batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2611-l2622
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2611-l2622
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE TWO SOLDIERS AND THE ROBBER / THE LION AND THE WILD ASS / THE MAN AND
THE SATYR / THE IMAGE-SELLER; lines 2611-2622
start: '2611'
end: '2622'
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: "“A god for sale! a god for sale!”"
summary: A man makes a wooden image of Mercury and tries to sell it in the market
by advertising it as a god that brings luck. A bystander asks why he does not
keep such a profitable god for himself. The seller replies that the god brings
gain slowly, while he wants money immediately.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A man made a wooden image of Mercury.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The man exposed the image for sale in the market.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: No one initially offered to buy the image.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The seller tried to attract a purchaser by publicly proclaiming the image’s
virtues.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The seller advertised the image as a god who would bring luck and keep the
buyer lucky.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: A bystander asked why the seller did not keep the god for himself if the god
was as beneficial as claimed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The seller answered that the god brings gain slowly, while he wants money
immediately.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: image-seller
description: A certain man who made a wooden image of Mercury and offered it for
sale in the market.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: bystander
description: One of the bystanders who stopped the seller and questioned his claim
about the god.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: maker and seller of a divine image
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The man makes a wooden image of Mercury, offers it for sale, and advertises
it as a luck-bringing god.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: questioner of the seller’s claim
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The bystander asks why the seller does not keep the beneficial god himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wooden image of Mercury
literal_form: wooden Image of Mercury
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: market sale of a god
literal_form: a god for sale in the market
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Attempted sale in the market
summary: The image-seller displays a wooden image of Mercury for sale in the market,
but no one initially offers to buy it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Proclamation and challenge
summary: The seller proclaims the image to be a luck-bringing god. A bystander questions
why he does not keep the god himself, and the seller says he needs immediate money
though the god brings gain slowly.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divine image commodified for promised gain
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The passage centers on a wooden image of Mercury being sold as a god that
will bring luck and gain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy reference is broad; the passage is a brief fable
about sale and profit rather than a ritual exchange.
- id: motif:2
label: practical question exposes a self-contradictory claim
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The bystander’s question points out the inconsistency between the seller’s
claim that the god brings gain and his desire to sell it for immediate money.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an inferred didactic pattern from the dialogue; the passage does
not state a separate moral in the supplied text.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2611-2622
quote_or_summary: A man made a wooden image of Mercury and exposed it for sale in
the market.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary based on supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2611-2622
quote_or_summary: No one offered to buy it, so he tried to attract a purchaser by
proclaiming the image’s virtues.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary based on supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 2611-2622
quote_or_summary: "“A god for sale! a god for sale! One who'll bring you luck and
keep you lucky!”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2611-2622
quote_or_summary: A bystander asked why the seller did not keep the god and benefit
from it himself if the god was as he claimed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary based on supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: lines 2611-2622
quote_or_summary: "“he brings gain, it is true, but he takes his time about it;
whereas I want money at once.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied passage. Motif labels
are cautious because the fable is brief and the supplied taxonomy is broad. No
comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly support
comparison to another text or tradition.
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 multiple fables, the passage text contains only “THE IMAGE-SELLER.”
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2611-l2622
passage_sha256=dd88b91e93d79bc5910d0284c8285bf59a574c0e2743085749efaf33458ebd05