batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l1149-l1237
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l1149-l1237
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK FIRST / THE COMING OF AENEAS TO CARTHAGE / BOOK SECOND / THE STORY OF
THE SACK OF TROY; lines 1149-1237
start: '1149'
end: '1237'
translation: The Aeneid of Virgil
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: During the sack of Troy, Cassandra is dragged from Minerva's sanctuary,
prompting Coroebus and Trojan companions to attack. The disguised Trojans suffer
from mistaken identity and are overwhelmed. Aeneas and companions move to Priam's
house, where Greeks besiege the palace. Trojan defenders use parts of the building
as weapons, topple a tower, and try to hold the entrances. Pyrrhus/Neoptolemus,
compared to a snake, leads the assault, burns the roof, breaks the doors, and
opens the royal chambers to armed Greeks. Women wail inside; the Greeks burst
in like a flood, slaughtering defenders. Priam, Hecuba, and the royal household
are seen amid altar blood, ruin, fire, and Greek occupation.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Cassandra, Priam's daughter, is dragged from the temple and sanctuary of Minerva
with disordered hair, fettered hands, and eyes raised heavenward.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Coroebus reacts to Cassandra's seizure by rushing into battle, and the narrator's
group follows him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The Trojan group suffers slaughter because their armor and Greek crests cause
confusion, and enemies later recognize their shields, weapons, and foreign speech.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Coroebus is killed at the altar of the armed goddess; Rhipeus, Hypanis, Dymas,
and Panthus also fall.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The fighting concentrates at Priam's house, where Greeks attack the building
with ladders and shields while defenders hold the doorway and throw down parts
of the structure.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: A hidden postern in Priam's halls is described as a passage formerly used
by Andromache when bringing Astyanax to his grandfather.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Trojan defenders wrench a tower from its foundations and make it crash down
on Greek ranks, but more attackers continue to climb.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Pyrrhus appears at the front doorway in gleaming armor and is compared to
a snake emerging into daylight after winter.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Pyrrhus and his companions climb the roof, throw flames onto the housetop,
and break through the palace doors with a poleaxe.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Inside the palace, women and mothers cry out, wander, cling to doors, and
kiss them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The Greeks burst through the entrance, slaughter the foremost defenders, and
fill the space like an overflowing river.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: The narrator reports seeing Neoptolemus, the sons of Atreus, Hecuba, her daughters,
and Priam bloodying his own altar fires; the bridal chambers are ruined, and Greeks
possess areas not consumed by fire.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cassandra
description: Priam's maiden daughter, dragged from Minerva's temple and sanctuary
with fettered hands.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Coroebus
description: Trojan ally who attacks after seeing Cassandra and is later killed
at the altar of the armed goddess.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Aeneas / narrator
description: First-person speaker among the Trojan defenders who follows Coroebus,
withdraws with companions, and reports seeing the palace destruction.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Trojan companions / Teucrians / Dardanians
description: The narrator's side; they fight in confused armor, defend Priam's house,
throw down building materials, and topple a tower.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Greek forces / Grecians / Achaeans
description: Attacking forces including Ajax, the sons of Atreus, Dolopians, Scyrians,
and others who assault Priam's house.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Peneleus
description: Named killer of Coroebus at the altar.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Rhipeus
description: A Teucrian described as especially righteous and steadfast in justice
who falls during the fighting.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Hypanis and Dymas
description: Trojan figures who perish, pierced by friendly hands.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Panthus
description: A figure whose goodness and Apollo's fillet do not protect him from
falling.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Iphitus and Pelias
description: Companions with the narrator; Iphitus is aged, and Pelias is wounded
by Ulysses.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Andromache
description: Formerly used a hidden postern to go unattended to Priam's house.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Astyanax
description: Boy carried by Andromache to his grandfather Priam.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Priam
description: Kingly figure whose house is besieged; later seen polluting his consecrated
altar fires with his blood.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Pyrrhus / Neoptolemus
description: Attacker at Priam's doorway, described in gleaming arms, compared to
a snake, and seen mad in slaughter.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Periphas, Automedon, and Scyrian men
description: Companions of Pyrrhus who climb the roof and throw flames on the housetop.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:16
name_or_label: Hecuba and daughters of her house
description: Royal women seen inside the captured palace amid slaughter and ruin.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:17
name_or_label: Affrighted mothers and palace women
description: Women inside the house who cry out, wander, cling to doors, and kiss
them.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: captive sacred-space victim
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Cassandra is dragged from Minerva's temple and sanctuary while fettered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: rash rescuer or avenger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Coroebus attacks when he sees Cassandra being taken.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: Trojan survivor-defender
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:10
basis: The narrator and companions continue fighting, withdraw, and move to defend
Priam's house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: besieged palace defender
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Dardanians tear down roof material and defend the doorway in the last
fighting at Priam's house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: Greek attacker
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:15
basis: Greek forces gather, assault the palace, climb roofs, use ladders, and burst
through entrances.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: fallen Trojan combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
basis: These figures are explicitly said to fall or perish during the confused fighting.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: royal family visitor through hidden passage
assigned_to:
- fig:11
- fig:12
basis: Andromache formerly used the postern to bring Astyanax to his grandfather.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: royal household victim
assigned_to:
- fig:13
- fig:16
- fig:17
basis: Priam, Hecuba, royal daughters, mothers, and palace women are shown within
the besieged and captured house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: palace-breaching champion
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: Pyrrhus leads at the front, breaks the doors, opens the house, and is seen
