batch.motif.islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg-l4010-l4107
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg-l4010-l4107
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
passage_locator:
label: The Arabian Nights Entertainments; lines 4010-4107
start: '4010'
end: '4107'
translation: The Arabian Nights Entertainments
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Sindbad prospers on an island by introducing saddle and bridle equipment
unknown to the king and his subjects. The king arranges Sindbad’s marriage to
a local woman. Sindbad then learns of the island’s law that a living spouse must
be buried with the dead spouse in a cavern beneath a mountain. After his own wife
dies, Sindbad is led with her funeral procession toward the fatal mountain.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The island is populous, prosperous, and active in trade, and Sindbad is favored
by the king and people.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Men on the island ride horses without bridles or stirrups, and the king says
he has never heard of such equipment.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Sindbad directs craftsmen to make a saddle, bit, and spurs, presents them
to the king, and shows him how to use them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The king enjoys the horse equipment, rewards Sindbad, and Sindbad becomes
wealthy and important after making saddles for officials.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The king asks Sindbad to marry a rich and beautiful woman and remain in the
country.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Sindbad accepts the bride because the king’s will is law, but privately intends
to escape to Bagdad.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: A neighbor tells Sindbad that island law requires a living husband to be buried
with his dead wife and a living wife with her dead husband.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The dead neighbor’s wife is dressed in rich robes and jewels and carried on
an open bier to a high mountain.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The neighbor, wearing a black mantle, follows the funeral procession mournfully.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: At the burial place, the corpse is lowered into a deep pit, and the living
husband is lowered into the cavern on another bier with seven small loaves and
a pitcher of water.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: A stone is placed over the opening after the living husband is lowered into
the cavern.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: The king confirms that the burial law applies to everyone, including foreigners
who marry in the country.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: Sindbad’s wife falls ill, dies, is arrayed in rich robes and jewels, and is
carried in procession toward the fatal mountain.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Sindbad
description: The first-person narrator, a foreigner favored by the island king who
introduces horse equipment, marries locally, and fears being buried alive after
his wife dies.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Island king
description: The ruler who favors Sindbad, receives the saddle and related equipment,
arranges Sindbad’s marriage, and confirms the burial law.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:10
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Clever workman
description: A craftsman whom Sindbad directs to make the foundation of a saddle.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Lock-smith
description: A craftsman whom Sindbad directs to make a bit and a pair of spurs
from a pattern.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Neighbor husband
description: Sindbad’s neighbor and friend, who says he must be buried with his
dead wife according to island law.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Neighbor wife
description: The neighbor’s wife, whose body is dressed in rich robes and jewels
and lowered into the pit.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sindbad’s wife
description: The local wife given to Sindbad by the king; she becomes ill, dies,
and is carried toward the mountain in rich robes and jewels.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:11
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Friends, relations, king, and nobles in procession
description: The people who accompany the burial processions to the mountain.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: foreign visitor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Sindbad distinguishes himself from the islanders and asks whether the law
applies to foreigners.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:2
label: introducer of unfamiliar horse equipment
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Sindbad has a saddle, bit, and spurs made and teaches the king their use.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: threatened living spouse
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After his wife dies, Sindbad fears burial alive under the island law.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:4
label: ruler and patron
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The king favors Sindbad, rewards him, and gives him a bride.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: guardian of local law
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The king states that the burial law applies to everybody and to married foreigners.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:6
label: craftsman
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: The workman and lock-smith make the horse equipment under Sindbad’s direction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: mourning husband
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The neighbor mourns his dead wife and follows her bier.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: living spouse buried with dead spouse
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The neighbor is lowered alive into the cavern with bread and water after
his wife’s corpse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: dead spouse
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: Both wives die and are prepared for funeral procession in rich robes and
jewels.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:11
- id: role:10
label: funeral witnesses and participants
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Friends, relations, the king, and nobles accompany funeral processions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: saddle, bit, and spurs
literal_form: Horse-riding equipment made under Sindbad’s direction and presented
to the king.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: high mountain
literal_form: A high mountain at some distance from the city, used as the place
of interment.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:11
- id: sym:3
label: deep pit and cavern
literal_form: The burial opening into which the corpse and then the living husband
are lowered.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: seven little loaves of bread
