batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l2155-l2265
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l2155-l2265
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
passage_locator:
label: THE QUAIL AND THE FALCON / PRIDE MUST HAVE A FALL / THE BOLD BEGGAR / THE
JACKAL WOULD A-WOOING GO; lines 2155-2265
start: '2155'
end: '2265'
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 jackal living in a transparent Crystal Cave near a lion family proposes
marriage to a lioness in the Golden Cave. The lioness is insulted and tells her
brothers. Two elder lion brothers mistake the jackal as lying in the open air,
leap at him, strike the crystal wall, and die. The youngest brother recognizes
that the jackal must be behind crystal or glass and tries to coax him down; the
jackal is so frightened by the lion’s voice that he dies. The youngest lion buries
his brothers and tells the lioness, who remains in the Golden Cave.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A family of lions lives in the Himalaya Mountains in a Golden Cave; the family
consists of three brothers and one sister.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A jackal lives nearby in a Crystal Cave on a silver mountain.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The lion brothers hunt during the day, while their sister keeps the home neat;
they save some of their game for her.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The jackal falls in love with the lioness and waits until her brothers are
away before approaching the Golden Cave.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The jackal tells the lioness that he loves her, argues that they are alike
because both have four feet, and asks her to marry him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The lioness is astonished and insulted by the proposal and does not answer
the jackal.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: After the lioness tells the eldest brother about the proposal, he runs toward
the jackal, leaps at him, strikes the crystal wall, and dies.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The second brother hears the same account, goes to the Crystal Cave, leaps
at the jackal, strikes the crystal wall, and dies beside the eldest brother.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The youngest brother reasons that something transparent must support the jackal
and identifies it as crystal or glass.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The youngest brother calls coaxingly to the jackal; the jackal is frightened
by the lion’s loud voice and dies.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The youngest lion buries his brothers and reports what happened to his sister.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: The lioness is described as satisfied as long as one brother remains to catch
food for her, and she lives out her life in the Golden Cave.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Jackal
description: A jackal living in the Crystal Cave near the lion family; he proposes
marriage to the lioness and later dies from fright.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Lioness
description: The sister of three lion brothers, living in the Golden Cave; she keeps
the home and rejects the jackal’s proposal by silence and indignation.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Eldest lion brother
description: The first brother to return from hunting; after hearing the lioness’s
complaint, he leaps at the jackal and dies against the crystal wall.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Second lion brother
description: The second brother to return; he repeats the eldest brother’s attack
and dies against the crystal wall.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Youngest lion brother
description: The cleverest brother; he infers the presence of crystal or glass,
finds his dead brothers, frightens the jackal by calling to him, and buries his
brothers.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: rejected suitor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The jackal declares love for the lioness and asks her to marry him, but receives
no answer and leaves miserable.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: insulted prospective bride
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The lioness is angered by the jackal’s proposal and regards it as an insult.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: protective hunting brothers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: The brothers hunt for food and respond to the lioness’s report about the
jackal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:4
label: nearby outsider
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The jackal lives nearby and is known by sight, but the lions and jackal are
not on visiting terms.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: clever survivor
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The youngest brother reasons that the jackal must be lying on something transparent
and avoids the fatal leap made by his brothers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Golden Cave
literal_form: Golden Cave in the Himalaya Mountains, home of the lion family
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: Crystal Cave
literal_form: transparent Crystal Cave on a silver mountain, home of the jackal
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: mountain setting
literal_form: Himalaya Mountains and a nearby silver mountain
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: transparent barrier
literal_form: crystal or glass wall that appears invisible and causes the elder
lions’ deaths
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: lion’s roar or voice
literal_form: the youngest lion’s loud coaxing voice, frightening the jackal to
death
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Neighboring caves in the mountains
summary: The lion family lives in a Golden Cave in the Himalaya Mountains, while
a jackal lives nearby in a transparent Crystal Cave on a silver mountain.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Jackal proposes marriage
summary: While the lion brothers are hunting, the jackal visits the Golden Cave
and asks the lioness to marry him, saying they are alike because both have four
feet.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Two elder brothers die at the crystal wall
summary: The lioness tells the eldest and second brothers about the jackal; each
rushes toward the jackal, leaps, strikes the transparent crystal wall, and dies.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:4
label: Youngest brother identifies the barrier
summary: The youngest brother reasons that the jackal cannot truly be lying in the
air and identifies the support as crystal or glass.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:5
label: Jackal dies from fright
summary: The youngest brother calls coaxingly to the jackal, but the lion’s loud
voice terrifies the jackal so much that he dies.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:6
label: Aftermath in the Golden Cave
summary: The youngest lion buries his brothers, tells the lioness what happened,
and the lioness remains in the Golden Cave with one brother left to catch food
for her.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: inappropriate animal suitor rejected by higher-status bride
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The jackal proposes to the lioness, while the narrative emphasizes her royal
status and her outrage at being addressed by a jackal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The status contrast is part of the narrator’s framing; no external motif
index is supplied.
