batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4806-l4828
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4806-l4828
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE FOWLER, THE PARTRIDGE, AND THE COCK / THE GNAT AND THE LION / THE FARMER
AND HIS DOGS / THE EAGLE AND THE FOX; lines 4806-4828
start: '4806'
end: '4828'
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: False faith may escape human punishment, but cannot escape the divine.
summary: An eagle and a fox agree to live near each other as friends. The eagle
nests in a high tree while the fox lives below in a thicket and has cubs. When
the fox is away, the eagle takes the fox's cubs to feed her own young. The fox
curses the eagle but cannot reach her. Later, after villagers sacrifice a goat,
the eagle carries burning flesh to her nest; wind sets the nest on fire, and the
eagle's fledglings fall to the ground, where the fox devours them. The moral states
that false faith may avoid human punishment but not divine punishment.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The eagle and the fox become friends and decide to live near one another.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The eagle builds a nest at the top of a high tree, and the fox settles in
a thicket at the foot of the tree.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The fox produces a litter of cubs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: While the fox is away foraging, the eagle carries off the fox's cubs to feed
herself and her young.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The fox is furious at the eagle's treachery because she cannot reach the eagle,
and she curses her from nearby.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Villagers sacrifice a goat on a neighboring altar.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The eagle carries a piece of burning flesh to her nest.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: A strong wind causes the nest to catch fire, and the eagle's fledglings fall
half-roasted to the ground.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The fox devours the eagle's fledglings in sight of the eagle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The moral says that false faith may escape human punishment but cannot escape
the divine.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Eagle
description: A bird who befriends the fox, nests in a high tree, steals the fox's
cubs, and later loses her own young when her nest burns.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fox
description: An animal who befriends the eagle, lives below the eagle's tree, bears
cubs, curses the eagle after the cubs are taken, and later devours the eagle's
fallen fledglings.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Fox's cubs
description: The fox's litter, carried off by the eagle as food for the eagle and
her family.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Eagle's fledglings
description: The eagle's young, in the nest when it catches fire; they fall to the
ground and are devoured by the fox.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Villagers
description: People sacrificing a goat on a neighboring altar before the eagle carries
away burning flesh.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: neighboring friend
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The eagle and fox become friends and decide to live near one another.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: betrayer of friendship
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The eagle takes the fox's cubs for food after establishing friendship and
proximity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: wronged parent
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The fox returns to find her cubs taken and reacts with fury.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: avenger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The fox devours the eagle's fallen fledglings after the nest burns.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: punished wrongdoer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After taking the fox's cubs, the eagle's own young are destroyed following
the burning-flesh incident; the moral frames this as divine punishment for false
faith.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: offspring victim
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: Both the fox's cubs and the eagle's fledglings are taken or devoured as food.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: sacrificers
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The villagers are described as sacrificing a goat on a neighboring altar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: high tree
literal_form: tree holding the eagle's nest above the fox's thicket
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: fire in the nest
literal_form: burning flesh and nest fire caused by wind
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: altar sacrifice
literal_form: villagers sacrificing a goat on a neighboring altar
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: cubs and fledglings as reciprocal prey
literal_form: fox's cubs taken by the eagle and eagle's fledglings devoured by the
fox
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Friendship and neighboring dwellings
summary: The eagle and fox become friends, decide to live near each other, and establish
homes in a high tree and a thicket at its foot.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Eagle seizes the fox's cubs
summary: While the fox is away foraging, the eagle takes the fox's cubs up into
the tree as food for herself and her family.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Fox curses the inaccessible eagle
summary: The fox returns, discovers the loss, cannot reach the eagle, and curses
her from nearby.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Sacrificial fire reaches the eagle's nest
summary: Villagers sacrifice a goat; the eagle carries burning flesh to her nest,
and wind causes the nest to burn so that the fledglings fall to the ground.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Fox devours the fallen fledglings
summary: The fox eats the eagle's fledglings in full sight of the eagle.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Moral of divine punishment
summary: The moral states that false faith may escape human punishment but not divine
punishment.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: betrayed pact of friendship punished
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The eagle violates friendship by taking the fox's cubs; the eagle's own young
then die through the burning nest, and the moral explicitly says false faith cannot
escape divine punishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The narrative does not show a named deity acting; the divine framing is
supplied by the stated moral.
- id: motif:2
label: reciprocal loss of offspring as revenge
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The eagle takes the fox's cubs for food, and later the fox devours the eagle's
fledglings after they fall from the burning nest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-specific pattern without a supplied taxonomy reference.
- id: motif:3
label: sacrifice-associated fire as instrument of reversal
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: A goat sacrifice on an altar provides the burning flesh that the eagle carries
to her nest, leading to the fire that destroys her young.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The sacrifice is literal in the plot, but the passage does not state that
the sacrificial act itself intentionally judges the eagle.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 4806-4812
quote_or_summary: The eagle and fox become friends, choose to live near each other,
the eagle nests in a high tree, and the fox lives in a thicket below and has cubs.
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 4812-4816
quote_or_summary: While the fox is away foraging, the eagle takes the fox's cubs
up into the tree as a meal for herself and her family.
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 4816-4819
quote_or_summary: The fox returns, learns what happened, is furious at the eagle's
treachery because she cannot reach her, and sits nearby cursing 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 4819-4824
quote_or_summary: Villagers sacrifice a goat on a neighboring altar; the eagle carries
burning flesh to her nest, wind ignites the nest, and the fledglings fall half-roasted
to the ground.
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 4824-4825
quote_or_summary: The fox runs to the fallen fledglings and devours them in the
eagle's sight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 4827-4828
quote_or_summary: False faith may escape human punishment, but cannot escape the
divine.
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: Literal sequence is clear in the provided passage. Motif mapping is limited
to available taxonomy references and the explicit moral; no external comparisons
are asserted.
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 text and metadata. Comparison claims left empty because no specific intertextual or cross-traditional comparison is supported by the passage itself.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l4806-l4828
passage_sha256=754c4bcaa5aea1b0eb73d16519ba142090806f7eefa01f7960219fd0428f0ae9