batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l1532-l1602
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l1532-l1602
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
passage_locator:
label: THE GOBLIN IN THE POOL / THE FOOLISH FARMER AND THE KING / THE PIOUS WOLF
/ BIRDS OF A FEATHER; lines 1532-1602
start: '1532'
end: '1602'
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 fierce horse named Chestnut is used by the King and his groom to injure
a dealer’s horses so the King can buy them cheaply. The dealer later brings an
equally vicious horse, Strongjaw. When Chestnut is released again, the two fierce
horses do not fight but become friendly. A wise minstrel explains the event with
the saying that like goes with like and birds of a feather flock together.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Chestnut is described as a large, fierce horse who bites people and attacks
other horses.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The King wants to buy the dealer’s horses cheaply and gives his groom a gold
piece before Chestnut is brought near them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The groom strikes Chestnut, pretends he cannot control him, and releases him
among the dealer’s horses.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Chestnut injures many of the dealer’s horses, after which the King offers
to buy them at half price.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The dealer decides to bring his own vicious horse, Strongjaw, as a match for
Chestnut.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: When Chestnut and Strongjaw meet, they rub noses, lick each other, and become
friends rather than fighting.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: After the trick is discovered, the King pays a good price for the second group
of horses and also pays for the earlier horses.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The wisest man in the kingdom, a minstrel, explains the event in a song stating
that like goes with like and birds of a feather flock together.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Chestnut
description: A large and fierce horse who bites people, injures other horses, and
later becomes friendly with Strongjaw.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The King
description: A ruler who wants to buy horses cheaply, arranges for Chestnut to damage
the dealer’s horses, and later pays after the scheme is exposed.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: The King’s groom
description: The handler of Chestnut who receives a gold piece, provokes Chestnut,
and releases him among the dealer’s horses.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: The horse dealer
description: A seller of horses who is harmed by the King’s scheme and later brings
Strongjaw to counter Chestnut.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Strongjaw
description: The dealer’s vicious horse, brought as a match for Chestnut, who becomes
Chestnut’s friend.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The wisest man / minstrel
description: The kingdom’s wisest man, described as a minstrel with a harp, who
explains the horses’ behavior in song.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: The dealer’s horses
description: Groups of horses brought by the dealer for the King to buy; the first
group is injured by Chestnut.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: vicious horse
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:5
basis: Both Chestnut and Strongjaw are described as fierce, wild, or vicious horses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: deceptive buyer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The King arranges harm to the horses in order to reduce their price.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: bribed handler
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The groom receives a gold piece and releases Chestnut after provoking him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: wronged seller
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The dealer’s horses are damaged and he faces ruin before devising a response.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: matching counterpart
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The dealer brings Strongjaw because he expects him to be a match for Chestnut.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: like-paired animals
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:5
basis: The two fierce horses immediately befriend each other, and the minstrel explains
them as alike.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: wise interpreter
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The King asks the wisest man to explain the horses’ behavior, and he answers
in song.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: injured herd
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The dealer’s first group of horses is badly hurt after Chestnut is released
among them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: pair of vicious horses
literal_form: Chestnut and Strongjaw behaving peacefully toward each other despite
their fierceness
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: birds of a feather saying
literal_form: The proverbial line “Birds of a feather flock together” in the minstrel’s
song
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: gold piece bribe
literal_form: A gold piece placed in the groom’s hand before Chestnut is used against
the dealer’s horses
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: harp-accompanied explanation
literal_form: The minstrel taking up his harp and singing the explanation
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Chestnut’s fierceness established
summary: Chestnut is introduced as a violent horse who bites people and attacks
other horses.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: The King’s price-lowering trick
summary: The King and groom arrange for Chestnut to be released among the dealer’s
horses, causing injuries that the King uses to demand a lower price.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: The dealer prepares Strongjaw
summary: The dealer remembers his own vicious horse and plans to bring him as a
match for Chestnut during the next sale.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: The two fierce horses befriend each other
summary: Chestnut is released again, Strongjaw is let out, and the two horses greet
and lick each other instead of fighting.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Payment and explanation
summary: The King pays fairly after the trick is exposed, and the minstrel explains
that the horses became friends because like goes with like.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: like associates with like
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: 'The central explanation states that the two vicious horses become friends
because they are alike: “Like to like will always go” and “Birds of a feather
flock together.”'
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents a proverbial moral
rather than an elaborate wisdom quest.
- id: motif:2
label: deceptive bargain exposed by counter-stratagem
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The King’s attempt to lower the price by damaging horses is countered when
the dealer brings Strongjaw, revealing the trick and leading the King to pay.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly name this as a motif; it is inferred from
the plot sequence.
- id: motif:3
label: wise song explains puzzling animal behavior
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The King asks the wisest man to explain why the two fierce horses are peaceful
together, and the minstrel gives a sung explanation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The wisdom element is confined to an explanatory verse at the end of the
tale.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 1532-1540
quote_or_summary: Chestnut is introduced as a big horse, fierce as a fury, who bites
people and causes disorder among other horses.
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: 1541-1553
quote_or_summary: The King wants cheap horses, gives the groom a gold piece, and
the groom provokes and releases Chestnut among the dealer’s herd.
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: 1554-1565
quote_or_summary: Chestnut injures the horses; the King dismisses the dealer’s protest
and offers to buy the damaged animals at half price.
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: 1566-1578
quote_or_summary: The dealer, knowing he may have to sell to the King again, remembers
his own vicious horse Strongjaw and plans to bring him as a match for Chestnut.
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: summary
locator: 1579-1587
quote_or_summary: When Chestnut and Strongjaw are released, they ignore the rest
of the horses, approach one another, rub noses, lick each other, and become friends.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 1588-1595
quote_or_summary: The King and dealer are puzzled; the King pays a good price and
also pays for the earlier horses after recognizing that his trick was found out.
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: quote
locator: 1595-1602
quote_or_summary: 'The wise minstrel sings: “Like to like will always go” and “Birds
of a feather flock together.”'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Plot roles and literal events are clear in the supplied passage. Motif labels
are descriptive and should be reviewed against the project’s controlled motif
vocabulary.
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 external comparisons were added because the passage itself does not explicitly connect the tale to another named text, tradition, or motif family beyond its own proverb.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg__l1532-l1602
passage_sha256=9a2affec381a73660f561ea17f64609ca6bf818cab2dc340a38301c3cc6eb8b5