batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l1498-l1588
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l1498-l1588
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK SECOND / THE STORY OF THE SACK OF TROY / BOOK THIRD / THE STORY OF THE
SEVEN YEARS' WANDERING; lines 1498-1588
start: '1498'
end: '1588'
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: Aeneas gathers Trojan survivors, withdraws with Anchises to the mountain,
and begins the wandering after Troy's fall. Driven by omens, the Trojans build
a fleet, leave their homeland, attempt to found a city in Thrace, discover the
murdered Polydorus through bleeding plants and a voice from his tomb, perform
funeral rites, leave the polluted land, and sail to Apollo's holy island to seek
guidance for a new dwelling place.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A crowd of mothers and men gathers for exile and is ready to follow Aeneas
overseas.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Aeneas raises his father and seeks the mountain while the Greeks hold the
gateways and no help is available.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: After Troy falls, the Trojans are driven by divine omens to seek distant places
of exile.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The Trojans build a fleet under Ida, gather the people, and leave the shores
of their homeland with comrades, Aeneas' son, and household and state gods.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: In Thrace, Aeneas lays the first foundations of a city and names it Aeneadae
from his own name.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Aeneas sacrifices to his divine mother and to the gods, including the slaughter
of a shining bull on the shore.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: A nearby mound is covered with cornel thickets and dense myrtle shafts.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: When Aeneas tears up green wood for altar boughs, black blood trickles from
the broken roots and stains the earth.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Aeneas repeats the action with other shoots, and black blood again comes from
the bark.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: A voice from beneath the mound asks Aeneas not to rend him and identifies
itself as Polydorus.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Polydorus says the land is cruel, the shore greedy, and that weapons covered
his pierced body and grew into sharp javelins.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: The narrative explains that Priam secretly sent Polydorus with gold to the
Thracian king, who later murdered him and seized the gold.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: Aeneas lays the divine signs before chosen princes and Anchises; all agree
to leave the guilty land and abandon the polluted home.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: The Trojans bury Polydorus anew, heap earth over his mound, raise altars to
his ghost, and place dusky chaplets and black cypress.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:15
text: Ilian women stand around with unbound hair; offerings include warm milk and
consecrated blood, followed by a last call to the spirit.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:16
text: When the sea becomes calm, the comrades launch the ships and leave the harbor.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:17
text: A holy island in mid-sea is described as dear to the mother of the Nereids
and Neptune, and as fixed in place by the Archer god.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:18
text: At Apollo's town, Anius, both king and priest of Phoebus, meets the Trojans;
Aeneas worships at the temple and prays for a dwelling place, family, city, omen,
and inspired minds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Aeneas
description: Narrating Trojan leader who gathers the exiles, carries or raises Anchises,
founds Aeneadae, encounters the bleeding mound, consults leaders, and prays to
Apollo.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Anchises
description: Aeneas' father, raised by Aeneas during the flight; later commands
the sails to be spread and heads the council that hears the signs.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Trojan exiles
description: Mothers, men, comrades, and people gathered for exile and sea travel
after Troy's fall.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Polydorus
description: A Trojan sent by Priam with gold, murdered in Thrace, whose voice speaks
from beneath the mound and whose blood comes from the stems.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Priam
description: Former Trojan king who secretly sent Polydorus with gold to the Thracian
king.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Thracian king
description: Ruler who received Polydorus and later murdered him and seized the
gold when Trojan power failed.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Aeneas' divine mother
description: Daughter of Dione, named as recipient of Aeneas' sacrifice before the
work begun.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Gradivus
description: Lord associated with the Getic fields, prayed to by Aeneas after the
bleeding wood appears.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Apollo / Phoebus / Archer god
description: Divine figure associated with fixing the holy island and with the town
and temple where Aeneas prays for guidance.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Anius
description: King of the people and priest of Phoebus, garlanded with fillets and
consecrated laurel, who meets the Trojans.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: exile leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Aeneas conducts the gathered people overseas, leads the fleet, founds a city,
presents signs to the leaders, and seeks guidance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:2
label: father and elder adviser
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Anchises is Aeneas' father, orders the sails spread, and stands at the head
of the chosen princes consulted about the omen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: exiled survivor community
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The people gather for exile, sail away from Troy, participate in rites, and
launch ships again after Polydorus is buried.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:4
label: murdered kinsman speaking from the tomb
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The voice under the mound identifies itself as Polydorus, explains the pierced
body and weapon growth, and is later reburied.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: royal sender of the child and treasure
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Priam secretly sends Polydorus with a great weight of gold to the Thracian
king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: betrayer and murderer for gold
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Thracian king severs duty, murders Polydorus, and seizes the gold after
Troy's fortune fails.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: divine recipient of prayer or sacrifice
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: Aeneas offers sacrifice to his divine mother and prays to Gradivus and the
woodland nymphs after the portent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: ritual performer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Aeneas sacrifices, prays, reports divine signs, performs funerary actions
with the Trojans, and worships at Apollo's temple.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: divine guide sought for omen
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Apollo is credited with fixing the wandering island, and Aeneas prays at
his temple for an omen and direction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: king-priest host
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Anius is both king and priest of Phoebus, knows Anchises, greets the Trojans,
and brings them into his palace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: mountain refuge and departure height
literal_form: the high ridges and mountain of Ida
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: fleet of exile
literal_form: ships and sails built under Ida and later launched from harbor
