batch.motif.islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg-l5265-l5370
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg-l5265-l5370
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
passage_locator:
label: The Arabian Nights Entertainments; lines 5265-5370
start: '5265'
end: '5370'
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: Alnaschar survives an attempted murder, recovers, disguises himself as
an old woman, returns to the murderers' house, kills the black slave, the Greek
slave, and the old woman, spares a captive lady, discovers treasure, is tricked
when the lady escapes with the gold, removes furniture from the house, and is
arrested and brought before a judge.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A wounded man survives after a fall and hides until the old woman leaves the
house.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The narrator dresses the wounded man's wounds and tends him until he recovers
after about a month.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Alnaschar prepares a large purse filled with bits of glass, disguises himself
as an old woman, and hides a sabre under his dress.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Alnaschar meets the old woman and uses a feigned female voice to lure her
with a story about weighing five hundred gold pieces.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The old woman leads Alnaschar back to the same house, where the Greek slave
opens the door and the black slave appears.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Alnaschar kills the black slave with the sabre and throws the body and head
into the vault.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Alnaschar kills the Greek slave when she arrives with a basin of salt and
tries to flee.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Alnaschar confronts the old woman, identifies himself as the man she had deceived,
and cuts her into four pieces after she begs for mercy.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Alnaschar finds a lady in the house; she is terrified, begs for her life,
and he spares her.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The lady says she was once a merchant's wife, was lured to the house by the
old woman under pretext of a wedding, and has been held there by force for three
years.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The lady leads Alnaschar to a chamber filled with coffers packed with gold
and tells him to bring men to carry them away.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: Alnaschar returns with ten men and finds the door open and the room with the
chests of gold empty.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Alnaschar removes furniture from the house, forgets to lock the door, and
is arrested after neighbors inform the police.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: The police bind Alnaschar's hands and bring him before a judge, who asks about
the furniture.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: obs:15
text: Alnaschar asks the judge for a promise of no punishment before telling the
whole story.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Alnaschar / my brother
description: The wounded man who recovers, disguises himself, avenges himself, discovers
treasure, loses it, removes furniture, and is brought before a judge.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:11
- ev:13
- ev:15
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Narrator
description: The speaker who shelters Alnaschar and tends his wounds.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Old woman / old hag
description: A woman who leaves the house in search of prey, lures Alnaschar back
by offering help with weighing money, and is later killed by him.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Black slave / pretended son
description: The man in the house who appears as the old woman's supposed son and
is killed by Alnaschar.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Greek slave
description: The servant who opens the door and later arrives with a basin of salt
before being killed by Alnaschar.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Lady
description: A woman found in the house who says she was lured there and held by
force for three years, then leads Alnaschar to the treasure and disappears with
the gold.
role_refs:
- role:10
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Police
description: Authorities who arrest Alnaschar, bind his hands, and bring him before
the judge.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Judge
description: The official who hears the complaint and asks Alnaschar where he obtained
the furniture.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Ten men
description: Men collected by Alnaschar to carry away the treasure.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: survivor of attempted murder
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He regains strength after the fall and escapes from the assassins' house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: disguised avenger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He dresses as an old woman, conceals a sabre, returns to the house, and kills
those who had betrayed him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: treasure seeker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He follows the lady to coffers of gold and brings men to carry them away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:4
label: accused thief
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After removing furniture, he is arrested and questioned by the judge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: role:5
label: healer and shelterer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The narrator takes Alnaschar into his house and tends his wounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: decoy
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: She searches for prey and leads Alnaschar back to the house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: victim of revenge
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Alnaschar confronts and kills her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: murder-house enforcer
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: He appears to lead the supposed victim to the place of murder.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: accomplice servant
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: She opens the door and arrives with salt as if the usual murder routine has
occurred.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:10
label: captive woman
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: She says she was kept by force in the house for three years.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:11
label: clever deceiver
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: After showing Alnaschar the gold and sending him for carriers, she empties
the room before he returns.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:12
label: arresting authorities
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: They arrest Alnaschar and take him to the judge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: role:13
label: judicial authority
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: He questions Alnaschar about the furniture and receives his story.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
- id: role:14
label: carriers
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: They accompany Alnaschar to carry away the coffers, but the treasure is gone.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: trapdoor
literal_form: trapdoor lifted at night by the wounded man during his escape
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: salt in wounds and basin of salt
literal_form: salt rubbed into wounds and a basin of salt carried by the Greek slave
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: false purse of gold
literal_form: large purse said to contain five hundred gold pieces but filled with
bits of glass
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: old-woman disguise
literal_form: Alnaschar disguised as an old woman and imitating a woman's voice
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: hidden sabre
literal_form: sabre concealed under Alnaschar's dress and used in the killings
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: vault
literal_form: vault where the black slave's body and head are thrown
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: coffers of gold
literal_form: chamber filled with coffers packed with gold
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: sym:8
label: empty house and open door
literal_form: the door left open and the house or treasure room found empty
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: sym:9
label: bound hands
literal_form: Alnaschar's hands tied by the police
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Escape and recovery
summary: Alnaschar survives his injuries, escapes the murderers' house, takes refuge
with the narrator, and recovers over about a month.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Disguised return to the murder house
summary: Alnaschar prepares a false purse, dresses as an old woman, meets the old
woman, and is led back to the house.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Revenge killings
summary: Alnaschar kills the black slave, the Greek slave, and the old woman inside
the house.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:4
label: Captive lady and hidden treasure
summary: Alnaschar finds and spares a terrified lady, hears her account of captivity,
and is shown a chamber full of gold.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: scene:5
label: Treasure lost and furniture removed
summary: Alnaschar fetches ten men, returns to find the gold gone, and removes furniture
from the house instead.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: scene:6
label: Arrest and judicial questioning
summary: Neighbors notify the police, Alnaschar is arrested and bound, and he asks
the judge for safety before relating his story.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:15
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: disguise used for revenge
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: Alnaschar crosses social and bodily appearance boundaries by disguising himself
as an old woman and using a false story to reach his enemies and avenge himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage presents disguise and
counter-deception, not an explicitly sacred or divine trickster.
