batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l5803-l5890
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l5803-l5890
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK EIGHTH / THE EMBASSAGE TO EVANDER / BOOK NINTH / THE SIEGE OF THE TROJAN
CAMP; lines 5803-5890
start: '5803'
end: '5890'
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: Nisus and Euryalus seek approval for a dangerous night mission through
the Rutulian lines to reach Aeneas. Trojan leaders hear their plan, praise their
courage, promise rewards, and are moved by Euryalus' request that his mother be
cared for if he dies. The youths are armed and escorted with vows toward the gates,
while messages entrusted to them are poetically said to be scattered by the breezes.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Nisus tells Euryalus that if chance or deity brings him to doom, he wants
burial rites or a tomb, and does not want to cause pain to Euryalus' mother.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Euryalus refuses to change his purpose, and he and Nisus leave their post
to seek the prince.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Trojan captains hold council at night about what to do and who should
be messenger to Aeneas.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Nisus reports that the Rutulians are sunk in sleep and wine, that a path through
the sea-gate area has been spied, that the line of fires is broken, and that he
knows the valleys and river route toward Pallanteum.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Aletes interprets the presence of such brave young men as a sign that the
gods do not yet intend to destroy the Trojan race.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Ascanius asks Nisus and Euryalus to bring Aeneas back and promises cups, tripods,
gold, Dido's bowl, Turnus' horse and arms, captives, and meadow-land as rewards.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Euryalus asks Ascanius to support his mother and relieve her loneliness because
he has left without telling her of the danger or saying farewell.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Ascanius promises that Euryalus' mother will be like a mother to him and swears
that the promise will stand whatever happens.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Ascanius gives Euryalus a gold-inlaid sword in an ivory sheath; Mnestheus
gives Nisus a lion-hide spoil; Aletes exchanges his helmet; the captains send
the youths to the gates with vows.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: Ascanius gives messages for his father, but the passage says the breezes scatter
them unfulfilled to the clouds.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Nisus
description: Son of Hyrtacus; one of the two young men who volunteer for the mission
to Aeneas.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Euryalus
description: Young companion of Nisus; refuses to abandon the mission and asks protection
for his mother.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Iülus / Ascanius
description: Prince who hears the youths, asks for his father's return, promises
rewards, and pledges care for Euryalus' mother.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Aletes
description: Aged counselor who praises the youths and exchanges his helmet before
their departure.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Aeneas
description: Absent Trojan leader whom the youths are to seek and whose return is
desired by Ascanius and the council.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Euryalus' mother
description: Mother of Priam's ancient race who followed her son and is left unaware
of the danger.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Trojan captains / Dardanians
description: The council and company who hear the youths, shed tears, and send them
to the gates with vows.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Rutulians
description: Opposing force described as asleep and affected by wine, with broken
lines of fires.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Gods of the fathers
description: Ancestral gods invoked by Aletes as powers under whose deity Troy stands.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: volunteer night messenger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: They request audience and propose seeking Aeneas through the enemy lines.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: companion concerned with burial and family grief
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Nisus speaks about possible doom, burial rites, and Euryalus' mother.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: youthful petitioner for maternal care
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Euryalus asks Ascanius to support his mother if he does not return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: prince and reward-giver
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ascanius hears the proposal and promises gifts, status, captives, and land.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: son seeking father's return
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ascanius says his safety is in his father's return and begs that Aeneas be
recalled.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: aged counselor and approver
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Aletes praises the youths and later exchanges his helmet before their departure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: absent leader to be reached
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The council seeks a messenger to Aeneas, and the youths seek him in Pallanteum.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: dependent mother left behind
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: She followed her son and is left ignorant of the danger; Euryalus asks that
she be supported.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: communal witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The captains and Dardanians hear the plea, weep, and send the youths onward
with vows.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: sleeping enemy force
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Nisus says the Rutulians are silent, sunk in sleep and wine.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: divine guarantors of Trojan survival
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Aletes addresses the ancestral gods as not yet intending to blot out the
Trojan race.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: broken line of fires
literal_form: camp fires whose line is broken and whose smoke rises darkly
