batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l1130-l1199
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l1130-l1199
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
passage_locator:
label: THE MOUSE AND THE FARMER / THE TALKATIVE TORTOISE / THE MONKEYS AND THE GARDENER
/ THE GOBLIN AND THE SNEEZE; lines 1130-1199
start: '1130'
end: '1199'
translation: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A goblin haunts an empty house outside a city gate and may eat anyone who
sneezes there unless a blessing formula and reciprocal reply are spoken. A father
and son, locked out of the city at sunset, stay in the house. The goblin raises
dust to make the father sneeze, but the son blesses him and the father replies
in time, frustrating the goblin. The son then admonishes the goblin and persuades
him to stop eating men, become vegetarian, and follow the travelers as an errand-boy.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A powerful goblin haunts an empty little house outside the gates of a city
and perches on a large black roof beam.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The goblin has permission to eat any man who sneezes inside the house, except
when blessing and reciprocal blessing formulas are spoken.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A father and son reach the city gates at sunset and are denied entry because
the gates are shut for the night.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The porter directs the father and son to an empty house outside the gates,
saying it is reputed to be haunted.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The travelers rest in the house, cook a meal on a fire of sticks, and prepare
to sleep.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The goblin raises a cloud of fine dust after waiting for one of the travelers
to sneeze.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The father sneezes, and the son, seeing the goblin and guessing the danger,
blesses his father and wishes him long life.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The goblin attempts to clutch the father, but the father replies with a reciprocal
blessing just before the claw reaches him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The son speaks to the goblin, tells him that eating men is cruel, and persuades
him to become vegetarian and serve as an errand-boy.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Goblin
description: A powerful goblin haunting the empty house, able to eat sneeze-bound
victims, later persuaded to become vegetarian and follow the travelers.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: King of the Goblins
description: The ruler whom the goblin served for twelve years and who granted the
goblin permission to eat certain sneezers.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Father
description: A traveler denied entry to the city at sunset; he sneezes in the haunted
house and is saved by his son's blessing and his own reciprocal reply.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Son
description: A sharp lad traveling with his father; he notices the goblin, blesses
his father, and later persuades the goblin to change his conduct.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Porter
description: The city gatekeeper who refuses to open the gate after sunset and points
the travelers toward the empty haunted house.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Supernatural eater bound by a condition
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The goblin may devour men who sneeze in the house unless the specified blessing
exchange occurs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: Authority granting predatory privilege
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The King of the Goblins rewards the goblin by permitting him to eat certain
sneezers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: Imperiled traveler
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The father sleeps in the haunted house, sneezes, and nearly has the goblin's
claw at his throat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: Clever rescuer
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The son sees the goblin, guesses the danger, and speaks the saving blessing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: Moral instructor and converted follower
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:1
basis: The son teaches the goblin the cruelty of eating men, and the goblin is persuaded
to become vegetarian and serve him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: Gatekeeper enforcing closure
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The porter refuses to open the city gate after sunset despite the travelers'
request.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Haunted house outside the gate
literal_form: An empty house outside the city gates, among trees, said to be haunted
by a goblin.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Black roof beam perch
literal_form: A big black beam across the roof where the goblin perches.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: Sneeze as danger trigger
literal_form: A sneeze inside the goblin's house makes a man liable to be eaten
unless protected by formulaic speech.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: Blessing formula
literal_form: The spoken formulas “God bless you,” “May you live a hundred years,”
and the reciprocal “The same to you.”
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: Dust cloud
literal_form: A cloud of fine dust raised by the goblin to provoke a sneeze.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: Goblin claw
literal_form: A great claw stretched toward the father's throat.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: Cooking fire
literal_form: A fire of sticks used by the travelers to cook a meal in the house.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Goblin's rule in the haunted house
summary: The goblin haunts an empty house outside the city and is allowed to eat
men who sneeze there, unless blessing formulas are exchanged.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Travelers shut out at sunset
summary: A father and son arrive at the city gates after sunset; the porter refuses
entry and directs them to the haunted empty house.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Provoked sneeze and verbal rescue
summary: Inside the house, the goblin raises dust to make the father sneeze; the
son blesses him, and the father answers in time to avoid being seized.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Goblin's conversion
summary: The son admonishes the goblin for eating men and persuades him to become
vegetarian and serve as an errand-boy.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Protective formula after a sneeze averts a supernatural predator
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The goblin may eat a man who sneezes, but the blessing and reciprocal reply
free the sneezer and speaker from danger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage explains the rule within this tale; broader ritual or historical
significance is not established by the passage alone.
- id: motif:2
label: Clever child saves parent by timely speech
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The son sees the goblin, understands the danger, and speaks the formula that
prevents his father from being eaten.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy reference 'wisdom' is broad; the passage supports
cleverness and timely recognition rather than a formal wisdom contest.
- id: motif:3
label: Man-eating supernatural being converted by moral instruction
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The son explains the cruelty of eating men and persuades the goblin to become
vegetarian and serve him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states the conversion directly but gives only a brief account
of the instruction.
- id: motif:4
label: Monster exploits a loophole or condition to obtain prey
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The goblin is bound by a specific sneeze condition and raises dust to create
the condition for eating the travelers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage supports trickery and
a rule-bound threshold situation, but does not explicitly frame the goblin as
a trickster.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 1130-1137
quote_or_summary: A powerful goblin haunts an empty house outside the city gates
and perches on a big black roof beam.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 1137-1146
quote_or_summary: After serving the King of the Goblins, the goblin is permitted
to eat any man who sneezes in the house, unless another person says a blessing
and the sneezer replies reciprocally.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 1148-1166
quote_or_summary: A father and son reach the city gates at sunset; the porter refuses
to open them and points them to an empty house outside the gates, said to be haunted.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 1167-1176
quote_or_summary: The travelers rest, cook on a fire of sticks, and prepare to sleep;
the hungry goblin waits, then raises fine dust until the father sneezes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: 1178-1182
quote_or_summary: The son sees the goblin, guesses the truth, and says, “God bless
you, father! ... may you live a hundred years!”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 1184-1191
quote_or_summary: The goblin stretches a claw toward the father, but the father
says thanks and returns the blessing just in time; the goblin is baffled and retreats
to his perch.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 1193-1199
quote_or_summary: The son talks to the goblin, shows him the cruelty of eating men,
and persuades him to become vegetarian, follow him, and serve as an errand-boy.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage gives clear narrative actions and figures. Motif labels are candidate
descriptions derived from the passage; taxonomy links are broad and should be
reviewed.
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 passage itself does not make or support a specific cross-textual comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg__l1130-l1199
passage_sha256=87b9d37fefc86df2e2848c8cadb9af0d6adb7895270fe5954470dd175fad12de