Comparative mythology corpus

batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l5166-l5175

batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l5166-l5175

---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l5166-l5175
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
  label: THE MAN WHO LOST HIS SPADE / THE PARTRIDGE AND THE FOWLER / THE RUNAWAY SLAVE
    / THE HUNTER AND THE WOODMAN; lines 5166-5175
  start: '5166'
  end: '5175'
  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: A hunter in a forest asks a woodman whether he has seen lion tracks or
    knows the lion's den. The woodman offers to show him the lion itself. The hunter
    becomes visibly frightened and says he only wants the tracks, not the lion.
  language: English
  quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
  text: A hunter searches in the forest for the tracks of a lion.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:2
  text: A woodman is felling a tree in the forest.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: obs:3
  text: The hunter asks whether the woodman has noticed lion footprints or knows where
    the lion's den is.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
- id: obs:4
  text: The woodman offers to show the hunter the lion itself.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
- id: obs:5
  text: The hunter turns pale, his teeth chatter, and he says he is looking only for
    the lion's tracks, not the lion.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
  name_or_label: Hunter
  description: A hunter searching for a lion's tracks who becomes frightened when
    offered a direct encounter with the lion.
  role_refs:
  - role:1
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:3
  - ev:5
- id: fig:2
  name_or_label: Woodman
  description: A woodman felling a tree who offers to show the hunter the lion itself.
  role_refs:
  - role:2
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
  - ev:4
- id: fig:3
  name_or_label: Lion
  description: A lion whose tracks, footprints, den, and possible direct presence
    are discussed.
  role_refs:
  - role:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
  label: fearful seeker
  assigned_to:
  - fig:1
  basis: The hunter searches for signs of the lion but reacts with fear when offered
    the lion itself.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:5
- id: role:2
  label: guide or informant
  assigned_to:
  - fig:2
  basis: The woodman is asked for information and offers to show the hunter the lion.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
- id: role:3
  label: sought animal
  assigned_to:
  - fig:3
  basis: The lion is the object of the hunter's search through tracks, footprints,
    den, and direct sight.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
  label: forest
  literal_form: forest
  associated_figures:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: sym:2
  label: lion tracks
  literal_form: tracks or footprints of a lion
  associated_figures:
  - fig:1
  - fig:3
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:3
  - ev:5
- id: sym:3
  label: lion's den
  literal_form: den of the lion
  associated_figures:
  - fig:3
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
- id: sym:4
  label: tree being felled
  literal_form: tree
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  taxonomy_refs:
  - tree
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
scenes:
- id: scene:1
  label: Search for lion signs in the forest
  summary: The hunter searches in the forest for lion tracks and approaches a woodman
    who is felling a tree.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  - fig:3
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:1
  - sym:2
  - sym:4
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: scene:2
  label: Offer of direct encounter and fearful refusal
  summary: The hunter asks about lion footprints or the lion's den; the woodman offers
    to show the lion itself, and the hunter fearfully declines, saying he wants only
    the tracks.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  - fig:3
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:2
  - sym:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
  label: seeker wanting signs but not the dangerous object itself
  taxonomy_refs:
  - wisdom
  basis: The hunter claims to seek the lion through its tracks and den, but refuses
    when offered direct access to the lion.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
  confidence: medium
  cautions: The available taxonomy has no exact fable-specific motif for cowardice
    or empty bravado; the wisdom label is broad.
- id: motif:2
  label: fear exposed by fulfillment of request
  taxonomy_refs:
  - wisdom
  basis: The woodman's offer to satisfy the hunter's inquiry reveals that the hunter
    does not want an actual encounter with the lion.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
  confidence: medium
  cautions: This is an interpretive motif candidate derived from the fable's action;
    no explicit moral is included in the provided passage.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
  type: summary
  locator: lines 5166-5175
  quote_or_summary: A hunter searches in the forest for the tracks of a lion.
  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 5166-5175
  quote_or_summary: The hunter sees a woodman felling a tree in the forest.
  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 5166-5175
  quote_or_summary: The hunter asks the woodman whether he has seen lion footprints
    nearby or knows where the lion's den is.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
  type: quote
  locator: lines 5166-5175
  quote_or_summary: "“If you will come with me, I will show you the lion himself.”"
  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 5166-5175
  quote_or_summary: The hunter turns pale, his teeth chatter, and he replies that
    he is looking only for the lion's tracks, not the lion.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
  extraction: high
  motif_candidates: medium
  comparison_claims: high
  notes: The passage is short and clear. Motif labeling is somewhat interpretive because
    the supplied taxonomy does not include an exact fable motif for cowardice or boastful
    fear.
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 multiple fables, the supplied passage contains only “THE HUNTER AND THE WOODMAN.”
  batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
  custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l5166-l5175
  passage_sha256=81e266cbc87f2730b6e59bae8c93e10b0814b0dc937dfda01e85e42a596245e4