batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3110-l3124
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3110-l3124
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE MOUSE AND THE BULL / THE HARE AND THE HOUND / THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE
COUNTRY MOUSE / THE LION AND THE BULL; lines 3110-3124
start: '3110'
end: '3124'
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: The net is spread in vain in sight of the bird.
summary: A lion invites a bull to dine under the pretext of sacrificing a sheep.
The bull arrives at the lion's den, sees cooking preparations but no sheep, infers
that he is the intended victim, and leaves. The closing moral states that an openly
visible trap is ineffective.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A lion sees a fine fat bull pasturing among cattle and seeks a way to get
him into his clutches.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The lion sends word that he is sacrificing a sheep and invites the bull to
dine with him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The bull accepts the invitation and arrives at the lion's den.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: At the den, the bull sees saucepans and spits but no sign of a sheep.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The bull turns away and walks off quietly.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The lion asks why the bull is leaving, and the bull says the preparations
show that the victim was to be a bull, not a sheep.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The closing moral compares the situation to a net spread openly in sight of
a bird.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Lion
description: A lion who sees a fat bull, devises a means to get him into his clutches,
and invites him to dine under the claim of sacrificing a sheep.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Bull
description: A fine fat bull pasturing among cattle who accepts the lion's invitation,
observes the preparations, infers danger, and leaves.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Herd of cattle
description: The cattle among whom the bull is pasturing when the lion sees him.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Deceptive inviter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The lion sends an invitation under the stated pretext of sacrificing a sheep
while seeking to get the bull into his clutches.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: Predator or would-be killer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The lion intends to get the bull into his clutches, and the bull identifies
himself as the intended victim.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: Intended victim
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The bull concludes from the preparations that the victim was to be a bull
rather than a sheep.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: Cautious observer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The bull notices the saucepans and spits, sees no sheep, and leaves before
entering the trap.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Lion's den
literal_form: den
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Cooking preparations
literal_form: saucepans and spits
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: Claimed sacrificial sheep
literal_form: sheep
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: Bull as inferred victim
literal_form: bull
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: Visible net
literal_form: net spread in sight of a bird
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: Bird seeing the trap
literal_form: bird
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Lion notices the bull and forms a plan
summary: The lion sees a fat bull among cattle and looks for a way to get him into
his power.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Invitation under sacrificial pretext
summary: The lion tells the bull he is sacrificing a sheep and invites him to dine.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Bull inspects the den
summary: The bull arrives at the den and sees cooking equipment but no sheep.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Bull leaves and explains his inference
summary: The bull walks away and tells the lion that the preparations showed the
intended victim was a bull rather than a sheep.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Closing moral image
summary: The moral states that a net set in open view is useless against a bird
that can see it.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Trap avoided by recognizing visible signs
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The bull sees the preparations and no sheep, infers the danger, and leaves
before becoming the victim; the moral explicitly says an openly visible net is
spread in vain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference to wisdom is broad; the passage presents practical
caution rather than formal instruction.
- id: motif:2
label: False hospitality conceals predation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The lion invites the bull to dine, but the invitation functions as a means
of getting the bull into his clutches.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not show the attack occurring; the predatory intent is
inferred within the fable and voiced by the bull.
- id: motif:3
label: Sacrificial pretext masks the intended victim
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The lion claims to be sacrificing a sheep, while the bull concludes that
the intended victim was actually to be a bull.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: No actual ritual sacrifice is performed; sacrifice appears as a deceptive
pretext in the plot.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: 3110-3112
quote_or_summary: A lion saw a fine fat bull among cattle and sought means of getting
him into his clutches.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: 3112-3114
quote_or_summary: The lion sent word that he was sacrificing a sheep and invited
the bull to dine with him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: 3114-3116
quote_or_summary: The bull accepted, arrived at the lion's den, and saw saucepans
and spits but no sheep.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: 3116-3117
quote_or_summary: The bull turned on his heel and walked quietly away.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: 3117-3122
quote_or_summary: The bull says the preparations showed that the victim was to be
a bull and not a sheep.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: '3124'
quote_or_summary: "“The net is spread in vain in sight of the bird.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from public domain text.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is short and explicit. Motif labels are descriptive; taxonomy
links are 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 supplied passage does not itself support a comparison to another corpus or tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3110-l3124
passage_sha256=6b3f42ee4576f547bb9eb21a8d8a36b4ef7cf834ffcb23adcabeb515478a1214