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: river route
literal_form: river learned through hunting and used as part of the route toward
Pallanteum
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: funeral rites and tomb
literal_form: burial, funeral rites, and grace of a tomb requested in case of death
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: promised reward objects
literal_form: silver cups, twin tripods, gold, Dido's bowl, horse, shield, plume,
captives, and meadow-land
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: gold-inlaid sword
literal_form: sword inlaid with gold, made by Lycaon of Gnosus and set in an ivory
sheath
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: lion-hide spoil and helmet
literal_form: shaggy spoils of a lion's hide and an exchanged helmet
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: scattered messages
literal_form: messages for Aeneas that the breezes scatter to the clouds unfulfilled
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Private exchange before the mission
summary: Nisus speaks of possible death, burial, and Euryalus' mother; Euryalus
refuses to turn back, and the two go to seek the prince.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Night council and mission proposal
summary: While others sleep, Trojan leaders deliberate over contacting Aeneas. Nisus
and Euryalus request an audience, and Nisus describes an opening through the enemy
camp and the route to Pallanteum.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Praise and promises
summary: Aletes praises the youths as evidence of hope for the Trojan race, and
Ascanius entreats them to restore Aeneas and promises substantial gifts and honors.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Request for the mother and armed departure
summary: Euryalus asks that his mother be supported; Ascanius promises to care for
her, gives Euryalus a sword, and the leaders equip and send the youths toward
the gates with vows and messages.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Perilous departure on a night mission
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: The youths leave their post and are formally sent from the Trojan camp to
pass through enemy lines and seek Aeneas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy label is broad; the passage presents a military embassy and
reconnaissance mission rather than an entire quest narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: Reward promised for dangerous service
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Ascanius promises valuable objects, arms, captives, land, honor, and companionship
in return for the youths' service in recalling Aeneas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The exchange is primarily political and martial patronage; any sacred
aspect is limited to the oaths and household-god invocation surrounding the promise.
- id: motif:3
label: Care for the mother of the endangered hero
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Euryalus leaves his mother unaware of the danger and asks Ascanius to support
her; Ascanius pledges that she will be like a mother to him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches this family obligation
motif.
- id: motif:4
label: Funeral provision for possible battlefield death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Nisus anticipates adverse doom and requests burial or funeral rites and a
tomb if his body cannot be recovered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the request prospectively; no death or funeral occurs
within this excerpt.
- id: motif:5
label: Youthful courage as sign of communal survival
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Aletes says the ancestral gods cannot intend to blot out the Trojan race
when they have brought forth young men with such honor and courage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an interpretive motif candidate based on Aletes' explicit speech;
it is not mapped to an available taxonomy family.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 5803-5812
quote_or_summary: Nisus says that if chance or deity brings him to adverse doom,
he wants burial or funeral rites and does not want to cause pain to Euryalus'
mother.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 5813-5817
quote_or_summary: Euryalus rejects Nisus' arguments, refuses to change his purpose,
and the two leave their post to seek the prince.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 5818-5828
quote_or_summary: At night, the Trojan captains hold council about what to do and
who should be messenger to Aeneas; Nisus and Euryalus request audience, and Iülus
bids Nisus speak.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 5828-5840
quote_or_summary: Nisus says the Rutulians are asleep and drunk, the open ground
by the sea-gate has been spied, the fires are broken, and he knows the valleys,
town outskirts, and river route toward Pallanteum.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 5841-5849
quote_or_summary: Aletes invokes the gods of the fathers and says they do not wholly
intend to blot out the Trojan race when they have produced such young honor and
sure hearts.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 5849-5868
quote_or_summary: Ascanius says his safety depends on his father's return, asks
the youths to bring Aeneas back, and promises cups, tripods, gold, Dido's bowl,
Turnus' horse and arms, captives, meadow-land, and enduring trust.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 5869-5879
quote_or_summary: Euryalus asks that his mother, who followed him and does not know
of the danger, be supported and relieved of loneliness if he goes into danger.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 5880-5890
quote_or_summary: The Dardanians weep; Ascanius promises that Euryalus' mother will
be like a mother to him, gives a gold-inlaid sword, and the leaders equip and
send the youths to the gates with vows; messages for Aeneas are scattered by the
breezes.
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: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif mapping is cautious
because the available taxonomy is broad and several prominent passage patterns
have no direct listed taxonomy reference.
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 comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly support a comparison to another text, tradition, or named motif family beyond the candidate motif classification.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg__l5803-l5890
passage_sha256=3b61010d45a58e962bb65ff65e339c67bc7949ebbe02ecdd2ad1a5148760c9a3