batch.motif.islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg-l9591-l9696
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg-l9591-l9696
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
passage_locator:
label: The Arabian Nights Entertainments; lines 9591-9696
start: '9591'
end: '9696'
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: At the Persian New Year feast in Schiraz, an Indian presents a richly harnessed
horse that looks real but can fly to any wished-for distant place. He demonstrates
it by fetching a palm leaf from a mountain. The king desires the horse, but the
Indian asks for the princess in exchange. Prince Firouz Schah objects, then mounts
the horse for a trial and flies away before learning how to return.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage is set during the Feast of the New Year in the Kingdom of Persia,
after the king has spent the day in Schiraz at public spectacles.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: An Indian appears before the king's throne leading a richly harnessed horse
that looks like a real horse.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: 'The Indian says the horse''s special quality is not its appearance but its
use: when mounted, it can take its rider to a wished-for distant place in a few
moments.'
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The king orders the Indian to go to a mountain about three leagues from Schiraz
and bring back a palm leaf from its foot.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The Indian turns a screw in the horse's neck, and the horse rises into the
air and disappears from sight.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The Indian returns after about a quarter of an hour with the palm leaf and
lays it before the king.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: After seeing the horse's speed, the king wants to possess it and asks the
Indian to name a price.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The Indian says the horse was given to him by its inventor in exchange for
his only daughter, and that he swore not to part with it except for something
of equal value.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The Indian asks for the hand of the king's daughter in exchange for the horse.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The courtiers laugh at the demand, and Prince Firouz Schah becomes angry at
what he sees as the Indian's presumption.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The king calls the horse the Seventh Wonder of the World and asks the prince
to examine and try its powers with the owner's permission.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: Before the Indian finishes explaining how to guide the horse, the prince turns
the screw and flies out of sight.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: The Indian later says the prince did not allow him to explain what was necessary
to return to the starting place.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: King of Persia
description: The monarch in Schiraz who presides over the feast, tests the horse,
desires to possess it, and considers the Indian's demand.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Indian
description: A man who appears before the throne leading the marvellous horse, demonstrates
its power, and demands the princess's hand in exchange.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:13
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Marvellous horse
description: A richly harnessed horse-like object that appears real and can carry
a rider rapidly through the air when operated by a screw.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Prince Firouz Schah
description: The heir apparent who objects to exchanging the princess for the horse
and then mounts the horse before learning how to return.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Princess, daughter of the King of Persia
description: The king's daughter, whose hand the Indian requests as the price for
the horse.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Courtiers
description: Members of the king's court who laugh when the Indian demands the princess's
hand.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Inventor of the horse
description: The unnamed maker who, according to the Indian, gave him the horse
in exchange for his only daughter.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: ruler and evaluator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The king receives the presentation, orders a test, judges the horse's value,
and asks about buying it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: role:2
label: presenter of marvel
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Indian brings the horse before the throne and claims it exceeds the other
wonders of the festival.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: bargainer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Indian states the condition under which he will part with the horse and
asks for the princess's hand.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:4
label: marvellous vehicle
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The horse transports riders through the air to distant places with great
speed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:12
- id: role:5
label: would-be possessor of wonder
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After the demonstration, the king longs to possess the horse and fears another
monarch might own it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: role:6
label: royal objector
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The prince objects to the proposed exchange and invokes what the king owes
to himself and his ancestors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:7
label: impatient rider
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The prince turns the screw before the Indian finishes explaining how to guide
the horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:8
label: requested bride-price equivalent
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The Indian asks to receive the princess's hand in exchange for the horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: court audience
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The courtiers react with laughter to the Indian's demand.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: maker of marvellous object
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The Indian says the horse was constructed not by him but by an inventor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: flying horse
literal_form: Richly harnessed horse-like vehicle capable of rapid aerial travel.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:12
- id: sym:2
label: control screw
literal_form: A screw placed in the horse's neck, close to the saddle, turned to
make the horse move upward.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:12
- id: sym:3
label: mountain
literal_form: A huge mass towering into the sky about three leagues from Schiraz.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: palm leaf
literal_form: A leaf from a palm growing at the foot of the distant mountain, fetched
as proof of the horse's power.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: princess's hand
literal_form: The hand of the king's daughter requested as the condition for giving
up the horse.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: New Year feast
literal_form: The oldest and most splendid feast in the Kingdom of Persia, celebrated
with spectacles in Schiraz.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Festival presentation before the throne
summary: At the New Year feast in Schiraz, the Indian appears before the King of
Persia with a richly harnessed horse and claims it is more wonderful than the
day's spectacles.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Demonstration flight to the mountain
summary: 'The king commands a test: the Indian must bring a palm leaf from a distant
mountain. The Indian turns the screw, flies out of sight, and returns with the
leaf.'