- id: motif:2
label: decoy into murder house
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The old woman searches for prey and leads victims to a house where accomplices
conduct murders; Alnaschar reverses this pattern on his return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy item directly names this crime-house decoy pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: captive woman lured by false celebration
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The lady reports that the old woman invited her to a wedding, after which
she was held by force in the house for three years.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not frame her as a beloved or bride in relation to the
hero, so supplied 'stolen_beloved' is not applied.
- id: motif:4
label: rescuer deceived by spared captive
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: After being spared, the lady shows Alnaschar the gold, sends him to bring
carriers, and removes the treasure before he returns.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives her action as clever deception, but her motives after
escape are not explained.
- id: motif:5
label: private vengeance followed by public judgment
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Alnaschar avenges himself violently, then is arrested over the property he
removed and must give an account before a judge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:15
confidence: medium
cautions: The judge's final decision is outside the supplied passage.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 5265-5275
quote_or_summary: After falling and losing consciousness, the wounded man survives,
regains strength, lifts a trapdoor at night, hides until the old woman leaves
seeking more prey, and escapes to the narrator's house.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 5277-5280
quote_or_summary: The narrator dresses the wounds and tends the man carefully; after
a month he is well again and thinks of revenge.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 5280-5284
quote_or_summary: He prepares a purse large enough for five hundred gold pieces
but fills it with glass, disguises himself as an old woman, and hides a sabre
under his dress.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 5286-5292
quote_or_summary: In the street he meets the old woman, imitates a woman's voice,
and asks about borrowing scales to weigh five hundred gold pieces supposedly brought
from Persia.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 5294-5303
quote_or_summary: The old woman says her son is a money-changer, leads him to the
same house, the Greek slave opens the door, and the pretended son appears as the
black slave.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 5303-5309
quote_or_summary: The black slave orders the disguised figure to follow him to the
place of murder; Alnaschar draws the sabre, beheads him, and throws head and body
into the vault.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 5309-5314
quote_or_summary: The Greek slave arrives with the basin of salt, sees Alnaschar
holding the sabre, drops the basin, tries to flee, and is beheaded.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 5314-5323
quote_or_summary: The old woman comes running; Alnaschar seizes her, identifies
himself as the man she deceived with hypocritical prayers, and kills her after
she begs for mercy.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 5325-5329
quote_or_summary: Alnaschar finds the lady, who nearly faints with terror and begs
for life; he spares her and asks how she joined the others.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 5331-5339
quote_or_summary: The lady says she was once a merchant's wife, was invited by the
old woman to a wedding, entered in rich dress with a purse of gold, and was kept
there by force for three years.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 5341-5348
quote_or_summary: The lady says the black slave amassed great wealth, leads Alnaschar
to a chamber of coffers packed with gold, and tells him to bring men to carry
them away.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 5350-5354
quote_or_summary: Alnaschar gathers ten men, returns to the house, and finds the
door open and the room with the chests of gold empty; the lady has used the time
better than he did.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: 5354-5360
quote_or_summary: Alnaschar removes the beautiful furniture, forgets to lock the
door when leaving, and the neighbors inform the police, who arrest him next morning
as a thief.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: 5360-5366
quote_or_summary: The police reject his attempted bribe, tie his hands, take him
before the judge, and explain the complaint; the judge asks where he obtained
the furniture.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: 5368-5370
quote_or_summary: Alnaschar asks for the judge's promise that he will not be punished
before telling the whole story; the judge promises, and Alnaschar begins his account.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is narrative and concrete, supporting high confidence for figures,
actions, and scenes. Motif taxonomy mapping is limited because the supplied taxonomy
has few directly matching crime, revenge, disguise, or treasure-loss categories.
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly
compare traditions or motif families.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Public-domain passage was summarized rather than quoted at length.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg__l5265-l5370
passage_sha256=51c281f312798fe78eb818d03a735d2cbefae7c0ac0e48098474047ccb1928c6