- id: motif:2
label: fatal invisible or transparent barrier
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Two lion brothers leap at the jackal because he appears accessible, but each
strikes the crystal wall and dies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the barrier as crystal or glass; no broader taxonomy
reference is provided.
- id: motif:3
label: clever youngest sibling avoids elder siblings’ fatal error
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The youngest brother, described as cleverer than the others, reasons out
the transparent cave before acting, unlike his two elder brothers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The youngest does not rescue the elder brothers; he only understands the
danger after their deaths.
- id: motif:4
label: pride leading to loss
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The final comment attributes the brothers’ deaths to the lioness holding
her nose high in the air, and she shows little grief afterward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The moral is implied by narration rather than stated as a formal doctrine
within the passage.
- id: motif:5
label: fright causing sudden death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The jackal dies when the lion’s coaxing call sounds like an awful roar and
frightens him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This is a local narrative event; no supplied taxonomy category directly
matches it.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 2155-2161
quote_or_summary: The tale opens with a lion family of three brothers and one sister
living in a Golden Cave in the Himalaya; nearby, a jackal lives in a Crystal Cave
on a silver mountain.
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: 2162-2167
quote_or_summary: The lion brothers hunt during the day; the sister keeps the home,
and the brothers save part of their game for her.
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: 2168-2175
quote_or_summary: The jackal falls in love with the lioness, who is described as
beautiful; the narration stresses the disparity between jackal and lion.
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: 2176-2186
quote_or_summary: The jackal waits until the brothers leave, taps at the Golden
Cave, and the lioness recognizes him as a neighbor from the transparent Crystal
Cave though they are not on visiting terms.
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: 2187-2191
quote_or_summary: "“Beautiful Lioness!” said he, “I love you! ... Will you marry
me?”"
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: 2192-2203
quote_or_summary: The lioness is astonished and furious at the proposal, considers
death by holding her breath or starving, gives no answer, and the jackal returns
home miserable.
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: 2204-2217
quote_or_summary: The eldest brother returns with a deer, hears the lioness’s complaint,
asks where the jackal is, rushes toward the Crystal Cave, leaps at him, strikes
the crystal wall, and dies.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 2218-2226
quote_or_summary: The second brother hears the same tale, goes off growling, leaps,
cracks his head against the crystal wall, and dies beside his brother.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 2227-2241
quote_or_summary: The youngest brother, said to be cleverer than the others, rejects
the idea that the jackal is in the air and infers that crystal or glass must be
supporting him; he sees his dead brothers near the Crystal Cave.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 2242-2255
quote_or_summary: The youngest lion calls to the jackal in a coaxing way, but because
lions have loud voices, the jackal hears an awful roar, is terrified, and dies.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 2256-2265
quote_or_summary: The lion sees the jackal is dead, buries his brothers, and tells
his sister. The narrator says she is not sorry and is satisfied so long as one
brother remains to catch food for her; she lives the rest of her life in the Golden
Cave.
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: Literal extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif candidates
are descriptive and limited to the available evidence; no external comparisons
are asserted.
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 does not itself support a specific cross-text or cross-tradition comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg__l2155-l2265
passage_sha256=510ff5d6fd1a75c1aab819159e1f8fe44785037db0226d85c3cc6f96f83753c8