batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4284-l4294
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4284-l4294
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SHEPHERD AND THE WOLF / THE LION, JUPITER, AND THE ELEPHANT / THE PIG
AND THE SHEEP / THE GARDENER AND HIS DOG; lines 4284-4294
start: '4284'
end: '4294'
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: A Gardner's Dog fell into a deep well...
summary: A gardener's dog falls into a well. The gardener descends to rescue him,
but the dog mistakes the rescue attempt for an effort to drown him and bites him.
The gardener abandons the dog and remarks that he deserved the outcome for trying
to save one so determined on self-destruction.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A gardener's dog falls into a deep well used by the gardener to draw water
for garden plants.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The gardener first attempts to get the dog out by means associated with drawing
water, a rope and a bucket.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The gardener descends into the well himself to fetch the dog up.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The dog believes the gardener has come to ensure that he drowns.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The dog bites and badly hurts the gardener when the gardener comes within
reach.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The gardener leaves the dog in the well and climbs out.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The gardener says it serves him right for trying to save such a determined
suicide.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Gardener
description: The dog's master, who uses the well to draw water for garden plants
and tries to rescue the dog.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Dog
description: The gardener's dog, who falls into the well, misreads the gardener's
intent, bites him, and is left to his fate.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: master
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage identifies the gardener as the dog's master.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: rescuer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The gardener goes down into the well to fetch the dog up.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: trapped animal
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The dog has fallen into a deep well and cannot get out by the attempted means.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: mistaken attacker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The dog thinks the gardener means to drown him and bites him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: well
literal_form: deep well
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: water
literal_form: water drawn for the plants
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: rope and bucket
literal_form: rope and bucket used to draw water and attempted as rescue means
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Dog in the well
summary: The dog falls into the gardener's deep well, a place normally used for
drawing water for garden plants.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Failed rescue and bite
summary: After the rope and bucket fail, the gardener descends to rescue the dog;
the dog mistakes the act for an attempt to drown him and bites the gardener.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Abandonment and remark
summary: The injured gardener climbs out, leaves the dog to his fate, and comments
that he deserved the result for trying to save a determined suicide.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: rescuer harmed by the one being rescued
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The gardener attempts to rescue the dog from the well, but the dog bites
and injures him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: Plain fable motif label; no supplied taxonomy motif family directly matches.
- id: motif:2
label: misreading benevolent intent as hostile intent
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The dog thinks the gardener has come to make sure of drowning him, though
the gardener has descended to fetch him up.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: This is an inferred pattern from the literal sequence, not an explicit
taxonomy category.
- id: motif:3
label: abandonment after rejected aid
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After being bitten during the rescue attempt, the gardener leaves the dog
to his fate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage frames the abandonment through the gardener's remark; broader
moral interpretation should be reviewed.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 4284-4287
quote_or_summary: A gardener's dog fell into a deep well, from which the master
used to draw water for garden plants with a rope and bucket.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 4287-4288
quote_or_summary: The gardener fails to get the dog out by using the rope and bucket.
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 4288-4289
quote_or_summary: The gardener goes down into the well himself to fetch the dog
up.
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 4289-4291
quote_or_summary: The dog thinks the gardener has come to make sure of drowning
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: lines 4291-4292
quote_or_summary: The dog bites his master as soon as he comes within reach and
hurts him considerably.
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: lines 4292-4293
quote_or_summary: The gardener leaves the dog to his fate and climbs out of the
well.
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: lines 4293-4294
quote_or_summary: '"It serves me quite right for trying to save so determined a
suicide."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt quoted.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is short and the literal sequence is clear. Motif labels are
descriptive rather than tied to supplied taxonomy families. No comparison claims
are made because the passage itself does not support comparison to another tradition
or corpus.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. The available symbol taxonomy supports 'water'; other objects are recorded without taxonomy references.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l4284-l4294
passage_sha256=ec2f54ff480b3c0567a1862861344e90393239c086f94f79b037d82f676a2627