batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l5892-l5934
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l5892-l5934
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 5892-5934
start: '5892'
end: '5934'
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 enter the enemy camp at night, find many men asleep
after drinking, kill Rhamnes and several others, and continue slaughtering until
Nisus warns that daylight is near and vengeance is complete. Euryalus takes ornate
spoils, including Rhamnes' decorations and sword-belt and Messapus' plumed helmet,
before they leave the camp for safety.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Two attackers cross trenches and enter the enemy camp under cover of night.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The camp contains men lying asleep among chariots, horses' gear, armour, and
wine.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Nisus tells Euryalus to keep watch while he makes a path through the camp.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Nisus kills Rhamnes while Rhamnes is sleeping and also kills members of Rhamnes'
household and Remus' attendants.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Rhamnes is described as a king and Turnus' beloved augur, but his augury does
not prevent his death.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The killing is compared to a hungry lion attacking sheep in a fold.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Euryalus also kills multiple men, including Rhoetus, who had been awake and
hiding behind a large bowl.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Nisus warns Euryalus to stop because daylight is approaching and the vengeance
has been fully carried out.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: The attackers leave behind much armour, bowls, and carpets, but Euryalus takes
Rhamnes' decorations and gold-embossed sword-belt and puts on Messapus' plumed
helmet.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: After taking the spoils, the attackers leave the camp and head toward safety.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Nisus, son of Hyrtacus
description: One of the two night raiders; he directs Euryalus, kills sleeping enemies,
and later calls for the raid to stop before daylight.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Euryalus
description: The second night raider; he keeps with Nisus, kills enemies, becomes
carried away by killing, and takes ornate spoils before leaving.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Rhamnes
description: A sleeping king and augur beloved by Turnus, killed by Nisus.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Turnus
description: Named as the king to whom Rhamnes is a best-beloved augur.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Rhoetus
description: One of the men killed by Euryalus; he is awake, sees the slaughter,
and hides behind a great bowl before being stabbed.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Messapus
description: Named through his comrades, horses, and light helmet with plumes taken
by Euryalus.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: night raider
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: They cross the trenches at night, enter the enemy camp, kill men, and depart
toward safety.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: role:2
label: sleeping or vulnerable victim
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:5
basis: Rhamnes is killed while sleeping; Rhoetus sees the slaughter and hides before
being killed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: restraining companion
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Nisus warns that daylight is approaching and tells Euryalus to stop.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: spoils-taker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Euryalus takes Rhamnes' decorations and sword-belt and puts on Messapus'
helmet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: night cover
literal_form: shadow of night
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: trenches
literal_form: trenches around or before the camp
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: wine
literal_form: wine in the camp and wine mixed with blood in Rhoetus' death agony
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: gold-embossed sword-belt
literal_form: Rhamnes' sword-belt embossed with gold
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: plumed helmet
literal_form: Messapus' light helmet with graceful plumes
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: last campfires
literal_form: last flicker of the fires going down
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Entry into the sleeping camp
summary: Nisus and Euryalus cross the trenches at night and find the enemy camp
filled with men asleep among chariots, armour, and wine.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Night slaughter
summary: Nisus and Euryalus kill sleeping and vulnerable enemies, including Rhamnes
and Rhoetus, while the slaughter is likened to a hungry lion in a sheepfold.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Warning before daylight
summary: As Euryalus presses toward Messapus' comrades and the fires fade, Nisus
tells him to stop because daylight is near and vengeance is complete.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Taking spoils and departure
summary: Euryalus takes ornate spoils, including Rhamnes' sword-belt and Messapus'
helmet, and the two raiders leave the camp for safety.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: night raid through enemy camp
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage centers on two warriors entering an enemy camp at night, killing
sleeping enemies, and departing before daylight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: This is a narrative action pattern rather than one of the supplied taxonomy
motif families.
- id: motif:2
label: slaughter of sleeping enemies
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The enemies are described as asleep after drinking, and several named and
unnamed men are killed while asleep or vulnerable.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No broader mythological comparison is asserted by the passage itself.
- id: motif:3
label: warrior excess restrained before dawn
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Euryalus continues killing until Nisus warns that daylight is near and vengeance
is already complete.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The interpretation of excess is based on the passage's statement that
Euryalus is carried away by murderous desire.
- id: motif:4
label: taking ornate spoils from the defeated
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Euryalus takes Rhamnes' decorations and gold-embossed sword-belt and puts
on Messapus' plumed helmet before leaving.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The later consequence of taking the spoils is outside the provided passage
and is not included here.
- id: motif:5
label: failed protective knowledge
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Rhamnes is an augur, yet the passage states that his augury could not avert
his death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The supplied taxonomy ref 'wisdom' is only loosely applicable; the passage
emphasizes the failure of augury rather than successful wisdom.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 5892-5894
quote_or_summary: The raiders issue forth, cross the trenches, and seek the fatal
camp through the shadow of night.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 5894-5898
quote_or_summary: They see bodies lying on the grass in drunken sleep, with chariots,
traces, wheels, armour, and wine around them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 5898-5903
quote_or_summary: Nisus tells Euryalus that the moment calls for daring, asks him
to watch against attack from behind, and says he will create a broad path.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 5903-5912
quote_or_summary: Nisus kills sleeping Rhamnes, a king and Turnus' beloved augur,
then kills attendants and beheads Remus' charioteer or lord, leaving blood on
the ground and cushions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 5912-5918
quote_or_summary: The slaughter is compared to an unfed lion driven by hunger through
a full sheepfold, tearing the fearful flock with a blood-stained mouth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 5918-5925
quote_or_summary: Euryalus rages, kills an unnamed multitude and several named men;
Rhoetus, awake and hiding behind a great bowl, is stabbed and dies vomiting blood
mixed with wine.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 5925-5930
quote_or_summary: Euryalus moves toward Messapus' comrades as the last fires fade
and horses graze; Nisus warns him to stop because hostile daylight is near and
vengeance is sated.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 5930-5934
quote_or_summary: They leave many rich items behind, while Euryalus takes Rhamnes'
decorations and gold-embossed sword-belt and puts on Messapus' light plumed helmet.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: '5934'
quote_or_summary: The two leave the camp and make for safety.
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: high
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are descriptive
and mostly not mapped to the supplied taxonomy; no comparison claims are made
because the passage itself does not support an explicit cross-text comparison.
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: |-
Line references follow the user-supplied passage locator. The bracketed page or section markers in the passage were treated as part of the provided text but not as independent locators.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg__l5892-l5934
passage_sha256=098c2330e74dc0b3063a4188f90aad08b54b6e069db17966b76bc9185f4cf8b5