batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l7020-l7079
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg-l7020-l7079
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK NINTH / THE SIEGE OF THE TROJAN CAMP / BOOK TENTH / THE BATTLE ON THE
BEACH; lines 7020-7079
start: '7020'
end: '7079'
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: Mezentius, wounded beside the Tiber, learns that his son Lausus has died.
He laments, arms himself, speaks to his horse Rhoebus, challenges Aeneas, fights
him, is thrown when Aeneas kills the horse, and before dying asks for burial and
union with his son in the tomb.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A wounded father rests by the Tiber river, using water on his wound and leaning
against a tree-trunk.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The father repeatedly asks for Lausus and sends people to call him back.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Lausus is carried lifeless on his armour by weeping comrades.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The father soils his gray hair with dust, raises his hands, and clings to
the dead body.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The father laments that his son received the hostile stroke in his place and
that he lives by his son's death.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The father orders his horse Rhoebus to be brought despite his wound.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The father tells Rhoebus that the horse will either bring back Aeneas' head
and spoils or die with him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The father calls Aeneas three times and Aeneas moves to meet him with a spear.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The mounted father rides in circles around Aeneas and hurls multiple weapons,
which are stopped by Aeneas' shield.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Aeneas throws his spear at the war-horse, causing it to rear, throw its rider,
and fall.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The fallen warrior asks Aeneas to allow his body burial and to grant him and
his son union in the tomb.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: The warrior receives the sword in his throat, and his lifeblood spreads over
his armour.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Mezentius
description: A wounded father of Lausus, also called the Tyrrhenian, who fights
Aeneas and dies after asking for burial with his son.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Lausus
description: Mezentius' son, carried lifeless on his armour after being wounded
to death.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Aeneas
description: The Trojan hero challenged by Mezentius; he meets Mezentius in combat,
strikes the horse Rhoebus, and stands over Mezentius before his death.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Rhoebus
description: Mezentius' horse, addressed as his long-time companion in war and struck
by Aeneas in battle.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: weeping comrades
description: Comrades who carry the lifeless Lausus on his armour.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Trojans and Latins
description: Groups whose cries rise when Rhoebus falls and Mezentius is thrown.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: wounded father
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He is called the father of Lausus and is wounded while resting near the Tiber.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: grieving survivor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He laments living by his son's death and clings to the dead body.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: fallen combatant requesting burial
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After being thrown and defeated, he asks Aeneas for sepulture and union with
his son in the tomb.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:4
label: dead son
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Lausus is carried lifeless and is described by his father as having received
the hostile stroke in his place.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: opposing warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Aeneas answers Mezentius' challenge and moves to meet him in combat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: victor granting implied decision over burial
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The defeated Mezentius asks Aeneas, as the victorious enemy, to allow burial.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:7
label: war-horse companion
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Rhoebus is addressed as the horse that had carried Mezentius victoriously
out of war and is expected either to avenge Lausus or die with him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: bearers of the dead
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They carry the lifeless Lausus on his armour.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: battle witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Their cries rise when Aeneas strikes the horse and Mezentius is thrown.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: water at the wound
literal_form: water from the Tiber used to stanch a wound
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: tree-trunk support
literal_form: tree-trunk against which the wounded father rests
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: dust on gray hair
literal_form: dust placed on gray hair during grief
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: armour as bier and bloodied object
literal_form: Lausus is borne on armour; Mezentius' lifeblood later spreads over
armour
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:12
- id: sym:5
label: war-horse
literal_form: Rhoebus, Mezentius' horse
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: golden shield-boss
literal_form: boss of gold on which Mezentius' weapons are stayed
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: shared tomb
literal_form: requested burial together of father and son
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Wounded father beside the Tiber
summary: Mezentius rests by the Tiber with his wound, near his helmet and armour,
while chosen men stand around him and he asks for Lausus.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Lament over Lausus
summary: Lausus is brought lifeless on his armour; Mezentius mourns over him, blames
himself, and laments that his son died in his place.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Return to battle with Rhoebus
summary: Mezentius has his horse brought, addresses Rhoebus as a longtime companion,
and rides to seek Aeneas despite his wound.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:4
label: Mounted duel and fall
summary: Mezentius circles Aeneas and throws weapons, but Aeneas' shield stops them;
Aeneas then strikes Rhoebus, and the horse throws Mezentius as it falls.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Final request and death
summary: After falling, Mezentius rejects taunts, asks that his body be buried and
that he and Lausus be united in the tomb, then dies by the sword.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: father lives by son's sacrificial death
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
- divine_parent_child
basis: Mezentius explicitly says that Lausus received the hostile stroke in his
place and that he, the father, is saved by his son's wounds and lives by his death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents filial death in battle rather than a formal ritual
sacrifice; taxonomy alignment is interpretive and needs review.
