batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l3046-l3130
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l3046-l3130
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK FOURTH / THE LOVE OF DIDO, AND HER END / BOOK FIFTH / THE GAMES OF THE
FLEET; lines 3046-3130
start: '3046'
end: '3130'
translation: The Aeneid of Virgil
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: "“Yield thou to Heaven.”"
summary: After the races, Aeneas announces a boxing contest with prizes. Dares steps
forward and boasts when no challenger appears. Acestes urges the aged Entellus
to contest him. Entellus displays massive gloves associated with Eryx and Hercules,
agrees to use equal gloves, and fights Dares. After Entellus falls, he rises in
wrath and batters Dares until Aeneas stops the fight, tells Dares to yield to
Heaven, and awards the palm and bull to Entellus.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: After the races and distribution of gifts, Aeneas calls for anyone with courage
to enter a boxing contest with gauntleted hands.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: 'Aeneas sets two prizes: a gilt, garlanded bullock for the conqueror and a
sword and helmet for the conquered.'
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Dares comes forward in great strength, displaying his shoulders and striking
the air with his arms.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: No one initially dares to approach Dares or put on the gloves against him.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Dares asks Aeneas whether he should carry off the gifts if no man will fight
him, and the Dardanians assent.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Acestes rebukes Entellus for allowing the prize to be carried away uncontested
and invokes Entellus’ past fame, Eryx, Sicily, and spoils in his house.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Entellus answers that desire for glory remains, but old age has dulled his
blood and weakened his limbs.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Entellus throws down a pair of very heavy gloves made of sevenfold oxhide
and sewn with lead and iron.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Entellus says the gloves were once used by Eryx and are stained from Eryx’s
fight with Alcides.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: Aeneas provides equal gloves and binds matched arms on both fighters.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: 'The fighters are contrasted: Dares is nimbler and confident in youth, while
Entellus is large but slow, trembling, and panting.'
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: Dares evades a downward blow from Entellus, and Entellus falls heavily to
the ground.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:13
text: Acestes runs forward and lifts Entellus, his friend and birthmate, from the
ground.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: Entellus returns to the fight with anger and shame, driving Dares over the
lists with repeated blows from both hands.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:15
text: Aeneas stops the fight, rescues the exhausted Dares, tells him the gods are
changed, and declares the contest over.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:16
text: Dares is led to the ships with weak knees, a swaying head, and blood and teeth
coming from his mouth.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:17
text: The helmet and shield are carried away, while the palm and bull are left to
Entellus.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Aeneas
description: Called goddess-born, noble son of Anchises, and lord; he announces,
equips, stops, and judges the combat.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Dares
description: A Trojan fighter of great strength who initially stands unchallenged,
asks for the prize, fights Entellus, and is rescued exhausted.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Entellus
description: An aged but renowned fighter associated with Sicily and Eryx; he enters
the contest after Acestes’ rebuke and defeats Dares.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Acestes
description: An elder or patron figure seated beside Entellus; he urges Entellus
to fight and later helps lift him from the ground.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Eryx
description: Named as Entellus’ master and former wielder of the heavy gloves; also
said to have fought Alcides on the same beach.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Hercules / Alcides
description: Named as the opponent of Eryx in a fatal fight on the same beach.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Dardanians / Trojans / Teucrians
description: Collective spectators who assent to Dares receiving the prize and later
react to the fall of Entellus.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Men of Sicily
description: Collective spectators who rise eagerly when Entellus falls.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Butes
description: A large fighter of Amycus’ Bebrycian line, previously struck down by
Dares near Hector’s mound.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Paris
description: Named as a former opponent whom Dares alone was accustomed to meet
in combat.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Hector
description: Named through the mound where he lies, the place associated with Dares’
earlier defeat of Butes.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
label: contest announcer and prize-giver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Aeneas calls for the boxing contest and sets out the prizes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: combat referee and protector of the defeated
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Aeneas stops the fight, rescues Dares, and declares the battle over.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: boastful challenger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Dares steps forward when no one will fight and asks to carry off the gifts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: defeated combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Dares is exhausted, led to the ships, and loses the palm and bull to Entellus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: aged former champion
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Entellus says old age has weakened him but is reminded of former fame and
Eryx’s instruction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: victorious combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: After returning from his fall, Entellus overwhelms Dares and receives the
palm and bull.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: exhorter and helper
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Acestes urges Entellus into the fight and helps him after his fall.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: former master and weapon-bearer
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Eryx is called Entellus’ master and is associated with the old heavy gloves.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: mythic prior opponent
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Alcides is named as the opponent in Eryx’s fatal fight on the same beach.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:10
label: spectating collective
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: The Dardanians, Teucrians, and Sicilians react to the contest and its turns.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: past combat reference
assigned_to:
- fig:9
- fig:10
basis: Dares’ reputation is described through earlier combat with Paris and Butes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: victory bull
literal_form: a gilt and garlanded bullock offered as the conqueror’s prize
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: consolation arms
literal_form: a sword and beautiful helmet for the conquered fighter
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: gloves of Eryx
literal_form: heavy boxing gloves of sevenfold oxhide sewn with lead and iron, stained
from an earlier fight
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: matched gloves
literal_form: equal gloves bound on the hands of both fighters for the contest
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: blood and teeth of the defeated fighter
literal_form: clotted blood mingled with teeth spat from Dares’ mouth
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: falling pine image
literal_form: Entellus’ fall compared to a hollow pine torn out by the roots on
Erymanthus or Ida
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: hailstone-like blows
literal_form: Entellus’ repeated blows compared to hailstones rattling on a roof
from a storm-cloud
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Announcement of the boxing contest
summary: Aeneas calls for a fighter with courage and announces prizes for both winner
and loser.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Dares’ unchallenged boast
summary: Dares steps forward, displays his strength, invokes his prior reputation,
and asks Aeneas to award him the gifts when no opponent appears.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:7
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Acestes summons Entellus
summary: Acestes reproaches Entellus for letting the prize go uncontested, and Entellus
explains that age, not fear, has weakened him.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Display of the old gloves
summary: Entellus reveals the massive gloves associated with Eryx and the earlier
fight with Alcides, then agrees to discard them for equal equipment.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Fight, fall, and reversal
summary: Dares and Entellus fight; Dares’ speed makes Entellus miss and fall, but
Entellus rises in anger and drives Dares backward with a storm of blows.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Aeneas stops the fight
summary: Aeneas prevents Entellus’ rage from going further, tells Dares to yield
to Heaven, and the prizes are assigned to Entellus while Dares is carried away
injured.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: public athletic combat with prize distribution
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A formal boxing contest is announced after races, with distinct prizes for
winner and loser and spectators present.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The broader ritual or commemorative function is not explained within this
passage beyond the contest sequence.
