batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2208-l2220
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2208-l2220
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE LION AND THE BOAR / THE WALNUT-TREE / THE MAN AND THE LION / THE TORTOISE
AND THE EAGLE; lines 2208-2220
start: '2208'
end: '2220'
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 tortoise envies birds flying in the air and asks an eagle to teach him
to fly. The eagle warns that the tortoise lacks wings, but the tortoise persists
with pleas and promises of treasure. The eagle carries him high into the sky and
releases him; the tortoise falls and is shattered on a rock.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The tortoise is discontented with his lowly life and envies birds moving in
the air.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The tortoise asks an eagle to teach him to fly.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The eagle says the attempt is idle because the tortoise has not been provided
with wings by nature.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The tortoise continues pleading and promises treasure, claiming flight is
a learnable craft of the air.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The eagle picks up the tortoise in his talons and soars to a great height
in the sky.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The eagle lets the tortoise go; the tortoise falls headlong and is dashed
to pieces on a rock.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Tortoise
description: A tortoise dissatisfied with his lowly life, envious of birds, and
seeking to learn to fly.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Eagle
description: An eagle who warns the tortoise against trying to fly, then carries
him high and releases him.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: birds
description: Birds seen by the tortoise disporting themselves in the air.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
roles:
- id: role:1
label: discontented petitioner
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The tortoise is described as discontented and begs the eagle to teach him
to fly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: reluctant helper and carrier
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The eagle protests against the request but eventually agrees and carries
the tortoise in his talons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: overreaching non-flyer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The tortoise lacks wings but insists that flight can be learned and dies
after being released in the sky.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: air
literal_form: air
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: wings
literal_form: wings
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: sky height
literal_form: great height in the sky
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: rock
literal_form: rock
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Tortoise asks to learn flight
summary: The tortoise envies birds in the air and begs the eagle to teach him to
fly.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Eagle warns against impossible flight
summary: The eagle says the tortoise's attempt is futile because nature has not
given him wings, but the tortoise persists with pleas and promises of treasure.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Ascent and fall
summary: The eagle carries the tortoise high into the sky and releases him, causing
the tortoise to fall onto a rock and be broken apart.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: failed ascent by a wingless creature
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: The tortoise, lacking wings, seeks flight, is carried high into the sky,
and dies after being released.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is a fable about animal conduct rather than a sacred or cosmological
ascent; the taxonomy match is functional and limited.
- id: motif:2
label: destructive overreaching against nature
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The tortoise ignores the eagle's warning that nature did not give him wings
and insists on learning flight, leading to his destruction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly names this fable pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: ignored warning followed by fatal consequence
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The eagle warns the tortoise that the attempt is futile, but the tortoise
persists and dies as a result.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The wisdom association is broad; the passage presents a practical warning
rather than an explicit wisdom figure or doctrine.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2208-2212
quote_or_summary: A tortoise, discontented with his lowly life and envious of birds
in the air, begs an eagle to teach him to fly.
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 2212-2214
quote_or_summary: The eagle protests that the attempt is futile because nature has
not given the tortoise wings.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2214-2217
quote_or_summary: The tortoise persists with entreaties and promises of treasure,
insisting that flight is only a craft to be learned.
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 2217-2219
quote_or_summary: The eagle consents, picks up the tortoise in his talons, and soars
with him to a great height in the sky.
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 2219-2220
quote_or_summary: The eagle lets the tortoise go; the tortoise falls headlong and
is dashed to pieces on a rock.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Passage action and figures are explicit. Motif taxonomy mapping is cautious
because available taxonomy families are broad and only partly aligned with the
fable's overreaching pattern. No comparison claims were made because the passage
itself does not support external 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 text was used; no details from adjacent fables in the locator label were extracted.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2208-l2220
passage_sha256=ca772a5983a6e1637fd0935c403d8787f1d6bb54bb830d791a107dae2b18b453