batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2581-l2594
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2581-l2594
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE LION, THE BEAR, AND THE FOX / THE BLACKAMOOR / THE TWO SOLDIERS AND THE
ROBBER / THE LION AND THE WILD ASS; lines 2581-2594
start: '2581'
end: '2594'
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: Might makes right.
summary: A Lion and a Wild Ass hunt together with an agreed division of labor. After
a successful hunt, the Lion divides the spoil into three parts and claims all
three shares for himself, citing kingship, partnership, and finally threat of
force. The fable closes with the moral that might makes right.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A Lion and a Wild Ass go hunting together.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Wild Ass is assigned to run down the prey by speed, and the Lion is assigned
to come up and kill it.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The hunt is successful.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: When sharing the spoil, the Lion divides it into three equal portions.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The Lion claims the first portion because he is King of the beasts.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The Lion claims the second portion because he is the Wild Ass’s partner.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: The Lion threatens the Wild Ass into surrendering the third portion and leaving
quickly.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: The stated moral is “Might makes right.”
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Lion
description: A lion who hunts with the Wild Ass, claims to be King of the beasts,
divides the spoil, and takes all shares through claim and threat.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Wild Ass
description: A wild ass who hunts with the Lion and is described as having superior
speed for running down prey.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: dominant claimant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Lion claims each portion of the spoil for himself and threatens the Wild
Ass over the final portion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: king of beasts
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Lion states that he is King of the beasts as the reason for taking the
first share.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: hunting partner
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Wild Ass goes hunting with the Lion and is named by the Lion as his partner.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: coerced weaker party
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Lion threatens the Wild Ass into giving up the third share and leaving.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: lion as royal force
literal_form: Lion called King of the beasts
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: three portions of spoil
literal_form: three equal portions of hunting spoil
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: hunting spoil
literal_form: prey or spoil from the successful hunt
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Joint hunt
summary: The Lion and Wild Ass hunt together, with the Wild Ass running down prey
and the Lion dispatching it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Division of the spoil
summary: After the successful hunt, the Lion divides the spoil into three portions
and claims all of them through rank, partnership, and threat.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Stated moral
summary: The fable concludes with the explicit moral that power determines right.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: might makes right
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage explicitly ends with the moral “Might makes right,” after showing
the Lion using superior power to take the whole spoil.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage supplies a moral aphorism
rather than an esoteric or mythic wisdom episode.
- id: motif:2
label: strong partner seizes all shares
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A stronger hunting partner divides common spoil and claims every share, ending
with a threat against the weaker partner.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family precisely names this fable pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: unequal alliance in the hunt
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Lion and Wild Ass cooperate in hunting, but the alliance becomes unequal
when the Lion monopolizes the reward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage emphasizes the unjust division more than the hunting alliance
itself.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 2581-2585
quote_or_summary: A Lion and a Wild Ass go hunting together; the Wild Ass is to
run down prey by superior speed, and the Lion is to come up and dispatch it. They
meet with success.
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: 2585-2589
quote_or_summary: When sharing the spoil, the Lion divides it into three equal portions
and says he will take the first because he is King of the beasts and the second
because he is the Wild Ass’s partner.
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: 2589-2593
quote_or_summary: For the third portion, the Lion tells the Wild Ass to give it
up and leave quickly, or the third share will make him sorry.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: '2594'
quote_or_summary: "“Might makes right.”"
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: Extraction is straightforward for the supplied passage. Motif taxonomy mapping
is limited because the available motif families do not include a precise fable-type
category for coercive division of spoils. No 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: |-
Used only the provided passage and metadata. The passage text supplied begins with “THE LION AND THE WILD ASS,” despite the passage label listing several adjacent fables.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2581-l2594
passage_sha256=042fa7c5612c0766f095d225fc17984f46c05c434b77ae2d1a336a33b29f924d