batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4698-l4726
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4698-l4726
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE WILY LION / THE PARROT AND THE CAT / THE STAG AND THE LION / THE IMPOSTOR;
lines 4698-4726
start: '4698'
end: '4726'
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: In one fable, a stag fleeing hounds hides in a cave and is killed by a
lion inside. In another, a sick man vows to sacrifice one hundred oxen to the
gods if restored to health; after recovering, he offers tallow models instead,
and the gods punish him through a dream that leads him to robbers who sell him
for one hundred crowns.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A stag is chased by hounds and takes refuge in a cave.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The cave contains a lion, and the stag becomes the lion's prey.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The stag says he has escaped the dogs only to fall into the clutches of a
lion.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: A sick man vows to sacrifice one hundred oxen to the gods if they restore
him to health.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The gods cause the man to recover and observe how he will keep his vow.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The man has no oxen and makes one hundred small oxen out of tallow to offer
on an altar.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The man declares to the gods that he has discharged his vow.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The gods send the man a dream directing him to the seashore to fetch one hundred
crowns.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: At the shore, robbers seize the man, carry him off, and sell him as a slave
for one hundred crowns.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Stag
description: A stag fleeing hounds who enters a cave and is killed by a lion.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Hounds
description: Pursuers chasing the stag.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Lion
description: A lion inside the cave who kills the stag.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Sick man / impostor
description: A man who vows to sacrifice one hundred oxen, recovers, offers tallow
oxen, and is later sold as a slave.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Gods
description: Divine recipients of the man's vow who restore him, send him a dream,
and arrange a consequence for his false fulfillment.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Robbers
description: A band of robbers who seize the man and sell him as a slave.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: fugitive prey
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The stag flees hounds, seeks refuge, and is killed by the lion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: pursuers
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The hounds chase the stag.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: hidden predator
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The lion is inside the refuge cave and kills the stag.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: false vow-maker
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The man promises a sacrifice, substitutes tallow models, and claims the vow
is fulfilled.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: divine enforcers of vow
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The gods restore the man, test his vow, and send a dream leading to his punishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: captors and sellers
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The robbers seize the man and sell him as a slave.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: cave refuge
literal_form: cave
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: fire in proverb
literal_form: fire
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:3
label: vowed oxen
literal_form: one hundred oxen
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: substitute tallow oxen
literal_form: one hundred little oxen made out of tallow
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: altar offering
literal_form: altar
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: directive dream
literal_form: dream
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: one hundred crowns
literal_form: one hundred crowns
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:8
label: sea-shore destination
literal_form: sea-shore
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Stag seeks refuge and meets greater danger
summary: A stag pursued by hounds enters a cave for safety, but a lion inside kills
him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Vow made during illness
summary: A sick man promises the gods a sacrifice of one hundred oxen if they restore
him to health.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: False fulfillment of vow
summary: After recovery, the man offers one hundred tallow oxen on an altar and
declares the vow fulfilled.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Divine dream and reversal
summary: The gods send a dream sending the man to the seashore for one hundred crowns,
where robbers capture him and sell him for that amount.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: escape from lesser danger into greater danger
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The stag escapes hounds by entering a cave, but the cave contains a lion
who kills him; the appended moral names the pattern as moving from frying-pan
into fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This is a fable pattern rather than a mythic motif from the supplied taxonomy.
- id: motif:2
label: false fulfillment of a sacred vow punished
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- divine_judgment
basis: The man vows a sacrifice to the gods, substitutes tallow oxen, and is punished
through a divine dream that results in his sale for one hundred crowns.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: 'The taxonomy links are broad: the passage concerns a vow, offering, and
divine retribution, but not an elaborate mythic sacrificial rite.'
- id: motif:3
label: deceptive bargain with the gods returned against the deceiver
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
- divine_judgment
basis: The man attempts to satisfy a vow with symbolic substitutes while claiming
full discharge, and the gods respond with an apparent opportunity that leads to
his enslavement.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The man is deceitful but is not explicitly called a trickster in the passage;
'trickster_boundary' is therefore tentative.
- id: motif:4
label: dream as divine instruction leading to judgment
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The gods send a dream instructing the man to go to the seashore, which leads
to the punitive sale for one hundred crowns.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The dream is a narrative device for punishment rather than an extended
dream-vision tradition.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 4698-4701
quote_or_summary: A stag chased by hounds takes refuge in a cave, hoping to be safe
from his pursuers.
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: 4701-4702
quote_or_summary: The cave contains a lion, and the stag becomes easy prey to him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: 4702-4704
quote_or_summary: '"I am saved from the power of the dogs only to fall into the
clutches of a Lion."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 4708-4711
quote_or_summary: A very sick man vows to sacrifice one hundred oxen to the gods
if they grant him restored health.
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: 4711-4713
quote_or_summary: The gods cause the man to recover quickly in order to see how
he keeps the vow.
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: 4713-4715
quote_or_summary: Having no ox, the man makes one hundred small oxen from tallow
and offers them on an altar.
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: 4715-4716
quote_or_summary: '"Ye gods, I call you to witness that I have discharged my vow."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 4716-4720
quote_or_summary: The gods send the man a dream telling him to go to the seashore
to fetch one hundred crowns he will find there.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 4720-4723
quote_or_summary: At the shore the man meets robbers, who seize him, carry him off,
and sell him as a slave for one hundred crowns.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: quote
locator: '4706'
quote_or_summary: '"Out of the frying-pan into the fire."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:11
type: quote
locator: '4725'
quote_or_summary: '"Do not promise more than you can perform."'
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: uncertain
notes: Passage contents are straightforward. Motif taxonomy assignments are partly
broad and should be reviewed, especially for fable-specific patterns not represented
in the supplied taxonomy.
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 text was used; although the locator label names additional fables, the supplied passage includes only THE STAG AND THE LION and THE IMPOSTOR.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l4698-l4726
passage_sha256=4292155263ebde539d8be027a19c9b84307fad799fa2a73a89ed7904943f9496