batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1971-l1994
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1971-l1994
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SHE-GOATS AND THEIR BEARDS / THE OLD LION / THE BOY BATHING / THE QUACK
FROG; lines 1971-1994
start: '1971'
end: '1994'
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: In one fable, a boy in deep river water asks a man to help before scolding
him. In another, a frog claims to be a physician able to cure all diseases, and
a fox challenges his claim by pointing to the frog's own lame legs and blotched,
wrinkled skin.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A boy is bathing in a river, gets out of his depth, and is in danger of drowning.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A man passing along a road hears the boy's cries, goes to the riverside, and
scolds him without helping.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The boy asks the man to help him first and scold him afterwards.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The stated moral says to give assistance rather than advice in a crisis.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: A frog comes from the marshes and proclaims that he is a learned physician
skilled in drugs and able to cure all diseases.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: A fox in the crowd questions how the frog can heal others when he cannot cure
his own lame legs and blemished, wrinkled skin.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The stated moral says, "Physician, heal thyself."
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Boy
description: A boy bathing in a river who gets into deep water and calls for help.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Passing man
description: A man passing along a road who hears the boy, goes to the river, and
scolds without assisting.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Frog
description: A frog from the marshes who claims to be a learned physician able to
cure all diseases, while having lame legs and blotched, wrinkled skin.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Fox
description: A fox in the crowd who challenges the frog's claim to heal others.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Crowd
description: The audience before whom the frog proclaims his medical skill; the
fox is among them.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: person in immediate danger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The boy is in deep river water and in danger of drowning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: unhelpful admonisher
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The man scolds the boy but makes no attempt to help him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: self-proclaimed healer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The frog announces himself as a learned physician able to cure all diseases.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: skeptical challenger
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The fox questions the frog's claim by referring to the frog's own visible
ailments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: public audience
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The frog proclaims his claim to all the world, with a crowd present.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: river water
literal_form: river; deep water
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: marsh home
literal_form: marshes
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: lame legs and marked skin
literal_form: lame legs; blotched and wrinkled skin
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Boy in deep water asks for rescue before reprimand
summary: A boy bathing in a river is in danger of drowning. A passing man scolds
him rather than helping, and the boy asks to be rescued before being corrected.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: Frog physician challenged by fox
summary: A frog publicly claims medical expertise and the power to cure all diseases.
A fox challenges the claim by pointing to the frog's own uncured physical defects.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: practical help preferred over advice in danger
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The fable contrasts a crisis requiring rescue with a bystander's scolding,
and its moral explicitly prioritizes assistance over advice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage gives a practical moral rather
than a mythic wisdom episode.
- id: motif:2
label: healer unable to heal himself
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The frog claims to cure all diseases, but the fox challenges him because
he has not cured his own ailments; the moral states, "Physician, heal thyself."
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the motif is a moral fable pattern rather
than a named mythological cycle.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1971-1974
quote_or_summary: A boy bathing in a river gets out of his depth and is in great
danger of drowning.
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: lines 1974-1978
quote_or_summary: A man hears the boy's cries, goes to the riverside, scolds him
for carelessness, and makes no attempt to help.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 1978-1979
quote_or_summary: '"please help me first and scold me afterwards."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: line 1981
quote_or_summary: '"Give assistance, not advice, in a crisis."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1985-1988
quote_or_summary: A frog leaves the marshes and proclaims to the world that he is
a learned physician skilled in drugs and able to cure all diseases.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1988-1992
quote_or_summary: A fox in the crowd asks how the frog can heal others when he cannot
cure his own lame legs and blotched, wrinkled skin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: line 1994
quote_or_summary: '"Physician, heal thyself."'
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: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are based on explicit
fable morals; broad taxonomy mapping to wisdom should be reviewed.
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; no external Aesop tradition or comparative claims were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1971-l1994
passage_sha256=8a966c7b1b5c25d6a481afed736d948c36dc58733240f31cfd3384e1cebd0ea0