batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l1410-l1496
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l1410-l1496
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 1410-1496
start: '1410'
end: '1496'
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 fall of Troy, a thunderclap and a star-like omen persuade Anchises
to leave with Aeneas. Aeneas arranges the escape, carries Anchises, leads Iülus,
and has Creüsa follow. In the flight Creüsa is lost. Aeneas returns through burning
Troy to search for her and encounters her ghost, who foretells his exile, sea
journey, arrival in Hesperia, future kingdom, and new marriage. He tries in vain
to embrace the phantom and then rejoins his companions.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A thunderclap occurs on the left, and a star-like light shoots from heaven,
leaves a bright trail, passes over the palace roof, and disappears in the wood
of Ida amid sulphurous fumes.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Anchises treats the star as a holy omen, addresses the ancestral gods, and
agrees to leave with Aeneas.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The fire in the city grows louder and nearer as Aeneas prepares the household
flight.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Aeneas tells Anchises to lean on his neck and says his shoulders will carry
him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Aeneas says Iülus will go with him and his wife will follow their steps at
a distance.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Aeneas names a mound with an ancient temple of Ceres and an aged cypress as
the gathering-place for the household.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: Aeneas tells Anchises to carry the sacred things and household gods, because
Aeneas considers himself polluted by recent battle until he washes in a living
stream.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:8
text: Aeneas puts a tawny lion-skin over his shoulders, carries Anchises, holds
Iülus by the hand, and proceeds through shadows while Creüsa follows behind.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:9
text: At the approach of trampling feet and visible arms, Aeneas leaves the familiar
streets by byways, and Creüsa is separated from the group.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:10
text: At the mound and sacred seat of Ceres, the group gathers and finds Creüsa
missing from the company of her husband and child.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:11
text: Aeneas hides his companions, Ascanius, Anchises, and the Trojan gods in a
winding vale, puts on armor again, and returns into Troy to search for Creüsa.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:12
text: Aeneas revisits the gate, his home, the citadel, and Priam’s dwelling while
fire, Greek occupation, guarded spoils, and captive women and children are visible
in the city.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:13
text: A melancholy phantom of Creüsa appears before Aeneas in a likeness larger
than usual and speaks to him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:14
text: Creüsa’s ghost says divine influence and the lord of Olympus prevent Aeneas
from carrying her away with him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:15
text: Creüsa’s ghost foretells Aeneas’s long exile, sea journey, arrival in Hesperia
by the Tiber, prosperity, a kingdom, and a king’s daughter as wife.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:16
text: Creüsa’s ghost says the mighty mother of the gods keeps her in Troy’s borders
and asks Aeneas to love their child.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:17
text: Aeneas tries three times to embrace Creüsa’s apparition, but the vision slips
from his hands like breeze or sleep.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:18
text: After the apparition vanishes and night is spent, Aeneas returns to his companions.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Aeneas
description: Narrating Trojan survivor who carries Anchises, leads Iülus, loses
and searches for Creüsa, and receives her prophecy.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Anchises
description: Aeneas’s aged father, persuaded by the omen to depart and entrusted
with the sacred things and household gods.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Iülus / Ascanius
description: Aeneas’s child, led by the hand during the escape and later hidden
with Anchises and the Trojan gods.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Creüsa
description: Aeneas’s wife, follows during the escape, is lost, and later appears
as a phantom who speaks a prophecy and farewell.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Ancestral gods / household gods of Troy
description: Sacred divine objects or powers of the household and Troy, invoked
by Anchises and carried during the escape.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Lord of Olympus
description: Divine authority named by Creüsa’s ghost as not permitting Aeneas to
carry her away.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Mighty mother of the gods
description: Divine figure said by Creüsa’s ghost to keep her within Troy’s borders.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Phoenix and Ulysses
description: Greek sentries guarding spoil in Juno’s sanctuary.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Boys and cowering mothers
description: Captives standing in a long file near the guarded spoils of Troy.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: fleeing survivor and searcher
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Aeneas leads the escape from Troy, then returns armed to search for Creüsa.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: aged father carried from danger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Anchises is told to lean on Aeneas’s neck and is carried on Aeneas’s shoulders.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: child heir protected in flight
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Iülus/Ascanius goes with Aeneas, is led by the hand, and is hidden with the
companions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: bearer of family burden
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Aeneas carries Anchises and leads Iülus while fleeing burning Troy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: custodian of sacred household gods
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:5
basis: Aeneas instructs Anchises to take the sacred things and household gods of
their ancestors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: recipient of ghostly prophecy
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Creüsa’s phantom appears to Aeneas and foretells his exile and future in
Hesperia.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: lost wife
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Creüsa is separated during the flight and is missing when the group gathers
at Ceres’ mound.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: prophetic apparition
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Creüsa appears as a phantom and gives Aeneas prophetic instructions and farewell.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: divine determiner of fate
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: Creüsa’s ghost attributes her separation and remaining in Troy to divine
authority.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: enemy guardian of spoil
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Phoenix and Ulysses are described as sentries guarding Trojan spoil.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: captives of a fallen city
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Boys and mothers stand near the accumulated spoils as captives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: star omen
