batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1622-l1644
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1622-l1644
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE BEE AND JUPITER / THE OAK AND THE REEDS / THE BLIND MAN AND THE CUB /
THE BOY AND THE SNAILS; lines 1622-1644
start: '1622'
end: '1644'
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 blind man identifies a wolf cub by touch and says that, whether wolf
or fox, it should not be trusted in a sheepfold; the stated moral is that evil
tendencies appear early. A farmer's boy gathers snails to roast, and when they
withdraw into their shells with a hissing sound, he rebukes them for whistling
while their houses burn.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The blind man is described as having a fine sense of touch that lets him identify
animals placed in his hands.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A wolf cub is placed in the blind man's hands, and he is asked to identify
it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: After feeling the cub, the blind man says he is unsure whether it is a wolf's
cub or a fox's, but that it should not be trusted in a sheepfold.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The stated moral after the first fable is that evil tendencies are shown early.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: A farmer's boy gathers snails and makes a fire to roast and eat them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: As the fire heats, the snails withdraw into their shells and make a hissing
noise.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The boy interprets the hissing as whistling and asks how the snails can whistle
while their houses are burning.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Blind Man
description: A blind man with an exceptionally fine sense of touch.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Wolf Cub
description: The cub of a wolf placed into the blind man's hands for identification.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Farmer's Boy
description: A boy who gathers snails, builds a fire, and intends to roast and eat
them.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Snails
description: Snails gathered by the boy; they withdraw into their shells and hiss
when heated.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: tactile identifier
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He can identify animals by the feel of them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: speaker of cautionary judgment
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He warns that the animal should not be trusted in a sheepfold.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: early-shown dangerous nature
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The cub is judged unsafe for a sheepfold, and the moral states that evil
tendencies are early shown.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: gatherer and roaster
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The boy gathers snails, builds a fire, and intends to eat them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: creatures threatened by fire
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The snails feel the heat, withdraw into shells, and are addressed as if their
houses are burning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: discerning touch
literal_form: sense of touch and feeling an animal by hand
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: sheepfold
literal_form: sheepfold
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: fire
literal_form: fire for roasting snails
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: shells as houses
literal_form: snails withdrawing into shells, called houses by the boy
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Blind identification and warning
summary: A wolf cub is placed in the blind man's hands; after examining it by touch,
he says he cannot distinguish whether it is wolf or fox but would not trust it
in a sheepfold.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Boy prepares to roast snails
summary: A farmer's boy gathers snails, fills both hands, and makes a fire to roast
them for food.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Snails hiss in the heat
summary: As the fire heats the snails, they withdraw into their shells and hiss;
the boy interprets the sound as whistling and rebukes them.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: early revelation of harmful nature
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The blind man judges the cub unsafe for a sheepfold, and the explicit moral
says evil tendencies are shown early.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage's explicit moral supports
a wisdom or discernment reading, but no narrower supplied taxonomy item exists.
- id: motif:2
label: discernment without sight
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The blind man lacks sight but can identify animals by touch and reaches a
practical judgment about the cub.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The fable emphasizes touch and judgment, but the stated moral focuses
more on early tendencies than on blindness itself.
- id: motif:3
label: mistaking distress for improper merriment
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The boy hears the snails' hissing under heat as whistling and rebukes them
for making merry while their shells, called houses, burn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: No explicit moral is supplied for this fable in the provided passage,
so the motif label is inferred from the narrated action and speech only.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1622-1625
quote_or_summary: The blind man has a fine sense of touch and can identify animals
placed in his hands by feeling them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 1625-1629
quote_or_summary: A wolf cub is placed in his hands; he says he is not sure whether
it is a wolf's cub or a fox's, but it would not do to trust it in a sheepfold.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation/paraphrase.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: line 1631
quote_or_summary: "“Evil tendencies are early shown.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1635-1638
quote_or_summary: A farmer's boy searches for snails, fills both hands, and makes
a fire to roast and eat them.
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 1638-1641
quote_or_summary: When the fire is well lit and the snails feel the heat, they withdraw
into their shells with their usual hissing noise.
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: lines 1641-1644
quote_or_summary: The boy says, “how can you find heart to whistle when your houses
are burning?”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied passage. Motif candidates
are limited to patterns directly supported by the two fables; no cross-tradition
comparison is 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: |-
Used only the supplied passage text and metadata. The passage locator label mentions additional fable titles not present in the supplied passage text; extraction is limited to the two included fables.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1622-l1644
passage_sha256=8b86d80e5de509e25c7f05e14967c73216c3246a16336deaa8a7f1945c086fcb