batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2182-l2205
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2182-l2205
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE OLIVE-TREE AND THE FIG-TREE / THE LION AND THE BOAR / THE WALNUT-TREE
/ THE MAN AND THE LION; lines 2182-2205
start: '2182'
end: '2205'
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 walnut-tree by a roadside bears many nuts but is beaten with sticks and
stones by those who take its fruit, and it complains of being repaid with insults
and blows. A man and a lion dispute which is stronger; the man points to a statue
of a man strangling a lion, and the lion replies that lion-made statues would
usually show the man underneath. The passage ends with the moral that every question
has two sides.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A walnut-tree grows by the roadside and produces a plentiful yearly crop of
nuts.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: People passing by strike the walnut-tree's branches with sticks and stones
to bring down the fruit.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The walnut-tree complains that those who enjoy its fruit repay it with insults
and blows.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: A man and a lion travel together as companions and argue over which of them
is superior in strength and courage.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: At a cross-road they encounter a statue showing a man strangling a lion.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The man treats the statue as proof that humans are stronger than lions.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The lion replies that the statue reflects only the human view and that lion-made
statues would usually show the man underneath.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The stated moral is that there are two sides to every question.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Walnut-tree
description: A roadside tree that bears nuts and speaks a complaint after being
struck.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Passers-by
description: People who pass the walnut-tree and strike its branches to obtain fruit.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Man
description: A human traveler who argues with a lion and cites a statue as evidence
of human superiority.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Lion
description: A lion traveler who argues with a man and challenges the human interpretation
of the statue.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: harmed provider
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The tree provides fruit but suffers blows from those who take it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: beneficiaries who harm the provider
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Passers-by enjoy the tree's fruit while striking its branches with sticks
and stones.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: travelling disputant
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: The man and lion are companions on a journey and argue over strength and
courage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: claimant using visual evidence
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The man points to the statue as proof of human superiority.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: challenger of one-sided representation
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The lion says the statue is only the human view and imagines a contrary lion-made
representation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: roadside walnut-tree
literal_form: walnut-tree
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: fruit taken from the provider
literal_form: nuts / fruit
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: sticks and stones
literal_form: sticks and stones used to strike branches
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: cross-road
literal_form: cross-road where the travelers encounter the statue
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: statue of victory over a lion
literal_form: statue of a Man strangling a Lion
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: The walnut-tree is harmed by those taking its fruit
summary: A roadside walnut-tree produces many nuts; passers-by beat it with sticks
and stones to get the fruit, and the tree complains that its beneficiaries repay
it with violence and insult.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: The man and lion dispute a statue's meaning
summary: A man and a lion, arguing about strength and courage while traveling, reach
a cross-road with a statue of a man strangling a lion. The man cites it as proof
of human superiority, but the lion says it represents only the human side and
that lion-made statues would show the opposite outcome.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: benefactor repaid with harm
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The walnut-tree provides fruit, but those who benefit from it beat it and
cause it suffering.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: This is a fable-level ethical motif rather than a specific supplied mythological
motif family.
- id: motif:2
label: one-sided proof challenged by alternative viewpoint
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The man interprets the statue as proof of human superiority; the lion rejects
it as only the human view and imagines the reverse if lions made statues. The
explicit moral states that every question has two sides.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference to wisdom is broad and based on the didactic moral
rather than a named mythic episode.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2182-2185
quote_or_summary: A walnut-tree grows by the roadside and bears a plentiful yearly
crop of nuts.
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 2185-2188
quote_or_summary: Everyone passing by pelts the tree's branches with sticks and
stones to bring down the fruit, causing the tree to suffer.
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 2188-2190
quote_or_summary: '"the very persons who enjoy my fruit should thus reward me with
insults and blows"'
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: summary
locator: lines 2194-2198
quote_or_summary: A man and a lion journey together and boastfully argue about which
is superior in strength and courage.
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 2198-2200
quote_or_summary: At a cross-road they come upon a statue depicting a man strangling
a lion.
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 2200-2202
quote_or_summary: The man points to the statue and says it proves humans are stronger
than lions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2202-2204
quote_or_summary: The lion says the statue is only the human view and that if lions
made statues, most would show the man underneath.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: line 2205
quote_or_summary: '"There are two sides to every question."'
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. Motif labels are inferred from fable
actions and moral; no passage-supported cross-text comparison claims were 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: |-
Only the fables present in the supplied passage text were extracted; the broader locator label includes additional titles not present in the provided passage text.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2182-l2205
passage_sha256=1b3b409264e0cfff7ee0e44293a1c2b785f1f55714fec40dad3e221b354dd1ae