batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2293-l2316
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2293-l2316
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE TRAVELLER AND HIS DOG / THE SHIPWRECKED MAN AND THE SEA / THE WILD BOAR
AND THE FOX / MERCURY AND THE SCULPTOR; lines 2293-2316
start: '2293'
end: '2316'
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 wild boar sharpens his tusks on a tree before danger is
present and explains to a fox that there will be no time to sharpen them once
his life is threatened. In another, Mercury disguises himself as a man to learn
how humans value him, enters a sculptor's studio, asks the prices of statues of
Jupiter, Juno, and himself, and learns that his statue would be included for nothing
if the other two are bought.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A wild boar whets his tusks on the trunk of a tree in a forest.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A fox asks the boar why he is sharpening his tusks when huntsmen are not out
and no immediate danger is visible.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The boar replies that when his life is in danger he will need his tusks and
will not have time to sharpen them then.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Mercury wants to know how mankind estimates him.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Mercury disguises himself as a man and enters a sculptor's studio containing
finished statues for sale.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Mercury asks the prices of statues of Jupiter and Juno, and the sculptor gives
prices for each.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Mercury points to a statue of himself and asks its price; the sculptor says
he will include it for nothing if the other two statues are bought.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Wild Boar
description: A wild boar in the forest sharpening his tusks and explaining his reason
for doing so.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fox
description: A fox who comes by and questions the boar's sharpening of his tusks.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Mercury
description: Mercury, anxious to know his estimation among mankind, disguises himself
as a man and asks about statues in a sculptor's studio.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Sculptor
description: A sculptor who sells finished statues and gives prices for statues
of Jupiter, Juno, and Mercury.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: prepared defender
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The boar sharpens his tusks before danger because they will be needed when
his life is threatened.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: questioner of preparation
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The fox questions why the boar prepares when no huntsmen or other dangers
are visible.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: disguised seeker of reputation
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Mercury disguises himself as a man to discover how mankind values him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: appraiser and seller
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The sculptor names prices for divine statues and offers Mercury's statue
as a free addition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: tusks
literal_form: The boar's tusks, sharpened before danger appears.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: tree trunk
literal_form: A tree trunk in the forest used by the boar to whet his tusks.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: disguise as a man
literal_form: Mercury's disguise when entering the sculptor's studio.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: divine statues for sale
literal_form: Finished statues of Jupiter, Juno, and Mercury in a sculptor's studio.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: market prices of divine images
literal_form: A crown for Jupiter, half a crown for Juno, and Mercury's statue offered
for nothing with purchase of the other two.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: The boar prepares before danger
summary: In the forest, a boar sharpens his tusks on a tree. A fox questions the
need for this because no danger is visible, and the boar explains that preparation
must occur before his life is threatened.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Mercury learns the low price of his statue
summary: Mercury disguises himself as a man, visits a sculptor's studio, asks the
prices of statues of Jupiter, Juno, and himself, and is told that his own statue
would be thrown in for nothing if the other two are bought.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: preparation before crisis
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The boar sharpens his tusks before any danger is present and states that
preparation cannot wait until his life is in danger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the action and explanation but does not include a separate
explicit moral in the supplied text.
- id: motif:2
label: disguised deity seeks human valuation
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Mercury disguises himself as a man in order to learn the estimation in which
mankind holds him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes disguise, not an explicit bodily transformation;
the shapeshifter taxonomy reference is approximate and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:3
label: self-importance undercut by market appraisal
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Mercury asks the value of his own statue after hearing prices for Jupiter
and Juno, and the sculptor offers Mercury's statue for nothing with the other
two.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The interpretive label is inferred from the pricing exchange; the supplied
passage does not state an explicit lesson.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2293-2296
quote_or_summary: A wild boar whets his tusks on the trunk of a tree in the forest.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2296-2299
quote_or_summary: A fox asks why the boar is doing this when huntsmen are not out
and no other danger is visible.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2299-2302
quote_or_summary: The boar replies that when his life is in danger he will need
the tusks and will have no time to sharpen them then.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2305-2309
quote_or_summary: Mercury wants to know how mankind values him, disguises himself
as a man, and enters a sculptor's studio containing finished statues for sale.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2309-2313
quote_or_summary: Mercury asks the price of a statue of Jupiter and then one of
Juno; the sculptor prices them at a crown and half a crown.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2313-2316
quote_or_summary: Mercury asks about a statue of himself; the sculptor says he will
throw it in for nothing if the other two are bought.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied English passage.
Motif labels are candidate interpretations and require review, especially the
taxonomy mapping for Mercury's disguise.
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 four fables, the provided passage text contains two fables: THE WILD BOAR AND THE FOX and MERCURY AND THE SCULPTOR.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2293-l2316
passage_sha256=171a3ff360e3af868b318ed14a250ce87042c546dee814742d4a7e6c250cdd82