literal_form: A bright star-like light falling from heaven with a luminous trail
and sulphurous smoke.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: burning city fire
literal_form: Fire roaring through Troy, rolling before the wind, and towering over
buildings.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: Ceres mound and ancient temple
literal_form: A mound with an ancient temple of Ceres used as a gathering-place
outside the city.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: aged cypress
literal_form: An aged cypress near the temple of Ceres, guarded for many years in
ancestral awe.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:5
label: household gods and sacred things
literal_form: Sacred things and ancestral household gods carried by Anchises during
the escape.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:6
label: living stream for purification
literal_form: A living stream in which Aeneas says he must wash away battle-pollution
before handling sacred objects.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:7
label: lion-skin covering
literal_form: A tawny lion-skin spread over Aeneas’s neck and shoulders as he stoops
to carry Anchises.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:8
label: ungraspable ghost
literal_form: Creüsa’s apparition, which Aeneas tries three times to embrace but
cannot hold.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Heavenly omen persuades Anchises
summary: A thunderclap and star-like sign appear; Anchises recognizes the omen,
prays to the ancestral gods, and agrees to depart.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Household escape from burning Troy
summary: As fire advances, Aeneas arranges the family’s flight, appoints a sacred
meeting-place, assigns Anchises the household gods, carries his father, leads
Iülus, and proceeds with Creüsa following.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Creüsa is lost in the flight
summary: Hearing approaching armed men, Aeneas turns aside through byways; Creüsa
is separated and found missing when the group reaches Ceres’ mound.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Aeneas searches fallen Troy
summary: Aeneas hides the survivors and gods, arms himself, returns through the
city, retraces his steps, and witnesses burning buildings, guarded spoils, and
captives.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Creüsa’s ghost gives prophecy and farewell
summary: Creüsa’s phantom appears, explains that divine authority prevents her departure,
foretells Aeneas’s exile and future kingdom in Hesperia, and asks him to love
their child.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Failed embrace of the apparition
summary: Aeneas tries three times to embrace Creüsa’s vision, but it slips away
like air or sleep, and he later returns to his companions.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divine omen authorizes departure
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: The star-like heavenly sign causes Anchises to acknowledge divine direction
and agree to leave Troy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the omen as prompting departure, but it does not
provide a broader ritual framework beyond Anchises’ prayer.
- id: motif:2
label: family flight from a destroyed city
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Aeneas organizes an escape through burning Troy with father, child, wife,
and household gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level extraction; broader epic context may refine the
motif.
- id: motif:3
label: sacred objects preserved by survivors
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Aeneas directs Anchises to carry ancestral sacred things and household gods
while fleeing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate because the passage emphasizes preservation
and custody rather than a reciprocal exchange.
- id: motif:4
label: fire destruction and escape
taxonomy_refs:
- world_destroying_fire
basis: Troy is repeatedly shown as consumed by advancing, devouring, towering fire
while the household escapes and Aeneas searches the city.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The destruction is city-scale rather than explicitly world-scale; the
taxonomy match is functional but not exact.
- id: motif:5
label: lost beloved during flight
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Creüsa is separated from Aeneas during the escape and is not restored to
the family; Aeneas searches for her in grief.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not say Creüsa is stolen; it attributes the separation
to fate and divine will, so the taxonomy reference is only partial.
- id: motif:6
label: ghostly spouse gives prophecy
taxonomy_refs:
- afterlife_journey_map
basis: Creüsa’s phantom appears after death or disappearance, explains divine causation,
and foretells Aeneas’s future route, destination, prosperity, kingdom, and marriage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage contains a ghost and a future journey, but not a full journey
through the afterlife.
- id: motif:7
label: divine parent-child lineage invoked
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_parent_child
basis: Creüsa identifies herself as daughter-in-law of Venus and asks Aeneas to
love their child; the household flight centers on preserving the child with divine
ancestry.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage alludes to Venus through kinship language but does not narrate
the divine parent-child relationship in detail.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1410-1422
quote_or_summary: A thunderclap and star-like light appear; Anchises worships the
holy star, invokes the ancestral gods, accepts the omen, and agrees to go with
Aeneas.
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 1423-1451
quote_or_summary: 'As fire advances, Aeneas plans the escape: Anchises is to be
carried, Iülus and Creüsa will accompany him, the household will gather at Ceres’
mound near an aged cypress, Anchises will carry the sacred objects, and Aeneas
must wash in a living stream before touching them.'
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 1452-1470
quote_or_summary: At the sound of approaching armed men, Aeneas turns through byways;
Creüsa is lost, and at Ceres’ sacred mound she is found missing. Aeneas hides
Ascanius, Anchises, and the Trojan gods, then arms himself and returns to Troy.
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 1471-1483
quote_or_summary: Aeneas retraces his path through burning Troy, revisits the palace
and sanctuary area, sees Greek sentries guarding Trojan spoils, and sees captive
boys and mothers standing nearby.
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 1484-1492
quote_or_summary: Creüsa’s larger-than-life phantom appears, calms Aeneas, says
divine power prevents him from taking her away, foretells exile, sea travel, Hesperia,
the Tiber, prosperity, kingship, and a royal bride, and says the mother of the
gods keeps her in Troy’s borders.
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 1493-1496
quote_or_summary: Creüsa bids farewell; Aeneas weeps and tries three times to embrace
her, but the vision escapes like breeze or sleep, and he later returns to his
comrades.
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: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strongly supported by the supplied passage. Some taxonomy
assignments are approximate because the available motif families do not exactly
name several passage-level patterns, such as ghostly prophecy or preservation
of household gods.
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 broader epic context were used. Comparison claims were left empty because the passage itself does not explicitly compare this episode to another tradition or corpus.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg__l1410-l1496
passage_sha256=7d4bc068b527ae599243ea9d47410973ab1a792387e61247a18544f2e46b7b34