batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2991-l3013
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l2991-l3013
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE LION, THE MOUSE, AND THE FOX / THE TRUMPETER TAKEN PRISONER / THE WOLF
AND THE CRANE / THE EAGLE, THE CAT, AND THE WILD SOW; lines 2991-3013
start: '2991'
end: '3013'
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: An Eagle, a Cat, and a Wild Sow live with their young at different levels
of the same high tree. The Cat frightens the Eagle by claiming the Sow intends
to uproot the tree and frightens the Sow by claiming the Eagle intends to carry
off her young. The Cat then hides by day and feeds at night, while the Eagle and
Sow remain immobilized by fear until they and their families starve; their bodies
feed the Cat's family.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: An Eagle nests at the top of a high tree, a Cat and her family occupy a hollow
halfway down the trunk, and a Wild Sow with her young lives at the foot of the
tree.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Cat is described as acting with evil cunning and tells the Eagle that
the Sow intends to uproot the tree and devour both families.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Cat tells the Sow that the Eagle is waiting to carry off one of the young
pigs to feed her brood.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: After frightening both animals, the Cat returns to her hollow, pretends to
be afraid, stays inside by day, and goes out unseen at night to get food for her
kittens.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The Eagle remains afraid to leave her nest and the Sow remains afraid to leave
her home among the roots.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The Eagle, the Sow, and their families die of hunger, and their bodies provide
food for the Cat's growing family.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Eagle
description: A mother bird nesting at the top of the high tree with her family or
brood.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Cat
description: A mother cat living with her family in a hollow halfway down the tree
trunk; she frightens both neighboring mothers and later feeds her kittens.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Wild Sow
description: A mother sow living with her young at the foot of the tree among the
roots.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Eagle's family or brood
description: The Eagle's young or family in the nest; they are described as threatened
in the Cat's speech and later perish of hunger.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Cat's kittens or family
description: The Cat's young, for whom she obtains food and who are ultimately supplied
by the dead bodies of the Eagle, the Sow, and their families.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Sow's young pigs
description: The Wild Sow's young at the foot of the tree; the Cat says the Eagle
intends to carry one off, and they later perish of hunger.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: deceptive instigator
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Cat gives false or manipulative warnings to both the Eagle and the Sow,
frightening each about the other.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: frightened neighbor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:3
basis: The Eagle and the Sow are both frightened by the Cat's warnings and remain
in place.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: victim of starvation
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
basis: The Eagle, the Sow, and their families perish of hunger after fear prevents
them from leaving their dwellings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: beneficiary of the deaths
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:5
basis: The dead bodies of the Eagle, the Sow, and their families supply the Cat's
family with food.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: high tree
literal_form: A high tree with a top nest, a hollow halfway down the trunk, and
roots at the foot.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: nest
literal_form: The Eagle's nest at the top of the tree.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: hollow in the trunk
literal_form: The Cat's dwelling halfway down the tree trunk.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: roots or foot of the tree
literal_form: The Sow's home at the foot of the tree among the roots.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Three families occupy one tree
summary: The Eagle, Cat, and Wild Sow live with their young at different levels
of the same high tree.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Cat frightens the Eagle
summary: The Cat climbs to the Eagle's nest and says the Sow intends to uproot the
tree and eat the families.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Cat frightens the Sow
summary: The Cat descends and warns the Sow that the Eagle plans to carry off a
young pig to feed her brood.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Cat hides while feeding her kittens
summary: The Cat feigns fear, remains in her hollow by day, and leaves unseen by
night to get food for her kittens.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Starvation and gain from the dead
summary: The Eagle and the Sow do not leave their homes; they and their families
starve, and their bodies become food for the Cat's family.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Deceiver creates mutual fear between neighbors
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The Cat moves between the Eagle's nest and the Sow's home, telling each that
the other is dangerous, causing both to remain immobilized while the Cat benefits.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents animal
cunning rather than an explicitly mythic trickster figure.
- id: motif:2
label: False warning leads to self-destruction by inaction
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Eagle and Sow accept the Cat's warnings, avoid leaving their homes, and
perish with their families from hunger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level fable pattern rather than a supplied formal taxonomy
category.
- id: motif:3
label: Predator profits from engineered starvation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Cat's deception prevents the other animals from seeking food, and their
dead bodies later feed the Cat's growing family.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explicitly call the Cat a predator; the label describes
the outcome of her actions.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2991-2996
quote_or_summary: An Eagle has a nest at the top of a high tree, a Cat and her family
live in a hollow halfway down the trunk, and a Wild Sow with her young lives at
the foot.
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: lines 2996-3002
quote_or_summary: The Cat, described as cunning, tells the Eagle that the Sow intends
to uproot the tree and devour the Eagle's and Cat's families.
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: lines 3002-3007
quote_or_summary: The Cat tells the Sow that the Eagle is waiting for a chance to
carry off one of the little pigs to feed her brood.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 3007-3010
quote_or_summary: After frightening both animals, the Cat returns to her hole, pretends
to be afraid, stays hidden by day, and goes out unseen at night to get food for
her kittens.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 3010-3013
quote_or_summary: The Eagle is afraid to leave her nest, and the Sow is afraid to
leave the roots; both they and their families starve, and their bodies supply
food for the Cat's growing family.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction uses only the supplied passage. Motif labels are descriptive;
one taxonomy link to trickster_boundary is broad and should be reviewed.
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 comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not support a specific comparison beyond internal fable-pattern extraction.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l2991-l3013
passage_sha256=337b4620013b3c0bd016f4781585172b774279e6901d67e38ca969b3197824ba