batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3426-l3441
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3426-l3441
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE ASS, THE COCK, AND THE LION / THE BELLY AND THE MEMBERS / THE BALD MAN
AND THE FLY / THE ASS AND THE WOLF; lines 3426-3441
start: '3426'
end: '3441'
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 Ass sees a Wolf approaching, pretends to be lame, and asks the Wolf
to remove a thorn from his foot before eating him. When the Wolf focuses on the
supposed cure, the Ass kicks him in the mouth, breaks his teeth, and escapes.
The Wolf concludes that he should have kept to killing rather than trying to cure.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: An Ass is feeding in a meadow when he sees a Wolf in the distance.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Ass pretends to be very lame and hobbles painfully.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Ass tells the Wolf he stepped on a thorn while going through a hedge.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Ass asks the Wolf to pull out the thorn with his teeth so it will not
hurt the Wolf when he eats him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The Wolf agrees, tells the Ass to lift his foot, and focuses on removing the
thorn.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The Ass kicks the Wolf in the mouth, breaks his teeth, and runs away.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The Wolf says his father taught him to kill, and that he should have kept
to that trade instead of trying to cure.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ass
description: An Ass feeding in a meadow who feigns lameness and escapes by kicking
the Wolf.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Wolf
description: The Ass's enemy, who approaches, attempts to remove the supposed thorn,
is kicked, and reflects on his mistake.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Wolf's father
description: Mentioned by the Wolf as the one who taught him to kill.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: deceptive escape-maker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Ass feigns lameness and uses the Wolf's attention to the supposed thorn
to kick him and escape.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: intended prey
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Ass refers to the Wolf eating him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: predatory enemy
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Wolf is called the Ass's enemy, and the Ass assumes the Wolf will eat
him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: deceived would-be healer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Wolf attempts to remove the supposed thorn and later says he should not
have attempted to cure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: teacher of killing
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Wolf says his father taught him to kill.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: meadow
literal_form: A meadow where the Ass is feeding.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: thorn
literal_form: A supposed thorn in the Ass's foot.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: hedge
literal_form: The hedge through which the Ass says he went when he trod on the thorn.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: teeth
literal_form: The Wolf's teeth, used to attempt removal of the thorn and then broken
by the Ass's kick.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: kick
literal_form: The Ass's sudden kick with his heels into the Wolf's mouth.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ass sees the Wolf and feigns injury
summary: In a meadow, the Ass sees the Wolf approaching and pretends to be lame.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: The thorn request
summary: The Ass claims to have a thorn from a hedge in his foot and asks the Wolf
to remove it with his teeth before eating him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Kick and escape
summary: While the Wolf concentrates on the supposed cure, the Ass kicks him in
the mouth, breaks his teeth, and gallops away.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Wolf's reflection
summary: The Wolf concludes that he should have followed the killing trade taught
by his father rather than attempting to cure.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: feigned injury used to escape a predator
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The Ass pretends to be lame and invents a thorn so that the Wolf lowers his
guard, allowing the Ass to injure him and escape.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy does not include a specific animal-fable deception
category; 'trickster_boundary' is a broad fit based on the Ass's deceptive tactic.
- id: motif:2
label: predator harmed by departing from his proper role
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Wolf says he was taught to kill and should have kept to that trade instead
of attempting to cure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a moral or practical-wisdom pattern rather than a mythic symbol
in the narrow sense.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 3426-3441
quote_or_summary: The Ass is feeding in a meadow and sees his enemy, the Wolf, in
the distance.
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: 3426-3441
quote_or_summary: The Ass pretends to be very lame and hobbles painfully.
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: 3426-3441
quote_or_summary: The Ass says he became lame after going through a hedge and treading
on a thorn.
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: 3426-3441
quote_or_summary: The Ass asks the Wolf to remove the thorn with his teeth so it
will not stick in the Wolf's throat when the Wolf eats him.
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: 3426-3441
quote_or_summary: The Wolf agrees, tells the Ass to lift his foot, and focuses entirely
on getting out the thorn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 3426-3441
quote_or_summary: The Ass suddenly kicks the Wolf in the mouth, breaks his teeth,
and gallops away.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: 3426-3441
quote_or_summary: '"my father taught me to kill, and I ought to have stuck to that
trade instead of attempting to cure."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The narrative sequence is explicit. Motif taxonomy assignment is broad because
the available taxonomy has no exact animal-fable deception category. No comparison
claims were added because the passage itself does not establish a specific comparison.
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: |-
Extraction uses only the provided passage and metadata.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3426-l3441
passage_sha256=bd3704af50558216c0be3d541a50652075ad28b48d9d536498662b38e0bd6ca6