Comparative mythology corpus
batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1100-l1120
batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1100-l1120
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1100-l1120
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE HORSE AND THE GROOM / THE WOLF AND THE LAMB / THE PEACOCK AND THE CRANE
/ THE CAT AND THE BIRDS; lines 1100-1120
start: '1100'
end: '1120'
translation: Aesop's Fables; a new translation
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage contains two fables. In one, a Peacock boasts of her brilliant
plumage to a Crane, who replies that the Crane can fly into the clouds while the
Peacock remains earthbound. In the other, a Cat disguises himself as a doctor
and visits sick Birds in an aviary, but the Birds refuse to admit him; the moral
states that a villain may disguise himself but will not deceive the wise.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A Peacock taunts a Crane about the dullness of the Crane's plumage and boasts
of her own brilliant colours.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Crane acknowledges the Peacock's brighter colours but contrasts this with
the Crane's ability to soar into the clouds while the Peacock is confined to the
earth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A Cat hears that Birds in an aviary are ailing.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Cat dresses as a doctor, carries professional instruments, and presents
himself at the aviary door.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The Birds answer the Cat from inside and do not let him in.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The stated moral says that a villain may disguise himself but will not deceive
the wise.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Peacock
description: A bird with brilliant colours who boasts of her plumage to the Crane.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Crane
description: A bird with duller plumage who replies that she can soar into the clouds.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Cat
description: An animal who disguises himself as a doctor and comes to the aviary
door.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Birds
description: Ailing birds in an aviary who refuse to admit the Cat.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: boastful taunter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Peacock taunts the Crane and boasts about her own brilliant colours.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: answering comparator
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Crane replies by comparing her power of flight with the Peacock's earthbound
condition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: disguised intruder
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Cat dresses as a doctor and appears at the aviary door after hearing
the Birds are ill.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: und deceived rejecters
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Birds refuse to let the disguised Cat in, and the moral says disguise
does not deceive the wise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: brilliant plumage
literal_form: The Peacock's brilliant colours and the Crane's duller plumage.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: flight into the clouds
literal_form: The Crane's ability to soar into the clouds, contrasted with the Peacock
being confined to earth.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: doctor disguise
literal_form: The Cat's medical costume and instruments.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: aviary door
literal_form: The door at which the Cat presents himself and through which the Birds
refuse to admit him.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Peacock and Crane compare qualities
summary: The Peacock mocks the Crane's dull feathers and praises her own colours;
the Crane replies that flight into the clouds is superior to the Peacock's earthbound
condition.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Cat disguised as doctor at the aviary
summary: The Cat hears that the Birds are sick, arrives dressed as a doctor with
instruments, and asks about their health, but the Birds keep him outside.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Moral of failed disguise
summary: The fable concludes that a villain may disguise himself but will not deceive
the wise.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: External beauty contrasted with useful ability
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Peacock's boast about colourful plumage is answered by the Crane's practical
advantage of flight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage frames the contrast through animal speech rather than through
an explicit moral in this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: Villainous disguise exposed by prudent victims
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- trickster_boundary
basis: The Cat disguises himself as a doctor to approach sick Birds, but they refuse
him entry; the moral states that disguise cannot deceive the wise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not state the Cat's intended harm directly; villainy
is inferred from the closing moral and the Cat's deceptive disguise.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1100-1105
quote_or_summary: A Peacock taunts a Crane for dull plumage and says her own brilliant
colours are finer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1105-1108
quote_or_summary: The Crane concedes the Peacock's gayer colours but says she can
soar into the clouds while the Peacock is confined to earth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1112-1113
quote_or_summary: A Cat hears that Birds in an aviary are ailing.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1113-1116
quote_or_summary: The Cat gets himself up as a doctor, takes medical instruments,
and presents himself at the door.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1116-1118
quote_or_summary: The Birds answer that they will do well when they have seen the
last of the Cat, and they do not let him in.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 1120
quote_or_summary: A villain may disguise himself, but he will not deceive the wise.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are candidate abstractions
from the fables and their moral; no external comparison claims are made.
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 text and metadata were used.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1100-l1120
passage_sha256=4b1032bf980dc6c7c6096903fa7667d06c599aef609c4f3e4ad1572fb6bfb007