batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1955-l1968
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1955-l1968
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE OWL AND THE BIRDS / THE ASS IN THE LION'S SKIN / THE SHE-GOATS AND THEIR
BEARDS / THE OLD LION; lines 1955-1968
start: '1955'
end: '1968'
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: An aged lion, unable to hunt by force, pretends to be sick inside a cave
and kills animals who enter to visit him. A fox comes to the cave, suspects the
truth, speaks from outside, and refuses to enter because all footprints lead into
the cave and none lead out.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The lion is weakened by age and can no longer procure food by force.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The lion chooses cunning as a way to obtain food.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The lion goes to a cave, lies inside, and pretends to be sick.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Animals enter the cave to ask about the lion's health, and the lion springs
on them and devours them.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Many animals die in this manner before the fox arrives.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The fox calls at the cave, suspects the truth, and addresses the lion from
outside rather than entering.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The lion says he is in a very bad condition and invites the fox to come inside.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The fox refuses to enter because the footprints point toward the cave and
none point away from it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Old lion
description: An aged and weakened lion who cannot get food by force and uses a false
sickness inside a cave to catch other animals.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fox
description: A fox who comes to the cave, suspects danger, speaks from outside,
and refuses to enter after observing the footprints.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Other animals
description: Animals who enter the cave to inquire after the lion's health and are
devoured by him.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Aged predator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The lion is described as enfeebled by age and unable to procure food by force.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: Deceptive lure
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The lion feigns sickness inside the cave and invites animals inward, where
he kills them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: Cautious visitor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The fox remains outside the cave rather than entering.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: Observer of signs
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The fox bases his refusal on the direction of the footprints.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: Unwary victims
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The other animals enter the cave and are devoured.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Cave
literal_form: A cave where the lion lies inside and where animals enter but do not
return.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: Footprints
literal_form: Tracks all pointing toward the cave and none pointing away from it.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: Feigning sickness
literal_form: The lion's pretense of being sick to attract visitors.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: The lion changes from force to cunning
summary: Because age has weakened him and he cannot get food by force, the lion
decides to rely on cunning.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: The cave trap
summary: The lion lies inside a cave pretending to be sick, and animals who enter
to ask after him are killed and eaten.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: The fox stays outside
summary: A fox comes to the cave, suspects the danger, addresses the lion from outside,
and asks after his condition.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: The footprints reveal the danger
summary: After the lion invites him in, the fox refuses, explaining that the footprints
go into the cave but none come out.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Predator feigns weakness to lure victims
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The lion pretends to be sick inside a cave so that visiting animals enter
and can be devoured.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family exactly names this fable pattern.
- id: motif:2
label: Wise avoidance through reading signs
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The fox infers danger from the one-way footprints and refuses to enter the
cave.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents practical caution
rather than a formal wisdom teaching.
- id: motif:3
label: Dangerous threshold of the lair
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The cave entrance marks the difference between the outside, where the fox
remains safe, and the inside, where other animals are devoured.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an inferred structural pattern from the passage setting and actions,
not an explicit stated symbol.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1955-1957
quote_or_summary: The lion is weakened by age, cannot procure food by force, and
determines to do so by cunning.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1957-1959
quote_or_summary: The lion goes to a cave, lies down inside, and pretends to be
sick.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1959-1962
quote_or_summary: Animals who enter to ask about the lion's health are attacked
and devoured; many lose their lives this way.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1962-1964
quote_or_summary: A fox comes to the cave, suspects the truth, and speaks to the
lion from outside instead of going in.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1964-1966
quote_or_summary: The lion says he is in a very bad way and asks why the fox stands
outside, inviting him to come in.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 1966-1968
quote_or_summary: '"all the footprints point towards the cave and none the other
way"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation supplied.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are candidate analytical
groupings and should be reviewed against project taxonomy practice. No comparison
claims were made because the passage itself does not explicitly support comparison
to another tradition or corpus.
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 provided passage text was used; despite the locator label naming adjacent fables, the supplied passage text contains only THE OLD LION.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1955-l1968
passage_sha256=0696f4fbb49285dbe6fa7fef5a1fcab69447f7f7808afc40174c9449cadebf3b