batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l967-l984
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l967-l984
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE HORSE AND THE ASS / THE FOX AND THE GRAPES / THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE
GOLDEN EGGS / THE CAT AND THE MICE; lines 967-984
start: '967'
end: '984'
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 cat enters a mouse-infested house, eats mice one by one, and then tries
to lure the remaining mice from their holes by pretending to be dead. A mouse
recognizes the danger and refuses to approach. The closing moral says the wise
are not deceived by innocent appearances in those already known to be dangerous.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The house is described as overrun with mice.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The cat hears of the mouse-filled house, goes there, stays in it, catches
mice individually, and eats them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The surviving mice decide to remain in their holes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The cat decides to coax the mice out by a trick.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The cat climbs the wall, hangs by her hind legs from a peg, and pretends to
be dead.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: A mouse looks out, sees the cat hanging, and says the mice will not come near
even if the cat turns herself into a bag of meal.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The moral states that wise people will not be deceived by innocent appearances
from those already found dangerous.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cat
description: A cat who enters the house, eats mice, and later pretends to be dead
to lure them out.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Mice
description: The mice in the house, many of whom are eaten; the remaining mice withdraw
into their holes.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Mouse speaker
description: A mouse who peeps out, sees the cat hanging, and warns that the mice
will not come near.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: predator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The cat catches the mice one by one and eats them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: deceiver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The cat tries to coax the mice out by a trick and pretends to be dead.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: threatened prey
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The mice are eaten by the cat and then hide in their holes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: cautious recognizer of danger
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The mouse recognizes the hanging cat as still dangerous and refuses to approach.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: holes as refuge
literal_form: The mice’s holes, where they decide to stay for safety.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: feigned dead body
literal_form: The cat hanging by her hind legs from a peg and pretending to be dead.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: bag of meal comparison
literal_form: The mouse says the cat may turn herself into a bag of meal and still
not lure them near.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Cat occupies the mouse-filled house
summary: The cat hears that a house has many mice, enters it, settles there, and
eats mice one by one.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Mice withdraw into hiding
summary: The remaining mice can no longer endure the cat’s attacks and decide to
stay in their holes.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Cat feigns death as a lure
summary: The cat decides to use a trick, hangs from a peg by her hind legs, and
pretends to be dead.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Mouse refuses the deception
summary: A mouse sees the cat and says that no disguise, even becoming like a bag
of meal, will make the mice approach.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Moral on wisdom and danger
summary: The moral generalizes the episode as a warning not to trust innocent appearances
in those already known to be dangerous.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: predator feigns harmlessness to lure prey
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The cat uses a trick, pretending to be dead in order to coax the mice out
of their holes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has only broad motif-family labels; the passage
supports deception by a predator, but not a developed boundary-crossing trickster
figure.
- id: motif:2
label: wisdom gained from prior danger prevents deception
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The mouse refuses to approach because the cat has already proved dangerous;
the moral states that the wise are not deceived by innocent airs from such figures.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a moralized fable motif rather than a mythic wisdom episode.
- id: motif:3
label: safe withdrawal from a known threat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The mice survive by staying in their holes after the cat has eaten many of
them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage emphasizes prudence and resistance to trickery more than the
refuge itself.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 967-971
quote_or_summary: A house is overrun with mice; a cat hears of it, moves in, catches
the mice one by one, and eats them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 971-972
quote_or_summary: The mice can no longer endure the cat’s attacks and decide to
stay in their holes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 972-975
quote_or_summary: The cat says she must coax the mice out by a trick, climbs the
wall, hangs by her hind legs from a peg, and pretends to be dead.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 975-979
quote_or_summary: "“you may turn yourself into a bag of meal hanging there, if you
like, yet you won't catch us coming anywhere near you.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: lines 981-984
quote_or_summary: "“If you are wise you won't be deceived by the innocent airs of
those whom you have once found to be dangerous.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The basic episode and moral are explicit. Motif-family mapping is cautious
because the available taxonomy is broad and not fable-specific. No comparison
claims are made because the supplied passage does not itself compare this fable
with another tradition or corpus.
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 text was used. Although the locator label names several fables, the provided passage contains only “THE CAT AND THE MICE.”
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l967-l984
passage_sha256=b7062dda44c43447824261765cd0ecf4be178f6d8d0dec0a1eb3eb7be7c22ec0