Comparative mythology corpus
batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3210-l3223
batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3210-l3223
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3210-l3223
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE FARMER AND THE FOX / VENUS AND THE CAT / THE CROW AND THE SWAN / THE
STAG WITH ONE EYE; lines 3210-3223
start: '3210'
end: '3223'
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: "“Misfortune often assails us from an unexpected quarter.”"
summary: A one-eyed stag grazes by the sea and watches the land for hounds, assuming
the sea poses no danger. Sailors on the water see him and shoot him with an arrow.
Dying, he reflects that ruin came from the direction he had not feared.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The stag is blind in one eye and grazes close to the sea-shore.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The stag keeps his sound eye turned toward the land to watch for hounds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The stag turns his blind eye toward the sea because he does not suspect danger
from that direction.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Sailors coasting along the shore see the stag and shoot an arrow at him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The arrow mortally wounds the stag.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: As he lies dying, the stag says he feared danger from land but ruin came from
the sea.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The stated moral says misfortune often comes from an unexpected quarter.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Stag with one eye
description: A stag blind in one eye, grazing near the sea-shore and watching the
land with his sound eye.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Sailors
description: Sailors coasting along the shore who see the stag and shoot him with
an arrow.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Hounds
description: Hounds are the danger the stag expects from the land; none are said
to attack him.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: vulnerable animal
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The stag is blind in one eye and is mortally wounded.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: misdirected watcher
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The stag watches land for hounds while leaving the sea unwatched by his blind
eye.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: unexpected attackers
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The sailors attack from the sea, the quarter from which the stag had expected
no peril.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: anticipated threat
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The stag watches the land for the approach of hounds, though no hounds assail
him in the passage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sea
literal_form: The sea beside the shore where the stag grazes and from which the
sailors come.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: land
literal_form: The landward direction watched by the stag for hounds.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: one blind eye
literal_form: The stag’s blind eye, which he turns toward the sea.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: arrow
literal_form: The arrow shot by sailors that mortally wounds the stag.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Grazing and watchfulness at the shore
summary: The one-eyed stag grazes near the sea, using his sound eye to watch the
land for hounds and leaving the seaward side unwatched.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Attack from the sea
summary: Sailors traveling along the shore see the stag and shoot him with an arrow,
mortally wounding him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Dying realization and moral
summary: The dying stag reflects that he feared the land but was ruined from the
sea; the fable states that misfortune often comes from an unexpected direction.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: misfortune from an unexpected quarter
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The narrative and explicit moral state that the stag’s ruin comes from the
direction he did not fear.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference to wisdom is broad; the passage’s explicit motif
is practical moral instruction rather than a named mythic motif family.
- id: motif:2
label: misplaced vigilance
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The stag watches the land against expected hounds but does not guard against
danger from the sea.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an inferred pattern from the sequence of actions, not an explicit
taxonomy label in the passage.
- id: motif:3
label: partial blindness and vulnerability
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The stag’s blindness in one eye determines which direction he can watch and
contributes to the fatal surprise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage treats the eye condition literally; symbolic significance
should not be overextended without comparison.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 3210-3216
quote_or_summary: A one-eyed stag grazes close to the sea-shore, turns his sound
eye toward land to watch for hounds, and turns his blind eye toward the sea because
he expects no danger there.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 3216-3219
quote_or_summary: Some sailors coasting along the shore see the stag and shoot an
arrow at him, mortally wounding him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: 3219-3222
quote_or_summary: "“I bethought me of the dangers of the land, whence none assailed
me: but I feared no peril from the sea, yet thence has come my ruin.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: '3223'
quote_or_summary: "“Misfortune often assails us from an unexpected quarter.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are candidate abstractions
from the fable and moral; no external comparison claims are made.
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 lists multiple fables, the extraction covers only “THE STAG WITH ONE EYE.”
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3210-l3223
passage_sha256=647ccadb0619efb31ecef75293c8c52f5918c110cf03ad3cb626e30bdf861d34