batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l5178-l5192
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l5178-l5192
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE PARTRIDGE AND THE FOWLER / THE RUNAWAY SLAVE / THE HUNTER AND THE WOODMAN
/ THE SERPENT AND THE EAGLE; lines 5178-5192
start: '5178'
end: '5192'
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: An eagle attacks a serpent, but the serpent coils around him. A countryman
frees the eagle. The serpent poisons the man's drinking-horn in revenge, and the
eagle prevents the man from drinking by knocking the horn away. The fable closes
with the moral that one good turn deserves another.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: An eagle swoops down on a serpent and seizes it in his talons intending to
carry it off and eat it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The serpent coils around the eagle, producing a life-and-death struggle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A countryman witnesses the encounter and frees the eagle from the serpent.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The serpent retaliates by spitting poison into the man's drinking-horn.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The man, thirsty after exertion, is about to drink from the horn.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The eagle knocks the drinking-horn from the man's hand and spills its contents
on the ground.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The closing moral states that one good turn deserves another.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Eagle
description: A bird that attacks the serpent, is trapped by the serpent's coils,
is freed by the countryman, and later prevents the man from drinking poisoned
contents.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Serpent
description: A serpent seized by the eagle; it coils around the eagle and later
poisons the man's drinking-horn in revenge.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Countryman
description: A man who witnesses the struggle, frees the eagle, and is later protected
from drinking poison.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: attacker turned endangered figure
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The eagle attacks the serpent but then becomes caught in the serpent's coils
during a life-and-death struggle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: retaliating opponent
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The serpent responds to seizure by coiling around the eagle and later poisons
the man's drinking-horn in revenge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: rescued and reciprocal helper
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The eagle is freed by the countryman and later saves him from drinking the
poisoned contents.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: poisoning agent
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The serpent spits poison into the man's drinking-horn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: rescuer at risk
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The countryman frees the eagle and is then endangered by the poisoned drinking-horn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: serpent
literal_form: Serpent
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: poisoned drinking-horn
literal_form: drinking-horn containing poison
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: talons
literal_form: eagle's talons
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: coils
literal_form: serpent's coils around the eagle
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Eagle seizes serpent
summary: The eagle swoops down, catches the serpent in his talons, and intends to
carry it away and eat it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Serpent coils around eagle
summary: The serpent quickly coils around the eagle, and the two enter a life-and-death
struggle.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Countryman frees eagle
summary: A countryman who sees the encounter helps the eagle by freeing him from
the serpent and allowing him to escape.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Serpent poisons the horn
summary: The serpent takes revenge by spitting poison into the countryman's drinking-horn.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Eagle prevents poisoned drink
summary: As the thirsty man is about to drink, the eagle knocks the horn from his
hand and spills its contents.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: reciprocal rescue after aid given
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The countryman saves the eagle, and the eagle later saves the countryman
from drinking poison; the moral explicitly frames this as reciprocal benefit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate because the passage presents practical
reciprocity rather than an explicitly sacred exchange.
- id: motif:2
label: serpent as dangerous poisoner
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
basis: The serpent is a central figure in the conflict and uses poison to threaten
the countryman.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage treats the serpent as an animal antagonist in a fable; no
broader cosmological serpent symbolism is stated.
- id: motif:3
label: animal helper repays human aid
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The eagle, after being rescued by a human, intervenes to save that human
from the poisoned horn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly names this fable motif.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 5178-5181
quote_or_summary: An eagle swoops down on a serpent, seizes it in his talons, and
intends to carry it off and devour it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 5181-5183
quote_or_summary: The serpent quickly coils around the eagle, leading to a life-and-death
struggle between them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 5183-5186
quote_or_summary: A countryman witnesses the encounter, assists the eagle, frees
him from the serpent, and enables him to escape.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 5186-5188
quote_or_summary: In revenge, the serpent spits poison into the man's drinking-horn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 5188-5190
quote_or_summary: Heated by exertion, the man is about to quench his thirst from
the horn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 5190-5191
quote_or_summary: The eagle knocks the horn from the man's hand and spills its contents
on the ground.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: line 5192
quote_or_summary: One good turn deserves another.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from provided passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied fable. Motif taxonomy
alignment is limited because only broad taxonomy references are available; no
comparison claims are made beyond the passage.
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 supplied passage and metadata were used; comparison_claims left empty because the passage itself does not support a specific cross-text comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l5178-l5192
passage_sha256=419005c1e2e379a232b02e4c3ef26c89b175e16d589ed4194f69a8c2c7152c08