Comparative mythology corpus
batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4271-l4281
batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4271-l4281
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4271-l4281
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SHEEP AND THE DOG / THE SHEPHERD AND THE WOLF / THE LION, JUPITER, AND
THE ELEPHANT / THE PIG AND THE SHEEP; lines 4271-4281
start: '4271'
end: '4281'
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: '"he only wants you for wool, but he wants me for bacon."'
summary: A pig enters a meadow where sheep are grazing. A shepherd catches the pig
and carries him toward the butcher. The pig squeals and struggles, and the sheep
rebuke him because they are regularly caught without fuss. The pig replies that
the shepherd wants only wool from the sheep but bacon from him.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A pig enters a meadow where a flock of sheep are grazing.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The shepherd catches the pig and begins carrying him off toward the butcher.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The pig squeals loudly and struggles to get free.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The sheep rebuke the pig for making a fuss and say that the shepherd regularly
catches and drags them off in the same way.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The pig distinguishes his case from the sheep's by saying the shepherd wants
wool from them but bacon from him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Pig
description: A pig who finds his way into the meadow, is caught by the shepherd,
and protests because he is being taken for bacon.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Sheep
description: A flock of sheep grazing in the meadow who rebuke the pig and compare
his capture with their own regular treatment.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Shepherd
description: The person who catches the pig and carries him off toward the butcher;
the sheep say he regularly catches and drags them off as well.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Butcher
description: The intended destination for the pig when the shepherd carries him
off.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
label: captured animal facing slaughter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The pig is caught, carried toward the butcher, and says he is wanted for
bacon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: rebuking comparison group
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The sheep rebuke the pig and say they are regularly caught and dragged off
without making a fuss.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: captor and livestock handler
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The shepherd catches the pig and is described by the sheep as regularly catching
them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: implied slaughter destination
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The pig is being carried off to the butcher.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wool
literal_form: wool
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: bacon
literal_form: bacon
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: butcher
literal_form: butcher as destination
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: meadow
literal_form: meadow where sheep graze
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Pig enters sheep meadow
summary: A pig comes into a meadow occupied by grazing sheep.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Shepherd captures pig
summary: The shepherd catches the pig and carries him toward the butcher while the
pig squeals and struggles.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Sheep rebuke and pig answers
summary: 'The sheep criticize the pig''s noisy resistance by comparing it to their
own regular capture, and the pig answers that the outcomes differ: wool for them,
bacon for him.'
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: similar treatment with unequal consequences
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The sheep compare their own regular capture to the pig's capture, but the
pig explains that their consequence is loss of wool while his is slaughter for
bacon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents a practical distinction
rather than an explicit abstract doctrine.
- id: motif:2
label: animal speech revealing practical judgment
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The speaking animals debate whether the pig's alarm is justified, and the
pig's reply supplies the fable's practical distinction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: Animal speech is a genre feature of fable; the passage itself does not
name a moral.
- id: motif:3
label: domestic animal facing slaughter
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The pig is carried toward the butcher and says the shepherd wants him for
bacon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: This is a literal plot pattern in the passage, not tied to one of the
supplied motif-family taxonomy labels except indirectly through the fable's lesson.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 4271-4273
quote_or_summary: '"A Pig found his way into a meadow where a flock of Sheep were
grazing."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 4273-4275
quote_or_summary: The shepherd catches the pig and starts to carry him to the butcher;
the pig squeals loudly and struggles to get free.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 4275-4278
quote_or_summary: The sheep rebuke the pig for making a fuss and say the shepherd
regularly catches and drags them off in the same way without their protesting.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 4278-4281
quote_or_summary: 'The pig replies that the cases differ: "he only wants you for
wool, but he wants me for bacon."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The literal narrative and roles are clear. Motif labels are candidate abstractions
from a brief fable; no comparison claims are made because the supplied passage
does not itself support cross-text 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: |-
Only the provided passage and metadata were used. The supplied locator label names multiple fables, but the passage text provided for extraction is only "THE PIG AND THE SHEEP."
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l4271-l4281
passage_sha256=0a03c5025eb8902c2d0b67ef7169e34aba33e700caec4da542d4fc72aa08a8fc