literal_form: Seven small loaves placed on the bier with the living husband.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: pitcher of water
literal_form: A pitcher of water placed on the bier with the living husband.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: stone over the opening
literal_form: A stone placed over the cavern opening after the living husband is
lowered.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: rich robes and jewels
literal_form: Funeral adornment placed on the dead wives’ bodies.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:11
- id: sym:8
label: black mantle
literal_form: The garment worn by the neighbor husband as he follows the funeral
procession.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Sindbad prospers in the island city
summary: Sindbad finds himself on a populous trading island, is favored by the king,
and becomes accepted at court and in the city.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Introduction of riding equipment
summary: Sindbad notices that islanders lack bridles and stirrups, commissions a
saddle, bit, and spurs, teaches the king their use, and gains rewards and status.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Royally arranged marriage
summary: The king asks Sindbad to marry a rich and beautiful local woman and remain
on the island; Sindbad accepts but hopes to return to Bagdad.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Neighbor explains the spouse-burial law
summary: After the neighbor’s wife dies, the neighbor tells Sindbad that the island’s
ancient law requires a living spouse to be buried with the dead spouse.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Funeral descent into the cavern
summary: The dead wife is carried to a mountain and lowered into a pit; her living
husband is then lowered into the cavern with bread and water, and the opening
is sealed with a stone.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: King confirms the law applies to Sindbad
summary: Sindbad condemns the custom to the king, but the king says the law applies
to everyone, including foreigners who have married locally.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:7
label: Sindbad’s wife dies and the procession reaches the mountain
summary: Sindbad’s wife becomes ill and dies; her adorned body is carried in a procession
led by the king and nobles toward the mountain bordering the sea.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: introduction of unfamiliar technology at a foreign court
taxonomy_refs:
- culture_hero
basis: Sindbad introduces saddle, bit, and spurs to a king who has never heard of
them, and the innovation brings rewards and status.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents a practical innovation by a traveler, not a divine
or origin-creating culture hero episode.
- id: motif:2
label: living spouse buried with dead spouse by fixed law
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The island law requires the living husband or wife to enter the grave with
the dead spouse, and the neighbor is actually lowered alive with provisions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not state that the living spouse is offered to a deity;
the taxonomy link to sacrifice is functional rather than explicit.
- id: motif:3
label: descent into death-cavern
taxonomy_refs:
- hero_descent
basis: The burial rite lowers the dead and then the living spouse into a deep pit
or cavern beneath the mountain, and Sindbad faces the same fate after his wife
dies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: In this passage segment Sindbad has not yet been lowered; the literal
descent is shown for the neighbor, while Sindbad’s impending descent is only implied
by the law and procession.
- id: motif:4
label: foreign marriage traps traveler under local custom
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_marriage
- stolen_beloved
basis: Sindbad marries by royal command and later learns that marriage subjects
him to the island’s burial law.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: low
cautions: The marriage is not explicitly sacred, and the bride is not stolen; the
stronger literal pattern is legal entrapment through local marriage.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 4010-4017
quote_or_summary: Sindbad describes a populous, prosperous island with trade in
the capital; the king and others treat him with favor.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: 4017-4023
quote_or_summary: All men rode horses “without bridle or stirrups,” and the king
says he has never heard of such things.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quote used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 4023-4031
quote_or_summary: Sindbad directs a workman to make a saddle and a lock-smith to
make a bit and spurs, then presents them to the king and shows their use.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 4031-4037
quote_or_summary: The king rides with delight, gives Sindbad large gifts, and officials
request saddles, making Sindbad wealthy and important.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 4038-4044
quote_or_summary: The king asks Sindbad to marry a rich and beautiful lady and to
stop thinking of his own country.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 4045-4049
quote_or_summary: Sindbad accepts the king’s bride because the king’s will is law,
but intends to escape to Bagdad when possible.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: 4058-4066
quote_or_summary: The neighbor says, “the living husband goes to the grave with
his dead wife, the living wife with her dead husband.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quote used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 4068-4074
quote_or_summary: Friends and relations gather; the wife’s jeweled body is placed
on a bier and carried toward a high mountain, while the husband follows in a black
mantle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 4075-4081
quote_or_summary: At the interment place, the corpse is lowered into a deep pit;
the living husband is lowered into the cavern on a bier with seven loaves and
a pitcher of water, and a stone covers the opening.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 4082-4096
quote_or_summary: Sindbad calls the custom cruel and horrible; the king says it
applies to everybody and to foreigners who marry in the country.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 4097-4107
quote_or_summary: Sindbad’s wife becomes ill and dies; her jeweled body is carried
in a procession headed by the king and nobles to the fatal mountain by the sea.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strong for the described events and objects. Motif
taxonomy mapping is cautious because the available taxonomy does not include a
precise spouse-burial or suttee-like custom category.
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: '2026-04-29'
notes: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly compare this custom with another tradition or motif family.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg__l4010-l4107
passage_sha256=52a33a3aff91f1fe0b8dfa86a323e2d1422807f3f9c8abdca92f7a6ca6b2923b