in slaughter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Minerva's temple and sanctuary
literal_form: temple and sanctuary of Minerva
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: altar of the armed goddess
literal_form: altar of the goddess armipotent
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: Priam's house
literal_form: royal dwelling, halls, postern, tower, doors, chambers, and bridal
chambers
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:13
- fig:14
- fig:16
- fig:17
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: fallen tower
literal_form: tower on the sheer brink wrenched from its foundations and made to
fall on Greek ranks
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: serpent simile for Pyrrhus
literal_form: snake fed on poisonous herbs, emerging after winter with shining youth
and triple-cloven tongue
associated_figures:
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: fire in the ruined palace
literal_form: flames on the housetop, altar fires, death flames, and areas where
fire fails
associated_figures:
- fig:13
- fig:14
- fig:15
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: flooding river simile
literal_form: foaming river bursting banks and sweeping fields, herds, and pens
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: disguising armor and alien speech
literal_form: Greek crests, lying weapons, shields, and alien tone on Trojan lips
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Cassandra dragged from sanctuary and Coroebus attacks
summary: Cassandra is taken from Minerva's sanctuary in bonds; Coroebus rushes into
combat, and the Trojan group follows.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Mistaken armor and deaths in sacred space
summary: Because of disguise and confusion, the Trojan group is overwhelmed; Coroebus
dies at an altar, and other Trojans fall, some by friendly hands.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Defense of Priam's house
summary: Greeks press against Priam's house with ladders and shields while Dardanian
defenders tear down architectural pieces and hold entrances.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:13
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Postern, ridge, and falling tower
summary: The narrator moves by a hidden passage to a height; defenders topple a
tower onto Greek ranks, though attackers continue to come.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Pyrrhus breaches the palace
summary: Pyrrhus appears in shining armor like a snake, his companions hurl flames
from the roof, and he breaks open the palace doors and chambers.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:13
- fig:14
- fig:15
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Greek entry, slaughter, and royal ruin
summary: Women wail inside; the gate falls, Greeks pour in like a flood, and Priam's
household is seen amid blood, altar fires, ruined chambers, and occupation.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:13
- fig:14
- fig:16
- fig:17
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Captive maiden taken from sanctuary and failed rescue
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Cassandra is dragged from Minerva's sanctuary, causing Coroebus and the Trojan
group to attack, but the rescue attempt leads into slaughter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents Cassandra as captive and sacred-space victim, but
does not develop a broader abduction-marriage or beloved-recovery pattern.
- id: motif:2
label: Disguise causing friendly and enemy confusion
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Trojans' armor and Greek crests contribute to mistaken slaughter, and
their shields, weapons, and speech later reveal them to Greeks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives battlefield confusion rather than a full trickster or
transformation episode.
- id: motif:3
label: Last defense of a doomed royal house
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Defenders at Priam's house use doors, roof materials, gilded beams, and a
tower in a final effort against the besieging Greeks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: This is a narrative pattern extracted from the passage rather than a supplied
taxonomy family.
- id: motif:4
label: Serpent-like destroyer at the threshold
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Pyrrhus appears at the palace doorway and is explicitly compared to a snake
emerging into daylight before he breaks through the doors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The serpent is an epic simile attached to Pyrrhus, not an actual serpent
figure in the plot.
- id: motif:5
label: Sacred and royal space violated by slaughter and fire
taxonomy_refs:
- world_destroying_fire
basis: The passage combines deaths at altars, fire on the housetop, Priam's blood
at consecrated altar fires, ruined bridal chambers, and Greek possession of the
palace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: 'The taxonomy reference is approximate: the destruction is the fall of
Troy and its royal house, not a literal cosmic world-destroying fire.'
- id: motif:6
label: Enemy force as flood
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Greeks bursting into the palace are compared to a foaming river breaking
banks, overwhelming dykes, fields, herds, and pens.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is an explicit simile of force and inundation, not an actual flood
event.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1149-1163
quote_or_summary: Cassandra is dragged from Minerva's sanctuary with fettered hands;
Coroebus rushes into danger, the narrator's group follows, and confusion begins
because of their armor and Greek crests.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1163-1180
quote_or_summary: Greek forces gather; the disguised Trojans are recognized by shields,
false weapons, and speech. Coroebus dies at the altar of the armed goddess; Rhipeus,
Hypanis, Dymas, and Panthus fall; the narrator withdraws with Iphitus and Pelias
toward Priam's house.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1181-1197
quote_or_summary: 'Battle is fiercest at Priam''s house: Greeks rush the building
with ladders and shields, while Dardanians tear down turrets, roof covering, and
gilded beams to defend the doors.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1198-1214
quote_or_summary: A hidden postern through Priam's halls is recalled as Andromache's
former route with Astyanax. The narrator reaches a ridge; Trojans topple a tower
onto Greek ranks, but more attackers swarm up.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1214-1228
quote_or_summary: Pyrrhus stands at the doorway in shining arms and is compared
to a snake emerging after winter. With Periphas, Automedon, and Scyrians, he throws
flames on the roof and breaks open the brazen-plated doors, exposing Priam's halls
and chambers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1229-1234
quote_or_summary: Inside the house are shrieks, women's wailing, and frightened
mothers clinging to doors. The gate falls under the ram, and Greeks pour in, likened
to a foaming river bursting its banks.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 1234-1237
quote_or_summary: The narrator sees Neoptolemus, the sons of Atreus, Hecuba and
her daughters, and Priam bloodying his consecrated altar fires. The many bridal
chambers are ruined; where fire does not consume, Greeks occupy.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is well supported by the supplied passage. Motif candidates
are cautious and mostly passage-specific; one taxonomy reference to world-destroying
fire is approximate and marked with caution. No external comparison claims were
made.
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 supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references limited to provided available refs when directly or cautiously supported.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg__l1149-l1237
passage_sha256=5f25186a17ca08a80cb7ec2c2c0890eaf5deaa2fa1b3eec1e3e9701b52c71fc0