batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1593-l1606
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1593-l1606
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE BEAR AND THE TRAVELLERS / THE SLAVE AND THE LION / THE FLEA AND THE MAN
/ THE BEE AND JUPITER; lines 1593-1606
start: '1593'
end: '1606'
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 Queen Bee brings honey from Hymettus to Olympus as a present for Jupiter.
Jupiter promises any reward; the Queen Bee asks for bees to receive stings that
can kill people who rob their honey. Jupiter, displeased because he loves mankind
but bound by his word, grants stings that remain in the wound and cause the bee
to die after stinging a man. The fable closes with the moral that evil wishes
return upon the wisher.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A Queen Bee from Hymettus flies to Olympus with fresh honey from the hive
as a present for Jupiter.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Jupiter is pleased with the gift and promises to give the Queen Bee anything
she asks for.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Queen Bee asks that bees be given stings to kill people who rob them of
honey.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Jupiter is displeased by the request because he loves mankind, but he has
given his word.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Jupiter grants bees stings, but the sting remains in a man's wound and the
bee dies after stinging.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The stated moral says that evil wishes come home to roost.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Queen Bee from Hymettus
description: A queen bee who brings fresh honey from the hive to Jupiter and asks
for stings for bees.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Jupiter
description: The recipient of the honey gift; he promises a reward, is displeased
by the request, and grants stings with a fatal condition for bees.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: bees
description: The collective group for whom the Queen Bee requests stings; they receive
stings that cause their own death when used on a man.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: mankind / people who rob honey
description: Humans are the beings Jupiter loves; the Queen Bee wants bees to be
able to kill people who rob honey.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: gift-bringer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Queen Bee brings fresh honey as a present to Jupiter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: petitioner
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: She asks Jupiter to give bees stings to kill honey-robbers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: divine recipient
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Jupiter receives the honey present and is pleased by it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: conditional grantor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Jupiter grants stings because he gave his word, but makes their use fatal
to the bee.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: recipients of dangerous gift
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Bees receive stings, but a bee dies after stinging a man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: protected mankind / intended targets
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Jupiter loves mankind, while the Queen Bee asks for power to kill people
who rob honey.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: honey gift
literal_form: fresh honey from the hive
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: sting
literal_form: bee sting left in the wound
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: Olympus
literal_form: Olympus as Jupiter's destination/place
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: hive
literal_form: the hive from which the honey comes
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Honey gift at Olympus
summary: The Queen Bee travels from Hymettus to Olympus and presents fresh hive
honey to Jupiter.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Request for lethal stings
summary: Jupiter offers a reward, and the Queen Bee asks for bees to be armed with
stings that can kill honey-robbers.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Grant that rebounds on bees
summary: Jupiter, displeased but bound by his promise, gives bees stings that remain
in the wound and cause the stinging bee to die.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Moral conclusion
summary: The fable states that evil wishes return upon those who make them.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: gift to deity followed by promised reward
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The Queen Bee gives honey to Jupiter, and Jupiter promises to grant whatever
she asks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is a fable rather than a ritual narrative; the exchange is
narrative and moralized.
- id: motif:2
label: harmful wish rebounds on the wisher
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Queen Bee asks for a lethal weapon against honey-robbers, but the granted
sting kills the bee who uses it; the moral explicitly generalizes this as evil
wishes returning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage itself frames the pattern
as a moral lesson.
- id: motif:3
label: divine grant limited by concern for mankind
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Jupiter is displeased because he loves mankind, yet fulfills his promise
in a way that prevents bees from killing without cost to themselves.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly call the grant a judgment; this is an
inferred candidate motif from Jupiter's response.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 1593-1596
quote_or_summary: A Queen Bee from Hymettus flies to Olympus with fresh honey from
the hive as a present to Jupiter.
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: 1596-1598
quote_or_summary: Jupiter is pleased with the gift and promises to give the Queen
Bee anything she asks.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 1598-1600
quote_or_summary: The Queen Bee asks for bees to receive stings so they can kill
people who rob their honey.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 1600-1602
quote_or_summary: Jupiter is displeased because he loves mankind, but he has given
his word.
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: 1602-1605
quote_or_summary: Jupiter grants stings such that when a bee stings a man, the sting
stays in the wound and the bee dies.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: '1606'
quote_or_summary: "“Evil wishes, like fowls, come home to roost.”"
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 passage. Motif assignments
are candidate-level and require review, especially 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: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used; no external comparisons were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1593-l1606
passage_sha256=818f6f13916f7e477834708aed30522edfc6dcc44310615ecccff41813a07e4d