batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3248-l3260
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3248-l3260
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE STAG WITH ONE EYE / THE FLY AND THE DRAUGHT-MULE / THE COCK AND THE JEWEL
/ THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD; lines 3248-3260
start: '3248'
end: '3260'
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: '"It serves me right for trusting my flock to a Wolf."'
summary: A wolf lingers near a flock without attacking. The shepherd first watches
him as a suspected enemy, then comes to regard him as a protector. When the shepherd
leaves for the city, the wolf attacks and kills many sheep. The shepherd returns
and blames himself for trusting the flock to a wolf.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A wolf stayed near a flock of sheep for a long time without molesting them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The shepherd initially watched the wolf closely because he thought the wolf
meant mischief.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: After the wolf continued not to interfere with the flock, the shepherd began
to see him as a protector rather than an enemy.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The shepherd went to the city and left the wolf with the sheep without uneasiness.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: After the shepherd left, the wolf attacked the sheep and killed the greater
number.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: When the shepherd returned, he saw the havoc and said it served him right
for trusting his flock to a wolf.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Wolf
description: A wolf that lingers near the flock, is trusted by the shepherd, and
later attacks and kills many sheep.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Shepherd
description: The keeper of the flock, who first suspects the wolf, then trusts him,
leaves for the city, and returns to find destruction.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Flock of sheep
description: The sheep watched by the shepherd and later attacked by the wolf.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: apparent non-aggressor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The wolf remains near the flock for a long time without molesting them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: attacker of the flock
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Once the shepherd leaves, the wolf attacks and kills the greater number of
the sheep.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: guardian of the flock
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The shepherd keeps watch over the wolf because of concern for the flock.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: one who misplaces trust
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The shepherd leaves the sheep with the wolf and later states that he was
wrong to trust the flock to him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: victims of attack
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The wolf attacks the sheep and kills the greater number.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wolf
literal_form: Wolf
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: flock
literal_form: Flock of sheep
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: city errand
literal_form: The shepherd’s errand to the city
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Wolf near the flock
summary: A wolf remains near the flock for a long period without attacking it, while
the shepherd initially watches him with suspicion.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Suspicion turns to trust
summary: Because the wolf continues not to meddle with the flock, the shepherd comes
to view him as a protector rather than an enemy.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Shepherd leaves the flock
summary: The shepherd goes to the city and leaves the wolf with the sheep without
worry.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Wolf attacks and shepherd recognizes error
summary: After the shepherd leaves, the wolf kills many sheep. On returning, the
shepherd sees the damage and says he deserved it for trusting the flock to a wolf.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: misplaced trust in a natural enemy
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The story presents a shepherd who comes to trust a wolf with his sheep and
then recognizes his mistake after the wolf kills many of them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference to wisdom is broad; the passage itself is a fable
with an explicit practical lesson but does not name a formal motif category.
- id: motif:2
label: false security created by delayed harm
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The wolf’s long period of inaction leads the shepherd to lower his guard
before the wolf attacks once the shepherd is absent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an inferred narrative pattern from the sequence of actions, not
an explicitly named motif in the passage.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 3248-3250
quote_or_summary: A wolf stayed near a flock of sheep for a long time and did not
attempt to molest them.
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: 3250-3252
quote_or_summary: The shepherd at first kept a sharp eye on the wolf because he
thought the wolf meant mischief.
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: summary
locator: 3252-3255
quote_or_summary: As time passed and the wolf did not meddle with the flock, the
shepherd began to regard him more as a protector than as an enemy.
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:4
type: summary
locator: 3255-3257
quote_or_summary: When an errand took the shepherd to the city, he was not uneasy
about leaving the wolf with the sheep.
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:5
type: summary
locator: 3257-3259
quote_or_summary: As soon as the shepherd’s back was turned, the wolf attacked the
sheep and killed the greater number.
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:6
type: quote
locator: 3259-3260
quote_or_summary: '"It serves me right for trusting my flock to a Wolf."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are limited to patterns
directly supported by the fable; 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. No external fable index or comparative taxonomy was consulted.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3248-l3260
passage_sha256=f65c6c1e27ee465f500461297c81b68a00a19654bb6d517fd1e4b31737bb8c46