batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2029-l2056
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2029-l2056
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SWOLLEN FOX / THE MOUSE, THE FROG, AND THE HAWK / THE BOY AND THE NETTLES
/ THE PEASANT AND THE APPLE-TREE; lines 2029-2056
start: '2029'
end: '2056'
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 is stung after lightly touching a nettle, and his mother
tells him that grasping it firmly would have prevented the sting. In another,
a peasant decides to cut down a barren apple-tree that shelters sparrows and grasshoppers,
but after discovering bees and honey inside the hollow trunk, he decides the tree
is worth keeping. The stated moral is that utility is most men's test of worth.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A boy gathers berries from a hedge and is stung on the hand by a nettle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The boy tells his mother that he only touched the nettle lightly.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The mother says the light touch is why the boy was stung and says that a firm
grasp would not have hurt him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: A peasant has an apple-tree in his garden that bears no fruit but shelters
sparrows and grasshoppers.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The peasant decides to cut down the barren apple-tree and fetches an axe.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The sparrows and grasshoppers ask the peasant to spare the tree so they will
not need to seek shelter elsewhere and so their chirping can continue to enliven
his work.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The peasant begins cutting the trunk and discovers that it is hollow and contains
bees and a large store of honey.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: After finding the bees and honey, the peasant throws down his axe and says
the old tree is worth keeping.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The passage states the moral that utility is most men's test of worth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Boy
description: A boy gathering berries who is stung by a nettle and reports the incident
to his mother.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Mother
description: The boy's mother, who explains how the nettle should have been handled.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Peasant
description: A peasant who owns or tends the garden with the apple-tree and decides
whether to cut it down.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Sparrows and grasshoppers
description: Creatures that use the apple-tree for shelter and ask the peasant to
spare it.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Bees
description: A swarm found inside the hollow apple-tree with a large store of honey.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: injured learner
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The boy is stung and receives corrective advice from his mother.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: practical adviser
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The mother interprets why the boy was stung and gives a practical rule for
handling nettles.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: valuer by use
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The peasant first values the tree negatively because it bears no fruit, then
positively after finding honey in it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: shelter-seekers
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The sparrows and grasshoppers depend on the tree for shelter and plead that
it be spared.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: hidden source of benefit
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The bees and honey hidden in the tree cause the peasant to decide it is worth
keeping.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: nettle
literal_form: Stinging nettle touched by the boy
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: apple-tree
literal_form: Barren garden apple-tree, hollow inside, sheltering animals and containing
bees and honey
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: axe
literal_form: Axe fetched and used by the peasant to cut the tree
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: honey
literal_form: Large store of honey inside the hollow apple-tree
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: The boy stung by nettles
summary: A boy gathering berries is stung by a nettle after touching it lightly,
and his mother tells him that firm handling would have avoided the pain.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: The peasant spares the apple-tree
summary: A peasant prepares to cut down a barren apple-tree despite the pleas of
the creatures sheltering in it, but he changes his mind after discovering bees
and honey inside the hollow trunk.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: practical wisdom learned through painful contact
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The boy's painful encounter with the nettle leads to a direct practical lesson
from his mother.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: This is a fable moral pattern rather than a mythic episode; the taxonomy
reference is broad.
- id: motif:2
label: hidden utility revealed in a seemingly barren tree
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The tree appears useless because it bears no fruit, but hidden bees and honey
reveal another form of value, prompting the peasant to spare it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The tree is literal and not presented as a sacred tree or world axis.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2029-2034
quote_or_summary: A boy gathering berries from a hedge is stung by a nettle and
tells his mother he only touched it lightly.
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 2034-2036
quote_or_summary: '"if you had grasped it firmly, it wouldn''t have hurt you in
the least."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2038-2044
quote_or_summary: A peasant has a fruitless apple-tree in his garden that shelters
sparrows and grasshoppers; disappointed, he fetches an axe to cut it down.
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: lines 2044-2049
quote_or_summary: The sparrows and grasshoppers beg the peasant to spare the tree,
saying they would lose shelter and he would lose their chirping.
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 2049-2054
quote_or_summary: The peasant cuts into the hollow trunk, finds bees and honey,
throws down his axe, and says the old tree is worth keeping.
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: line 2056
quote_or_summary: '"Utility is most men''s test of worth."'
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 assignment to wisdom is broad
and should be reviewed for taxonomy fit. No comparison claims were made because
the passage itself does not support a specific cross-textual comparison.
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 was used; no figures or comparisons from adjacent fables were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2029-l2056
passage_sha256=888e715523729003de6e31d6120d44d84466c581e095067ec32bc6f4bffb5091