: motif:3
label: weapon substitution before combat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ailill had removed Fergus's sword and replaced it with a wooden sword, leaving
Fergus without an effective weapon when he comes to fight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the substitution as backstory; it does not explicitly
frame Ailill's act as a mythic trickster pattern.
- id: motif:4
label: foster-bond invoked in battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Fergus invokes the honor and training he bestowed on Cuchulain to persuade
him to give way despite the combat setting.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The social bond is explicit, but the passage does not define a formal
motif family for it.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 9076-9084
quote_or_summary: Cuchulain welcomes Fergus as master and offers lodging; Fergus
replies that he has come to fight and do battle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 9084-9094
quote_or_summary: Cuchulain says Fergus has no sword in the sheath he bears; the
narration explains that Ailill had found Fergus's sword and replaced it with a
wooden sword.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 9095-9114
quote_or_summary: Fergus invokes the honor and training he bestowed on Cuchulain
and asks him to give way; he promises to retreat before Cuchulain later in the
Tain, so that all the men of Erin will flee as well.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 9114-9121
quote_or_summary: Cuchulain has his chariot brought, mounts it, and flees from Fergus
before the men of Erin as far as Grellach Dolluid.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 9121-9139
quote_or_summary: The men of Erin rejoice and say Cuchulain has fled; Medb urges
Fergus to pursue him, but Fergus refuses and says even four of the five provinces
could not have obtained so much from Cuchulain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 9139-9145
quote_or_summary: The passage calls the episode Fergus's White Battle, since no
"blood on weapons" resulted, and then says the host marches past Cuchulain and
camps in Crich Roiss.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/celtic-irish/project-gutenberg/tain-bo-cualnge-dunn.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strong for figures, actions, and sequence. Motif labels
are descriptive and not mapped to supplied taxonomy families. No comparison claims
were made because the passage itself does not support cross-text 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: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used; footnote witness markers were not treated as narrative content.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:celtic-irish-tain-bo-cualnge-dunn-gutenberg__l9076-l9175
passage_sha256=eb1b09e093a7675549235d2b52603d5b941b82b4d55e643e5dee8b35c46bc20e