batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2249-l2266
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2249-l2266
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE TORTOISE AND THE EAGLE / THE KID ON THE HOUSETOP / THE FOX WITHOUT A
TAIL / THE VAIN JACKDAW; lines 2249-2266
start: '2249'
end: '2266'
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: Jupiter announces that he will choose the most beautiful bird to be king.
The birds wash and preen at a stream. The Jackdaw, considering his own plumage
ugly, attaches bright feathers dropped by the others. Jupiter is about to choose
him, but the other birds strip away the borrowed feathers and reveal him as a
jackdaw.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Jupiter announces an intention to appoint a king over the birds and sets a
day for the birds to appear before his throne.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The criterion named for selection is beauty among the birds.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The birds go to the banks of a stream and wash and preen their feathers.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The Jackdaw judges that his own plumage gives him no chance of being chosen.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: After the other birds leave, the Jackdaw picks up gaudy feathers they have
dropped and fastens them to his own body.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The birds assemble before Jupiter's throne on the appointed day.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Jupiter is about to make the Jackdaw king.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The other birds attack the king-elect, remove the borrowed plumes, and expose
him as a Jackdaw.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Jupiter
description: The figure who announces and conducts the selection of a king over
the birds.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The Jackdaw
description: A bird with described ugly plumage who adorns himself with feathers
dropped by other birds and is nearly chosen king before being exposed.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: The other birds
description: The birds who prepare for Jupiter's selection, drop feathers, assemble
before the throne, and strip the Jackdaw of borrowed plumes.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: divine selector of ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jupiter announces and nearly completes the appointment of a king over the
birds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: aspirant to kingship
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Jackdaw attempts to appear beautiful enough to be chosen and is nearly
made king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: disguised impostor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Jackdaw fastens others' gaudy feathers to his body and is later exposed
when they are removed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: rival contestants
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The other birds prepare themselves for the same selection before Jupiter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: exposers of disguise
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The other birds strip the Jackdaw of borrowed plumes and reveal him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: throne
literal_form: Jupiter's throne
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: stream
literal_form: banks of a stream
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: borrowed feathers
literal_form: gaudy feathers and borrowed plumes
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Announcement of avian kingship contest
summary: Jupiter announces that the birds are to appear before his throne so he
can select the most beautiful bird as ruler.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Preparation at the stream
summary: The birds wash and preen at a stream to look their best for the selection.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Jackdaw's borrowed adornment
summary: The Jackdaw waits until the others leave, gathers their dropped gaudy feathers,
and fastens them to his own body.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Near crowning and exposure
summary: At the assembly before Jupiter, the Jackdaw is about to be made king, but
the other birds remove the borrowed plumes and expose him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: borrowed finery exposed
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A figure uses adornments taken from others to appear superior, but the borrowed
items are removed publicly and the figure is revealed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level fable pattern; no supplied taxonomy reference
directly names it.
- id: motif:2
label: divine appointment of a bird king
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Jupiter announces that he will appoint a king over the birds and evaluates
them before his throne.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate because the passage concerns animal
fable kingship rather than human dynastic legitimacy.
- id: motif:3
label: deceptive crossing of status by disguise
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The Jackdaw attempts to cross from an unlikely candidate to king-elect by
fastening other birds' feathers to himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The Jackdaw deceives through disguise, but the passage does not explicitly
frame him as a trickster figure.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 2249-2252
quote_or_summary: Jupiter announces that he intends to appoint a king over the birds
and sets a day for them to appear before his throne, where he will select the
most beautiful as ruler.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 2253-2256
quote_or_summary: The birds go to the banks of a stream and occupy themselves with
washing and preening their feathers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 2256-2261
quote_or_summary: The Jackdaw, believing his ugly plumage will prevent his selection,
waits until the others leave, picks up gaudy dropped feathers, and fastens them
to his body.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 2261-2264
quote_or_summary: On the appointed day, the birds assemble before Jupiter's throne;
after reviewing them, Jupiter is about to make the Jackdaw king.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 2264-2266
quote_or_summary: The other birds set upon the king-elect, strip him of the borrowed
plumes, and reveal him as a Jackdaw.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied English fable passage.
Motif taxonomy mapping is partly approximate because the available taxonomy does
not include a specific borrowed-plumes or imposture motif. No comparison claims
were added because the passage itself does not support cross-text 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. Although the locator label names several fables, the extraction covers the provided text of “THE VAIN JACKDAW” only.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2249-l2266
passage_sha256=b1593b49968db2612b82d7f378d266f1d576f2d2a45a355c27e344c8dd27f0f3