batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3295-l3312
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3295-l3312
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD / THE FARMER AND THE STORK / THE CHARGER AND THE
MILLER / THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE OWL; lines 3295-3312
start: '3295'
end: '3312'
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 owl living in a hollow tree is disturbed during her daytime sleep by
a grasshopper chirping in the branches. After repeated requests fail, she uses
flattering speech and an invitation to nectar to lure him inside, then pounces
on him and eats him.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The owl lives in a hollow tree, feeds by night, and sleeps by day.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A grasshopper lives in the branches and disturbs the owl's sleep by chirping.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The owl repeatedly asks the grasshopper to consider her comfort, but he chirps
louder.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The owl decides to remove the grasshopper by means of a trick.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The owl praises the grasshopper's song, compares it to Apollo's lyre, mentions
nectar said to have been given by Minerva, and invites him inside.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The grasshopper is flattered by the praise and tempted by the drink, and he
agrees to enter.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: When the grasshopper enters the hollow, the owl pounces on him and eats him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Owl
description: An owl living in a hollow tree, feeding by night and sleeping by day;
she uses flattering speech to lure and eat the grasshopper.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Grasshopper
description: A grasshopper living in the branches; his chirping disturbs the owl,
and he is lured inside and eaten.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Apollo
description: Named in the owl's speech as the owner of a lyre whose notes are used
as a flattering comparison for the grasshopper's song.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Minerva
description: Named in the owl's speech as the giver of nectar that the owl claims
to possess.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: nocturnal sleeper by day
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The owl is described as feeding by night and sleeping by day.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: deceptive speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The owl resolves to use a trick and speaks pleasantly to lure the grasshopper.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: predator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The owl pounces on and eats the grasshopper.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: noise-maker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The grasshopper's chirping disturbs the owl's sleep and continues despite
requests.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: deceived victim
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The grasshopper is flattered and tempted by the owl's invitation, enters
the hollow, and is eaten.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: divine musical reference
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Apollo's lyre is invoked in the owl's comparison to the grasshopper's song.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: alleged divine giver
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Minerva is said by the owl to have given her nectar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: hollow tree
literal_form: A hollow tree where the owl lives and where the grasshopper is lured
inside.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: nectar
literal_form: A delicious drink the owl claims Minerva gave her, used as bait in
the invitation.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: Apollo's lyre
literal_form: A lyre named in the owl's flattering comparison of the grasshopper's
song.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Disturbed daytime sleep
summary: The owl sleeps by day in a hollow tree, while the grasshopper chirps in
the branches and disturbs her.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Failed requests and decision to trick
summary: The owl asks the grasshopper to stop disturbing her, but he chirps louder,
so she determines to get rid of him by trickery.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Flattering invitation
summary: The owl praises the grasshopper's song, invokes Apollo's lyre and Minerva's
nectar, and invites him inside.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Predation inside the hollow
summary: After the grasshopper enters the hollow, the owl pounces on him and eats
him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: deception through flattery
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The owl deliberately uses pleasing words, praise, and an attractive offer
to lure the grasshopper into danger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage contains trickery, but the available taxonomy label is broad
and not specific to animal fable flattery.
- id: motif:2
label: predator lures prey into enclosed dwelling
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The owl invites the grasshopper into her hollow and kills him once he enters.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly matches this concrete fable pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: unheeded request leads to punishment
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The owl's repeated requests for consideration are ignored, and the grasshopper
is ultimately killed by the owl's trick.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents the sequence of request, refusal, and consequence,
but does not state a separate moral in the provided text.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 3295-3301
quote_or_summary: An owl lives in a hollow tree, feeds at night, sleeps by day,
and is disturbed by a grasshopper chirping in the branches.
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 3301-3304
quote_or_summary: The owl repeatedly asks the grasshopper to consider her comfort,
but the grasshopper chirps louder.
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 3304-3310
quote_or_summary: The owl decides to use a trick, praises the grasshopper's song
as like Apollo's lyre, says she has nectar from Minerva, and invites him to join
her.
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 3310-3311
quote_or_summary: The grasshopper is flattered by the praise and tempted by the
delicious drink, so he agrees to come in.
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 3311-3312
quote_or_summary: Once the grasshopper is inside the hollow where the owl sits,
she pounces on him and eats him.
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: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif mapping is limited because the
supplied taxonomy has no exact animal-fable category for flattery and predation.
No comparison claims are made beyond the passage.
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 provided Grasshopper and Owl passage was used; the broader locator label names neighboring fables not present in the supplied passage text.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3295-l3312
passage_sha256=3f83ece28863a82f448729f4f8c3048cb76457402858f68f20e434a7dc1d4721