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: bleeding wood
literal_form: cornel and myrtle growth on a mound, with black blood coming from
roots and bark
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: grave mound
literal_form: mound hard at hand, later identified with Polydorus' tomb and re-heaped
after burial
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: weapons growing from the dead body
literal_form: iron harvest of weapons covering Polydorus' pierced body and shooting
up in sharp javelins
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: warm milk offering
literal_form: bubbling bowls of warm milk offered in funeral rites
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- milk
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: consecrated blood offering
literal_form: cups of consecrated blood offered to lay the spirit to rest
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: sea passage
literal_form: ocean, quiet seas, harbor, mid-sea holy island, and overseas wandering
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: sym:9
label: laurel and priestly fillets
literal_form: Anius' brows garlanded with fillets and consecrated laurel
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Gathering of exiles and retreat to Ida
summary: Aeneas finds a large company gathered for exile; with the Greeks holding
the gates and no help available, he raises Anchises and seeks the mountain.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Departure from ruined Troy
summary: After Troy's fall, divine omens drive the survivors to seek distant exile;
they build a fleet, gather the people, and sail from their homeland.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Attempted Thracian foundation
summary: Aeneas reaches Thrace and begins laying the foundations of a city named
Aeneadae.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Sacrifice and bleeding mound
summary: While sacrificing and gathering boughs for the altar near a mound, Aeneas
tears up plants that bleed black blood.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Polydorus revealed beneath the plants
summary: After repeated attempts to pull up shoots, a voice from the mound identifies
itself as Polydorus and tells Aeneas that weapons pierced his body and grew into
javelins.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Explanation of betrayal for gold
summary: The narrative recounts how Priam sent Polydorus with gold to the Thracian
king, who later murdered him and seized the treasure.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Funeral rites and abandonment of polluted land
summary: Aeneas reports the signs to the leaders; the Trojans decide to leave, rebury
Polydorus, raise altars, offer milk and blood, and call the spirit for the last
time.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:8
label: Sea departure and arrival at Apollo's holy island
summary: The Trojans launch ships after the winds calm, sail away, reach the holy
island fixed by Apollo, and seek guidance at Apollo's town and temple.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Exiled survivors depart a destroyed homeland
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: The Trojan people gather for exile after the fall of Troy, build a fleet,
and sail away under Anchises' command and divine omens.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the beginning of wandering rather than a completed
return or settlement.
- id: motif:2
label: Divine omens direct migration and settlement-seeking
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: The Trojans are driven by divine omens to seek places of exile, abandon Thrace
after the portent, and ask Apollo for an omen and inspired guidance about where
to settle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The quest is political and migratory as well as religious; the passage
does not yet provide Apollo's answer.
- id: motif:3
label: Bleeding plant reveals a murdered dead person
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Wood growing on a mound bleeds when torn up, and a voice from beneath the
mound identifies the dead Polydorus and explains that weapons covered his pierced
body.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly matches this specific plant-grave
revelation pattern.
- id: motif:4
label: Polluted land abandoned after discovery of crime
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: After the signs reveal Polydorus' murder, Aeneas and the leaders judge the
land guilty and polluted, abandon it, and let the winds carry the fleet away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage frames the event as omen and pollution more than an explicit
divine sentence.
- id: motif:5
label: Funerary sacrifice to pacify the dead
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The Trojans rebury Polydorus, raise altars to his ghost, use chaplets and
cypress, offer warm milk and consecrated blood, and call to the spirit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The rites are specifically funerary and should not be generalized beyond
the passage.
- id: motif:6
label: Founding attempt interrupted by ominous revelation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Aeneas begins founding Aeneadae in Thrace, but the bleeding mound and Polydorus'
voice lead the Trojans to abandon the settlement.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the aborted foundation, not the later successful foundation.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1498-1504
quote_or_summary: Aeneas finds a large company gathered for exile; the morning star
rises over Ida; the Greeks hold the gates; Aeneas raises his father and seeks
the mountain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1509-1522
quote_or_summary: After Troy falls, divine omens drive the Trojans to distant exile;
they build a fleet under Ida; Anchises orders them to sail; Aeneas leaves his
homeland with comrades, son, and household and state gods.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1524-1533
quote_or_summary: Aeneas reaches Thrace, formerly friendly to Troy, and lays the
first foundations of a city called Aeneadae.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1534-1544
quote_or_summary: Aeneas sacrifices to his mother and the gods, slaying a bull;
near a mound covered with cornel and myrtle, he tears up wood for the altar and
black blood flows from the broken roots.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1545-1562
quote_or_summary: Aeneas tears further shoots and more blood follows; after prayer,
a voice from beneath the mound identifies itself as Polydorus and says weapons
covered his pierced body and grew as javelins.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1563-1574
quote_or_summary: Priam had secretly sent Polydorus with gold to the Thracian king;
after Troy's power failed, the king murdered Polydorus and seized the gold.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 1575-1583
quote_or_summary: Aeneas reports the divine signs to the leaders with Anchises at
their head; all decide to leave the guilty land; they rebury Polydorus, raise
altars, use chaplets and cypress, offer warm milk and consecrated blood, and utter
the last call.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 1584-1588
quote_or_summary: When the sea can be trusted and winds calm, the Trojans launch
ships and sail away; they reach a holy mid-sea land beloved of sea deities and
fixed in place by the Archer god.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 1588-end of supplied passage
quote_or_summary: The Trojans disembark and worship Apollo's town; Anius, king and
priest of Phoebus, greets them; Aeneas worships at Apollo's ancient stone temple
and asks for a dwelling place, family, city, omen, and inspired minds.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is explicit about actions, figures, omens, and rites. Motif labels
use only supplied taxonomy where reasonably supported. No comparison claims were
added because the passage itself does not make a comparative link.
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: |-
All observations and motif candidates are based only on the supplied passage and metadata.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg__l1498-l1588
passage_sha256=44625791e17273a1fa41ac79494f2795a9eb2de67eb6adb2f51388d14ced86f9