Comparative mythology corpus

batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3181-l3193

batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3181-l3193

---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3181-l3193
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
  label: THE EAGLE AND THE COCKS / THE ESCAPED JACKDAW / THE FARMER AND THE FOX /
    VENUS AND THE CAT; lines 3181-3193
  start: '3181'
  end: '3193'
  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: A cat loves a young man and asks Venus to make her a woman. Venus changes
    her into a beautiful maiden, and the young man marries her. Venus later tests
    whether her habits have changed by releasing a mouse; the woman immediately chases
    it, and Venus changes her back into a cat.
  language: English
  quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
  text: A cat falls in love with a handsome young man and asks Venus to change her
    into a woman.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:2
  text: Venus changes the cat into a beautiful maiden.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: obs:3
  text: The young man falls in love with the maiden and marries her.
  category: relationship
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: obs:4
  text: Venus releases a mouse in the room to see whether the cat's habits changed
    along with her form.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
- id: obs:5
  text: The young woman forgets everything and chases the mouse immediately.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
- id: obs:6
  text: Venus is disgusted and changes the young woman back into a cat.
  category: sequence
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
  name_or_label: Cat / transformed young woman
  description: A cat who is changed by Venus into a beautiful maiden and later changed
    back into a cat.
  role_refs:
  - role:1
  - role:4
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:4
- id: fig:2
  name_or_label: Venus
  description: The goddess who changes the cat's form, tests her habits, and restores
    her to cat form.
  role_refs:
  - role:2
  - role:5
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
- id: fig:3
  name_or_label: Handsome young man
  description: A young man loved by the cat; he falls in love with the transformed
    maiden and marries her.
  role_refs:
  - role:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: fig:4
  name_or_label: Mouse
  description: A mouse released in the room by Venus; the transformed young woman
    chases it.
  role_refs:
  - role:6
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
  label: transformed animal
  assigned_to:
  - fig:1
  basis: The cat is changed into a woman and later back into a cat.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
  - ev:4
- id: role:2
  label: divine transformer
  assigned_to:
  - fig:2
  basis: Venus performs both transformations.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
  - ev:4
- id: role:3
  label: beloved and husband
  assigned_to:
  - fig:3
  basis: The cat loves him, and after the transformation he marries the maiden.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: role:4
  label: tested subject
  assigned_to:
  - fig:1
  basis: Venus tests whether the cat's habits changed with her form.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
- id: role:5
  label: divine tester
  assigned_to:
  - fig:2
  basis: Venus releases a mouse to observe the transformed cat's habits.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
- id: role:6
  label: test animal or prey
  assigned_to:
  - fig:4
  basis: The mouse is released as the object that reveals the transformed woman's
    old habit.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
  label: cat form
  literal_form: cat
  associated_figures:
  - fig:1
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:4
- id: sym:2
  label: woman form
  literal_form: beautiful maiden / young woman
  associated_figures:
  - fig:1
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
  - ev:4
- id: sym:3
  label: mouse test
  literal_form: mouse released in the room
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  - fig:4
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
  label: Petition and transformation
  summary: The cat asks Venus to become a woman; Venus changes her into a beautiful
    maiden.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  - fig:3
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:1
  - sym:2
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: scene:2
  label: Marriage to the young man
  summary: The transformed maiden is loved by the young man and marries him.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:3
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:2
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: scene:3
  label: Mouse test and reversal
  summary: Venus releases a mouse to test the maiden's habits; the maiden chases it,
    and Venus changes her back into a cat.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  - fig:4
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:1
  - sym:2
  - sym:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
  label: animal transformed into human
  taxonomy_refs:
  - shapeshifter
  basis: A cat is changed by Venus into a woman and later restored to cat form.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:4
  confidence: high
  cautions: The transformation is performed by a goddess rather than by the animal's
    own innate power.
- id: motif:2
  label: test reveals unchanged nature
  taxonomy_refs: []
  basis: Venus tests whether the cat's habits changed; the transformed woman chases
    the mouse, revealing the old habit remains.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  confidence: high
  cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly names this pattern.
- id: motif:3
  label: divine reversal after failed test
  taxonomy_refs:
  - divine_judgment
  basis: After the transformed woman chases the mouse, Venus is disgusted and changes
    her back into a cat.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
  confidence: medium
  cautions: The passage presents Venus's reaction and reversal, but does not frame
    it with formal judicial language.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
  type: summary
  locator: lines 3181-3184
  quote_or_summary: A cat falls in love with a handsome young man and begs Venus to
    change her into a woman.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:2
  type: summary
  locator: lines 3184-3187
  quote_or_summary: Venus changes the cat into a beautiful maiden; the young man falls
    in love with her and marries her.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:3
  type: summary
  locator: lines 3187-3190
  quote_or_summary: Venus decides to test whether the cat's habits changed with her
    form and releases a mouse in the room.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:4
  type: summary
  locator: lines 3190-3193
  quote_or_summary: The young woman immediately pursues the mouse; Venus is disgusted
    and changes her back into a cat.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
confidence:
  extraction: high
  motif_candidates: high
  comparison_claims: high
  notes: Extraction is based entirely on the supplied passage. No cross-text comparison
    claims were made because the passage itself does not support them.
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 fable "VENUS AND THE CAT" was analyzed, despite the broader passage label naming adjacent fables.
  batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
  custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3181-l3193
  passage_sha256=02df851d2f30c2992e6a3e6befb85dd7043b50152c2358bb273664194ae00b44