batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l952-l964
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l952-l964
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE HUNTER AND THE WOODMAN / THE HORSE AND THE ASS / THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
/ THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGGS; lines 952-964
start: '952'
end: '964'
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: Much wants more and loses all.
summary: A man and his wife own a goose that lays one golden egg each day. Wanting
wealth faster, they kill the goose because they imagine it contains gold inside,
but find it is an ordinary goose and lose both the imagined hoard and the daily
source of wealth.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A man and his wife possess a goose that lays a golden egg every day.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The man and wife think they are not becoming rich quickly enough.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: They imagine the goose is made of gold inside and decide to kill it to obtain
all the precious metal at once.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: When they cut the goose open, they find it is like any other goose.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: They do not become rich all at once and no longer receive the daily addition
to their wealth.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The stated moral says that wanting more can cause one to lose everything.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Man
description: One of the owners of the goose.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Wife
description: One of the owners of the goose.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Goose
description: A goose that lays a golden egg every day; after being cut open, it
is found to be like any other goose.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: possessors
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The passage says the man and his wife possess the goose.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: daily producer of wealth
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The goose lays a golden egg every day.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: greedy destroyers of the source of gain
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: They want wealth faster and kill the goose to get the imagined gold inside.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: killed animal
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The goose is cut open by its owners.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: golden egg
literal_form: A Golden Egg laid every day by the goose.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: goose
literal_form: A Goose possessed by the man and wife and killed after they imagine
it contains gold.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: precious metal inside the bird
literal_form: The imagined store of gold inside the goose.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Daily golden egg
summary: The man and his wife possess a goose that lays a golden egg each day.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Decision to kill the goose
summary: The owners decide to kill the goose because they want wealth faster and
imagine the bird contains gold inside.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Loss of the source of wealth
summary: After cutting the goose open, the owners find it is ordinary and lose both
the hoped-for immediate riches and the daily gain.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: greed destroys a continuing source of benefit
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The narrative and moral present a lesson in which the owners' desire for
more immediate wealth causes them to lose their ongoing daily gain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage is a moral fable rather than
a mythic wisdom scene.
- id: motif:2
label: killing the wealth-producing animal
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The owners kill a goose that produces a golden egg each day because they
imagine it contains a store of gold, but the act ends the benefit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly matches this fable motif.
- id: motif:3
label: false inference about hidden treasure inside a living source
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The owners infer that the goose must be made of gold inside and act on that
mistaken belief.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a localized narrative pattern within the fable, not a named taxonomy
motif in the supplied list.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 952-955
quote_or_summary: "“A Man and his Wife had the good fortune to possess a Goose which
laid a Golden Egg every day.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 955-957
quote_or_summary: The man and wife begin to think they are not getting rich fast
enough.
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 957-960
quote_or_summary: They imagine the bird is made of gold inside and decide to kill
it to secure the whole store of precious metal at once.
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 960-961
quote_or_summary: When they cut it open, they find it is just like any other goose.
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 961-963
quote_or_summary: They neither become rich at once nor continue receiving the daily
addition to their wealth.
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: line 964
quote_or_summary: "“Much wants more and loses all.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The fable’s literal sequence is clear. Motif labels are descriptive and need
review because the supplied taxonomy has no precise entry for the golden-egg goose
pattern.
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: |-
No comparison claims were added because the supplied passage itself does not establish a comparison with another motif family, text, or tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l952-l964
passage_sha256=549eff8f8a05d54f74df2a741f9b28daca475c9732cfea67a7d6efe5e766bf58