batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2770-l2793
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2770-l2793
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SOLDIER AND HIS HORSE / THE OXEN AND THE BUTCHERS / THE WOLF AND THE
LION / THE SHEEP, THE WOLF, AND THE STAG; lines 2770-2793
start: '2770'
end: '2793'
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 wolf steals a lamb, but a lion takes the lamb from him;
the wolf complains of injustice and the lion mocks his claim. In another fable,
a stag asks a sheep for a loan of wheat with a wolf as surety; the sheep refuses
because both the wolf and the stag are likely or able to evade repayment. The
passage ends with the moral that two wrongs do not make a right.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A wolf takes a lamb from a flock and carries it away to eat later.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A lion takes the lamb away from the wolf and leaves with it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The wolf does not resist the lion, but later complains that the lion has taken
what belongs to him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The lion laughs and questions whether the lamb was justly the wolf's property.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: A stag asks a sheep to lend him a measure of wheat and names the wolf as his
surety.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The sheep fears that the stag and wolf intend to cheat her.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The sheep refuses the loan because the wolf seizes what he wants without paying
and because both the wolf and stag can run faster than she can.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The stated moral says that two wrongs do not make a right.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: wolf in 'The Wolf and the Lion'
description: A wolf who steals a lamb from the flock and then loses it to a lion.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: lamb
description: A lamb stolen from the flock by the wolf and then taken by the lion.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: flock
description: The flock from which the lamb is stolen.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: lion
description: A lion who takes the wolf's stolen prey and mocks the wolf's complaint.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: stag
description: A stag who asks the sheep for a loan of wheat and offers the wolf as
surety.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: sheep
description: A sheep who refuses to lend wheat because she fears being cheated and
unable to collect the debt.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: wolf in 'The Sheep, the Wolf, and the Stag'
description: The wolf named by the stag as surety; the sheep describes him as one
who seizes what he wants and runs off without paying.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: taker of prey
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:4
basis: The wolf first steals the lamb; the lion later takes that prey from the wolf.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: stolen victim or prey
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The lamb is taken from the flock and carried off to be devoured.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: complainant over stolen goods
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After losing the lamb, the wolf calls the lion's act unjust and claims the
prey as his own.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: mocking stronger predator
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The lion has enough power to take the prey and laughs at the wolf's claim
of ownership.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: borrower requesting wheat
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The stag asks the sheep to lend him a measure of wheat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: suspected cheat or unreliable debtor party
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:7
basis: The sheep fears the stag and wolf mean to cheat her and notes that she could
not catch either of them when payment is due.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: cautious lender
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The sheep refuses the loan after assessing the risk posed by the stag and
wolf.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: untrustworthy surety
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The wolf is offered as surety, but the sheep says he habitually seizes what
he wants without paying.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: stolen prey
literal_form: lamb
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: measure of wheat as loaned goods
literal_form: measure of wheat
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: surety for a debt
literal_form: the wolf named as surety
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Stolen lamb taken by a stronger predator
summary: A wolf steals a lamb, but a lion takes the lamb from him; the wolf complains
and the lion ridicules the justice of the wolf's claim.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Sheep refuses a risky loan
summary: A stag asks a sheep for wheat with the wolf as surety, but the sheep refuses
because the wolf is predatory and both animals can outrun her when repayment is
due.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: stolen goods taken from the thief by a stronger figure
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The wolf steals a lamb, then the lion takes that same lamb from him; the
wolf's complaint is mocked because his own possession was unjust.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a fable pattern rather than a named mythological taxonomy item
in the supplied list.
- id: motif:2
label: refusal of credit to untrustworthy partners
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The sheep refuses to lend wheat because the proposed surety is known to take
without paying and because both the borrower and surety could evade collection.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The 'wisdom' taxonomy reference is broad; the passage supports practical
caution rather than esoteric or divine wisdom.
- id: motif:3
label: two wrongs do not make a right
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The closing moral states that two wrongs do not make a right, and the first
fable shows a thief complaining when robbed by another predator.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The moral appears after the second fable in the provided passage, but
it also fits the preceding fable; attribution to one or both fables should be
checked against the source layout.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2770-2774
quote_or_summary: A wolf steals a lamb from the flock to devour later, then meets
a lion who takes the prey and walks off with it.
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 2774-2778
quote_or_summary: The wolf does not resist but later says the lion has unjustly
taken what is his; the lion laughs and questions whether the prey was justly the
wolf's.
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 2782-2784
quote_or_summary: A stag asks a sheep to lend him a measure of wheat and says the
wolf will be his surety.
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 2784-2791
quote_or_summary: The sheep fears cheating and refuses, saying the wolf takes without
paying and both the wolf and stag can outrun her when the debt is due.
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: quote
locator: line 2793
quote_or_summary: Two blacks do not make a white.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from provided passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are candidate
fable-pattern descriptions; comparison claims are omitted because the passage
itself does not establish 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: |-
No figures, symbols, taxonomy IDs, or comparisons beyond the supplied passage and available taxonomy list have been added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2770-l2793
passage_sha256=e6ccac70885a63f824a6bae8381a4c51adb3f5b2ac7ab8d3a3ff8dbf99a49266