batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1415-l1424
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1415-l1424
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING / THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL / THE MILKMAID AND
HER PAIL / THE DOLPHINS, THE WHALES, AND THE SPRAT; lines 1415-1424
start: '1415'
end: '1424'
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: Dolphins and Whales quarrel and fight fiercely for some time. A Sprat attempts
to stop the battle and reconcile them, but a Dolphin rejects mediation by such
a small figure, preferring continued fighting even to death.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Dolphins quarrel with the Whales.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Dolphins and Whales begin fighting, and the battle is fierce and prolonged.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A Sprat steps in and tries to persuade the fighters to stop and make friends.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: One Dolphin answers the Sprat contemptuously.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The Dolphin says they would rather continue fighting until all are killed
than be reconciled by a Sprat.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Dolphins
description: Animal group that quarrels and fights with the Whales; one Dolphin
speaks contemptuously to the Sprat.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Whales
description: Animal group that quarrels and fights with the Dolphins.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Sprat
description: Small fish who intervenes and tries to persuade the combatants to stop
fighting and make friends.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: combatants
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The Dolphins and Whales quarrel and then fight a fierce, prolonged battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: attempted mediator
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Sprat steps in and tries to persuade the fighters to stop and make friends.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: contemptuous rejecter of mediation
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: One Dolphin dismisses reconciliation by a Sprat and prefers continued fighting.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: small mediator
literal_form: Sprat
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Prolonged battle between sea animals
summary: The Dolphins and Whales move from quarrel to fierce fighting that lasts
without sign of ending.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Rejected mediation by the Sprat
summary: A Sprat intervenes to stop the fighting and promote friendship, but a Dolphin
rejects the attempt contemptuously.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: low-status mediator rejected by powerful combatants
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Sprat attempts to reconcile the fighting Dolphins and Whales, but a Dolphin
rejects mediation specifically because it comes from a Sprat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not provide an explicit moral beyond the narrated rejection.
- id: motif:2
label: destructive pride in conflict
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Dolphin says the fighters would rather continue until all are killed
than accept reconciliation by the Sprat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The label interprets the Dolphin’s contemptuous speech as pride; the passage
itself states contempt and refusal.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 1415-1418
quote_or_summary: "“The Dolphins quarrelled with the Whales” and soon began fighting."
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 1418-1422
quote_or_summary: The battle is fierce and prolonged; a Sprat steps in and tries
to persuade them to stop fighting and make friends.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 1422-1424
quote_or_summary: A Dolphin says they would rather keep fighting until all are killed
than “be reconciled by a Sprat like you.”
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: high
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are plain
descriptive patterns without taxonomy mapping.
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: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not support a specific cross-textual or historical comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1415-l1424
passage_sha256=fb869c4e7e7534280625531df184170890d9be4801f94366895cc4c6774f032f