batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1202-l1219
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1202-l1219
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE OLD WOMAN AND THE DOCTOR / THE MOON AND HER MOTHER / MERCURY AND THE
WOODMAN / THE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION; lines 1202-1219
start: '1202'
end: '1219'
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: Betray a friend, and you'll often find you have ruined yourself.
summary: An Ass and a Fox forage together, encounter a Lion, and the Fox bargains
to betray the Ass in exchange for his own freedom. The Fox leads the Ass into
a hunter's hidden pit, but the Lion kills the Fox first and then eats the trapped
Ass. The stated moral warns that betraying a friend may ruin the betrayer.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: An Ass and a Fox enter a partnership and go out together to forage for food.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Ass and the Fox see a Lion approaching and become frightened.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Fox privately offers the Lion a way to seize the Ass if the Lion promises
to let the Fox go free.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Lion agrees to the Fox's proposal.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The Fox leads the Ass near a hidden pit made by a hunter as an animal trap,
and the Ass falls into it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: After the Ass is trapped, the Lion kills the Fox first and then feasts on
the Ass.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The passage ends with a moral warning that betraying a friend may ruin the
betrayer.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ass
description: A foraging companion of the Fox who is led into a hidden pit and later
eaten by the Lion.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fox
description: A foraging companion of the Ass who bargains with the Lion, betrays
the Ass, and is killed by the Lion.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Lion
description: A predator who accepts the Fox's offer, kills the Fox, and then eats
the Ass.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Hunter
description: An unnamed hunter who had dug the hidden pit as a trap for wild animals.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: foraging companion
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The Ass and Fox form a partnership and forage together.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: betrayer of companion
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Fox arranges for the Lion to get the Ass and leads the Ass into the trap.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: predator
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Lion threatens the pair and later kills the Fox and eats the Ass.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: betrayed victim
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Ass is the companion whom the Fox offers to the Lion and leads into the
pit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: participant in broken bargain
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: The Fox bargains for freedom after delivering the Ass, but the Lion kills
the Fox first.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: trap-maker
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The hidden pit is described as having been dug by a hunter as a trap for
wild animals.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: hidden pit trap
literal_form: A hidden pit dug by a hunter as a trap for wild animals.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: whispered bargain
literal_form: The Fox whispers an offer into the Lion's ear.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Foraging partnership and fear of the Lion
summary: The Ass and Fox go out together for food and become frightened when they
see a Lion approaching.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Fox bargains with the Lion
summary: The Fox privately offers to secure the Ass for the Lion in exchange for
being allowed to go free, and the Lion agrees.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Ass led into the hidden pit
summary: The Fox rejoins the Ass and leads him by a hunter's hidden pit, into which
the Ass falls.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Lion kills the betrayer and eats the victim
summary: Once the Ass is trapped, the Lion kills the Fox first and then feeds on
the Ass.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Moral of betrayal
summary: The passage states that betrayal of a friend can lead to the betrayer's
own ruin.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: betrayer destroyed by own treachery
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Fox betrays the Ass to save himself, but the Lion kills the Fox before
eating the Ass.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: This is a fable moral pattern rather than a specifically mythic motif
in the supplied taxonomy.
- id: motif:2
label: false bargain with a stronger predator
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Fox secures the Lion's promise of freedom, but after the Ass is trapped
the Lion turns on the Fox.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explicitly describe the Lion as breaking an oath,
only as acting after agreeing to the Fox's proposal.
- id: motif:3
label: companion lured into trap
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Fox rejoins the Ass and contrives to lead him by a hidden pit, where
the Ass falls in.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The trap is an existing hunter's pit rather than one created by the Fox.
- id: motif:4
label: cunning animal trickster at a dangerous boundary
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The Fox uses cunning speech and manipulation at the moment of encounter with
the Lion and at the hidden pit, crossing from partnership to betrayal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage supports trickery and
boundary-like danger, but does not frame the Fox as a sacred or cosmic trickster.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1202-1205
quote_or_summary: An Ass and a Fox enter a partnership and go out together to forage
for food.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1204-1206
quote_or_summary: They see a Lion coming toward them and are both very frightened.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 1206-1209
quote_or_summary: 'The Fox whispers to the Lion: "I''ll manage that you shall get
hold of the Ass ... if you''ll promise to let me go free."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: line 1209
quote_or_summary: The Lion agrees to the Fox's offer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1209-1213
quote_or_summary: The Fox rejoins the Ass and leads him by a hidden pit dug by a
hunter as a trap for wild animals; the Ass falls into it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1213-1217
quote_or_summary: When the Ass is caught and unable to escape, the Lion turns first
to the Fox, kills him, and then feasts on the Ass.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: line 1219
quote_or_summary: '"Betray a friend, and you''ll often find you have ruined yourself."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied fable. Motif labels
are candidate analytical summaries and should be reviewed, especially the approximate
taxonomy mapping to trickster_boundary. No comparison claims were made because
the passage itself does not support comparison to another text or tradition.
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 was used. Although the passage locator label names several adjacent fables, the provided passage text contains only 'THE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION'.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1202-l1219
passage_sha256=5fd228e78e90293bf04705841ec4759733e4b83f4adbb11eba202ff630fc60e2