batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1241-l1252
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1241-l1252
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: MERCURY AND THE WOODMAN / THE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION / THE LION AND THE
MOUSE / THE CROW AND THE PITCHER; lines 1241-1252
start: '1241'
end: '1252'
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: A thirsty crow finds a pitcher containing a small amount of water that
she cannot reach. She drops pebbles into the pitcher until the water rises to
the brim, allowing her to drink. The passage ends with the moral that necessity
produces invention.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage is titled 'THE CROW AND THE PITCHER.'
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A thirsty crow finds a pitcher containing some water.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The water is too low for the crow to reach with her beak.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The crow drops pebbles into the pitcher.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Each pebble makes the water rise higher until it reaches the brim.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The crow is able to quench her thirst after the water rises.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The closing moral states that necessity is the mother of invention.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Crow
description: A thirsty crow who cannot initially reach water in a pitcher and then
uses pebbles to raise the water level.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: thirsty seeker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The crow is thirsty and seeks water from the pitcher.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: inventive problem-solver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The crow uses a clever plan involving pebbles to make the water rise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: water
literal_form: water in a pitcher
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: pitcher
literal_form: pitcher containing a small amount of water
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: pebbles
literal_form: pebbles dropped into the pitcher
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Thirst beside unreachable water
summary: The crow finds water in a pitcher, but the water level is too low for her
beak to reach.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Pebbles raise the water
summary: The crow drops pebbles into the pitcher, causing the water to rise until
she can drink.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: necessity-driven invention
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The crow faces a life-threatening problem and devises a practical method
to obtain the water; the moral explicitly frames the episode as invention born
from necessity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference 'wisdom' is broad; the passage emphasizes practical
cleverness rather than formal teaching or divine wisdom.
- id: motif:2
label: small animal overcomes obstacle through clever action
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: A crow, unable to reach water directly, solves the obstacle by changing the
water level with pebbles.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents a fable episode rather than a larger mythic narrative;
motif labeling should remain at the fable-pattern level.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: '1241'
quote_or_summary: THE CROW AND THE PITCHER
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: 1243-1246
quote_or_summary: A thirsty crow finds a pitcher with a little water in it, but
cannot reach the water with her beak.
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: 1247-1251
quote_or_summary: The crow drops pebbles into the pitcher, making the water rise
until it reaches the brim and she can drink.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: '1252'
quote_or_summary: Necessity is the mother of invention.
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: The literal episode and moral are clear. Motif candidates are straightforward
but mapped only broadly to the available 'wisdom' taxonomy. No comparison claims
are made because the passage itself does not compare the episode to another corpus
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage text and metadata. The provided line label includes neighboring fable titles, but extraction is limited to the supplied 'THE CROW AND THE PITCHER' passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1241-l1252
passage_sha256=c74cb47f9669cc693ec8edccb41499e215970e74a21c5eb53a286a119d5f9fd3