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Bargain for the horse
summary: The king wants to buy the horse. The Indian explains the earlier exchange
involving his daughter and demands the Persian princess's hand as the price.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: Prince's objection and trial
summary: The courtiers laugh and Prince Firouz Schah objects to the bargain. The
king asks the prince to examine the horse, and the prince mounts it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: scene:5
label: Uninstructed departure
summary: Before the Indian finishes explaining the horse's controls, the prince
turns the screw and vanishes from sight; the Indian later says the prince did
not learn how to return.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: marvellous flying vehicle enabling rapid travel
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: The horse carries a mounted rider upward into the air and to a distant place
in moments, then returns with proof of the journey.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The vehicle is horse-shaped and operated mechanically; the passage does
not describe a divine or ritual ascent.
- id: motif:2
label: wonder object exchanged for a daughter or princess
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The Indian says he received the horse in exchange for his only daughter and
will only part with it for the king's daughter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The exchange is explicitly a bargain, but the passage does not mark it
as sacred; the taxonomy reference is broad and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:3
label: danger of using a marvellous object without full instruction
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: The prince turns the screw before learning how to guide the horse back, flies
out of sight, and is said not to know the return procedure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The passage ends before describing the result of the prince's flight,
so the later narrative function is not included here.
- id: motif:4
label: royal desire for possession of a unique wonder
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The king wants to possess the horse after the proof of its power and worries
that another monarch might own the Seventh Wonder of the World.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage frames the king's desire and royal competition, but it does
not explicitly connect ownership of the horse to lawful kingship.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 9591-9597
quote_or_summary: The passage opens at the Persian New Year feast in Schiraz, where
the king has spent the day at spectacles honoring the festival.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 9597-9600
quote_or_summary: An Indian appears before the throne leading a richly harnessed
horse that looks exactly like a real one.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 9602-9616
quote_or_summary: 'The Indian says the horse''s marvel is its use: once mounted,
he need only wish for a distant place and will arrive there in a few moments.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 9621-9625
quote_or_summary: The king points to a mountain about three leagues from Schiraz
and orders the Indian to bring back a palm leaf from its foot.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 9627-9630
quote_or_summary: The Indian turns a screw in the horse's neck near the saddle,
and the horse bounds like lightning into the air and out of sight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 9630-9633
quote_or_summary: After about a quarter of an hour, the Indian returns with the
palm leaf and lays it before the king.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 9635-9644
quote_or_summary: After the demonstration, the king longs to possess the horse and
asks the Indian to name his price.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 9646-9655
quote_or_summary: The Indian says the horse was made by another inventor, given
to him in exchange for his only daughter, and subject to an oath not to part with
it except for something of equal value.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 9661-9665
quote_or_summary: The Indian says he can deliver the horse only in exchange for
the hand of the king's daughter.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 9667-9675
quote_or_summary: The courtiers laugh; Prince Firouz Schah is angry and tells the
king the bargain is insolent and unworthy of his royal blood.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 9677-9686
quote_or_summary: The king says the prince underestimates the horse's value, fears
another monarch might own the Seventh Wonder of the World, and asks the prince
to examine and try it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 9688-9692
quote_or_summary: The Indian begins to help the prince mount and explain the guidance,
but before he finishes, the prince turns the screw and disappears from sight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: 9693-9696
quote_or_summary: After waiting, the Indian tells the king that the prince did not
let him explain what was necessary to return to the starting place.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamicate-folklore/project-gutenberg/arabian-nights-lang.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The literal sequence and figures are clear in the supplied passage. Motif-family
links are limited to available broad taxonomy labels and require human review.
No comparison claims were made because the passage itself does not compare the
episode to another text or tradition.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Long quotations avoided in favor of concise summaries.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamicate-folklore-arabian-nights-lang-gutenberg__l9591-l9696
passage_sha256=eb679d5944aa94853098840ad7845ef318caf4262c1d3fb1b97930df9c14745a