- id: motif:2
label: grieving parent returns to battle seeking death or vengeance
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After lamenting Lausus, Mezentius orders his horse brought, says he will
avenge Lausus or die, and challenges Aeneas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly names this martial grief pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: warrior and war-horse bound in shared fate
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Mezentius tells Rhoebus that the horse will either bring back Aeneas' spoils
or die with him, and Aeneas' killing of the horse precipitates Mezentius' fall.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This is a local narrative pattern rather than a supplied taxonomy category.
- id: motif:4
label: defeated enemy requests burial
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The vanquished Mezentius asks Aeneas to allow his body sepulture and to grant
burial with his son.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not state Aeneas' response within the provided range.
- id: motif:5
label: union of father and son in the tomb
taxonomy_refs:
- annihilation_union
basis: Mezentius asks that he and Lausus be granted union in the tomb.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: low
cautions: The taxonomy reference is tentative; the passage concerns burial union
after death, not necessarily the broader motif family implied by the taxonomy
label.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 7020-7024
quote_or_summary: The wounded father is by the Tiber, stanches his wound with water,
rests against a tree-trunk, with helmet and armour nearby and chosen men around
him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 7024-7026
quote_or_summary: He repeatedly asks for Lausus and sends people to call him back
with a parent's commands.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 7026-7028
quote_or_summary: Lausus is carried lifeless on his armour by weeping comrades,
mighty and wounded to death.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 7028-7030
quote_or_summary: The father recognizes the lamentation, soils his gray hairs with
dust, raises both hands, and clings to the dead.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: 7030-7034
quote_or_summary: "“Am I, thy father, saved by these wounds of thine, and living
by thy death?”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short excerpt.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 7038-7042
quote_or_summary: Though his deep wound cripples him, Mezentius raises himself and
orders his horse to be brought.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 7042-7048
quote_or_summary: Mezentius addresses Rhoebus, saying the horse will either bring
back Aeneas' gory head and spoils to avenge Lausus, or die with him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 7048-7054
quote_or_summary: Mezentius rides in with shame, madness, and grief in his heart,
calls Aeneas three times, and Aeneas moves to meet him with a spear.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 7054-7061
quote_or_summary: Mezentius says he comes to his death, hurls multiple weapons while
circling Aeneas, and the weapons are stopped by the golden boss of Aeneas' shield.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 7061-7068
quote_or_summary: Aeneas throws his spear at the war-horse between the temples;
the horse rears, throws its rider, and falls as Trojans and Latins cry out.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: quote
locator: 7069-7077
quote_or_summary: "“allow my body sepulture... grant me and my son union in the
tomb.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/aeneid-mackail.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short excerpt.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 7077-7079
quote_or_summary: Mezentius takes the sword in his throat without wavering, and
his lifeblood spreads over his armour.
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: high
notes: The passage is explicit about the sequence of grief, renewed combat, defeat,
request for burial, and death. Motif taxonomy mapping is more tentative where
supplied categories do not directly match martial epic patterns.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata; no comparison claims added because the passage itself does not support external comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-aeneid-mackail-gutenberg__l7020-l7079
passage_sha256=f12d80471ce6964e4a5fa2e675cac8cec95bb34087edc378f8107e7a180ba04a