- id: motif:2
label: aged champion returns under provocation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Entellus initially cites age and weakness but enters the contest after Acestes
recalls his former fame and master Eryx.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes athletic prowess and honor rather than a full transformation
or renewal narrative.
- id: motif:3
label: ancestral or heroic weapons carrying memory of prior combat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The heavy gloves are linked to Eryx and to his fatal encounter with Alcides,
and their physical stains preserve the memory of violence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The gloves are not described as magical; their importance is historical
and heroic within the passage.
- id: motif:4
label: fallen fighter’s resurgence and reversal
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Entellus falls heavily after missing Dares, then rises with anger and shame
and reverses the contest by battering Dares.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a combat reversal, not necessarily a death-and-rebirth motif.
- id: motif:5
label: authority halts excessive combat to spare the defeated
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Aeneas stops Entellus’ rage, rescues the exhausted Dares, and declares the
battle over.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not state formal rules beyond Aeneas’ intervention.
- id: motif:6
label: contest outcome attributed to changed divine favor
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Aeneas tells Dares that the strength belongs to another, that the gods are
changed, and that he should yield to Heaven.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The statement invokes divine change but does not narrate an explicit divine
appearance or formal judgment.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The present boxing contest is explicitly linked to an earlier heroic combat
involving Eryx and Hercules/Alcides through the gloves and the location on the
same beach.
claim_level: same_function
target: Eryx’s earlier fight with Hercules/Alcides
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage links objects and place, but gives only a brief retrospective
account of the earlier fight.
- id: claim:2
claim: Dares’ present role as challenger is framed by earlier combat reputation
involving Paris and Butes, making the current contest part of a sequence of remembered
heroic combats.
claim_level: same_function
target: Dares’ earlier combats with Paris and Butes
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: These references establish reputation rather than a detailed parallel
narrative.
- id: claim:3
claim: Aeneas’ command for Dares to yield to Heaven supports a cautious comparison
to divine arbitration or divine judgment patterns in contests.
claim_level: same_motif
target: divine_judgment motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: No deity directly appears or pronounces judgment in the passage; the
comparison rests on Aeneas’ interpretation of the outcome.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 3046-3053
quote_or_summary: Aeneas calls for a valorous fighter to lift gauntleted hands and
announces a bullock for the conqueror, with sword and helmet for the conquered.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 3053-3076
quote_or_summary: Dares appears in strength, is linked to prior combats with Paris
and Butes, finds no challenger, and asks Aeneas whether he should take the gifts;
the Dardanians assent.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 3076-3092
quote_or_summary: Acestes reproaches Entellus for inaction, invoking Eryx and Sicilian
renown; Entellus says glory remains but age has weakened his body.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 3092-3110
quote_or_summary: Entellus throws down giant gloves of sevenfold oxhide sewn with
lead and iron and says they belonged to Eryx and were used in the fight with Alcides.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 3110-3123
quote_or_summary: Aeneas brings equal gloves; the fighters are described as youthful
and nimble versus massive and aged; Entellus misses a blow and falls like an uprooted
pine.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 3123-3130
quote_or_summary: Acestes helps Entellus rise; Entellus returns angrier, pursues
Dares, and strikes him repeatedly like hailstones from a storm-cloud.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: lines 3130-end of supplied passage
quote_or_summary: Aeneas stops the fight, rescues Dares, says “the gods are changed”
and “Yield thou to Heaven”; Dares is led away bleeding, and the palm and bull
are left to Entellus.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is clear for contest structure, figures, and objects. Some motif
labels are descriptive rather than taxonomy-backed. The supplied passage ends
mid-sentence, so the final speech by Entellus is incomplete.
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. No external identifications beyond names and relationships stated in the passage were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg__l3046-l3130
passage_sha256=cb9e7ac28cb0bafabd1b98a384d4b81ac3c713a8c550e67726ecb7f1a407802c