batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l5029-l5043
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l5029-l5043
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE WITCH / THE OLD MAN AND DEATH / THE MISER / THE FOXES AND THE RIVER;
lines 5029-5043
start: '5029'
end: '5043'
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: Several foxes gather by a dangerous river to drink but hesitate. One fox
boasts that he is unafraid and steps into the water; the current carries him away.
The others ask him to return and show them a safe drinking place, but he answers
that the current is taking him to the seaside and that he will show them when
he returns.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A number of foxes assemble on the bank of a river because they want to drink.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The river current is strong, and the water appears deep and dangerous.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The foxes do not dare to drink and stand near the edge encouraging one another
not to be afraid.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: One fox claims he is not frightened and says he will step into the water to
show his bravery.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: After stepping into the water, the fox is swept off his feet by the current.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The other foxes call for the carried-away fox to return and show them where
they can drink safely.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The carried-away fox says he cannot return yet and frames his being carried
by the current as a trip to the seaside.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: group of foxes
description: A number of foxes assembled on the bank of a river wanting to drink
but afraid of the dangerous water.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: boasting fox
description: One fox who tries to shame the rest, claims not to be frightened, steps
into the water, and is carried downstream.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: hesitant observers
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The group remains at the river edge, afraid to drink, and later watches the
other fox carried downstream.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: boaster of courage
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The fox says he is not frightened and steps into the water to demonstrate
bravery.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: victim of current
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The current sweeps the fox off his feet and carries him downstream.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: river
literal_form: river with strong current and deep, dangerous-looking water
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: current
literal_form: strong river current that carries the fox downstream toward the seaside
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: seaside
literal_form: the seaside named by the carried-away fox as his destination
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: foxes hesitate at the riverbank
summary: The foxes gather at the river to drink, but the strong current and dangerous-looking
water keep them at the edge.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: boastful fox enters the river
summary: One fox declares himself unafraid, steps into the water, and is immediately
swept downstream by the current.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: carried-away fox answers the others
summary: The remaining foxes ask the carried-away fox to return and show them a
safe drinking place, but he says the current is taking him to the seaside and
that he will show them when he comes back.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: boastful courage exposed by danger
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A fox publicly claims fearlessness and enters a dangerous river, only to
be swept away by the current.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a fable-pattern motif rather than one of the supplied mythic motif-family
taxonomy refs.
- id: motif:2
label: rationalizing unavoidable misfortune
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: After being swept away, the fox presents his loss of control as though it
were an intended journey to the seaside.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The wisdom taxonomy ref is broad; the passage supports a moral or prudential
reading but does not state an explicit moral in the supplied text.
- id: motif:3
label: dangerous water boundary
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The river is a barrier to drinking because its strong current and deep, dangerous-looking
water threaten those who enter it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage uses the river as a practical hazard, not as an explicitly
sacred or underworld boundary.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 5029-5031
quote_or_summary: Foxes assemble on a riverbank wanting to drink.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief summary.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 5031-5033
quote_or_summary: The current is strong, and the water looks deep and dangerous.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief summary.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 5033-5035
quote_or_summary: The foxes do not dare to drink and encourage one another near
the edge.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief summary.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 5035-5038
quote_or_summary: '"I am not a bit frightened! See, I''ll step right into the water!"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 5038-5039
quote_or_summary: As soon as the fox enters the water, the current sweeps him off
his feet.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief summary.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 5039-5041
quote_or_summary: The other foxes call for him to return and show them where they
can drink safely.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief summary.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 5041-5043
quote_or_summary: The swept-away fox says he cannot yet return, because he wants
to go to the seaside and the current will take him there.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief summary.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are candidate analytic
descriptions; no passage-supported comparison claims were added.
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; the broader locator label mentions other fables not present in the supplied passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l5029-l5043
passage_sha256=6362792d7c8ef43dd68102da5313a44818aa6f995e23bf38f86c2b136b3c74f4