batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l2358-l2435
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l2358-l2435
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
passage_locator:
label: THE BOLD BEGGAR / THE JACKAL WOULD A-WOOING GO / THE LION AND THE BOAR /
THE GOBLIN CITY; lines 2358-2435
start: '2358'
end: '2435'
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: In a city of she-goblins in Ceylon, shipwrecked sailors are lured by false
hospitality and magical appearances, forced into marriage, and some are later
rescued by a fairy’s flying horse after the captain discovers the goblins’ cannibalism.
Those who refuse or fail to escape are eaten.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The city is said to be inhabited only by she-goblins who obtain husbands from
travelers and later eat them.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Five hundred sailors are shipwrecked near the goblin city and come ashore.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The she-goblins bring food and dry clothes to the sailors and invite them
into the city.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The she-goblins use magic to make ordinary rural people and scenes appear
around the city.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The she-goblins persuade the sailors to marry them by saying their earlier
husbands had been lost at sea.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Earlier husbands are kept in prison, waiting to be eaten.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: At night the she-goblins go to the prison, kill some men, and eat their flesh.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The captain observes his goblin wife returning while still eating and chanting
about human meat.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The captain tells some of his companions what he has discovered; some believe
him and some do not.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: A kind fairy sends a flying horse to carry away the men who want to go home.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: The flying horse speaks in a human voice and asks who wants to go home.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: All who choose to leave climb onto the horse, which carries them safely home.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: Those who stay behind are attacked and eaten by the goblins that night.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:14
text: The passage states that goblins hate water, and that a ship would have allowed
escape if it had not been lost.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: She-goblins of the city
description: Female goblins who lure travelers into marriage and later eat their
husbands.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Five hundred sailors
description: Shipwrecked men cast ashore near the goblin city.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Captain of the sailors
description: The sailor-captain who wakes, observes his goblin wife, and warns his
companions.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Earlier husbands / prisoners
description: Men previously taken by the she-goblins, held in prison and eaten.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Kind fairy
description: A fairy who hates the goblins and decides to save the men.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Flying horse
description: A beautiful horse with white and gold wings that speaks and carries
the men home.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sailors who remain behind
description: The men who do not leave on the flying horse and are eaten by the goblins.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: supernatural cannibal spouses
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They obtain husbands from travelers and later eat them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: deceptive hosts
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They offer food and clothing, invite the sailors into the city, and use magical
appearances to make the place seem safe.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: shipwrecked travelers
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They are sailors cast ashore after a wreck near the city.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: discoverer and warner
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: He observes the goblin wife after the cannibal feast and later tells his
mates what he has discovered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: victims
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:7
basis: The earlier husbands are imprisoned and eaten; the remaining sailors are
later mangled and eaten.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:11
- id: role:6
label: rescuer
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The fairy determines to save the men and sends the flying horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: magical transport
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The winged horse carries the men safely home.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: goblin city
literal_form: A large city in Ceylon inhabited only by she-goblins.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: illusory countryside
literal_form: Magically created shapes of ploughmen, shepherds, huntsmen, hounds,
and ordinary rural life.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: prison of former husbands
literal_form: A prison holding the previous husbands while they wait to be eaten.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: water as escape boundary
literal_form: The sea or water, which goblins are said to hate and which a ship
could have crossed for escape.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: winged flying horse
literal_form: A beautiful horse with large white and gold wings that speaks and
carries many men.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: City of she-goblins
summary: The passage introduces a Ceylon city populated only by she-goblins who
acquire traveler-husbands and later eat them.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Shipwreck and deceptive welcome
summary: Five hundred sailors are wrecked near the city; the goblins offer hospitality
and create magical appearances of ordinary country life to reassure them.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Marriage trap
summary: The goblins persuade the sailors to marry them while concealing that earlier
husbands are imprisoned for future eating.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Night cannibalism discovered
summary: At night the goblins go to the prison and eat some men; the captain observes
his wife returning and realizes she is a goblin.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Warning and divided belief
summary: The captain warns his companions; some believe him and plan to seek escape,
while others reject the warning.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Rescue by the flying horse
summary: A fairy sends a winged horse, which speaks to the men and carries those
who want to leave safely home.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:7
label: Fate of those who remain
summary: The sailors who remain behind are attacked, mangled, and eaten by the goblins.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: deceptive supernatural spouse who consumes the human partner
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The she-goblins force or persuade travelers into marriage and later eat their
husbands.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy list has no exact reference for cannibal spouse
or dangerous bride.
- id: motif:2
label: enchanted false settlement concealing danger
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The goblins make magical shapes of ordinary rural life to keep the shipwrecked
sailors from being frightened away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage does not name a trickster
figure.
- id: motif:3
label: supernatural animal rescue and return home
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: A fairy’s winged horse speaks to the men, receives them on its back, and
carries those who want to leave safely home.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The return is by magical transport, but the taxonomy reference is general.
- id: motif:4
label: warning believed by some and rejected by others
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The captain discovers the danger and warns his mates; some believe him and
escape, while others remain and are eaten.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The wisdom taxonomy reference is broad and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:5
label: water as boundary against hostile beings
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The captain reflects that escape by ship would work because goblins hate
water, but the ship is gone.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the property directly but does not develop a full water-crossing
scene.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2358-2364
quote_or_summary: A city in Ceylon is full only of she-goblins, who take travelers
as husbands and later eat them.
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: lines 2366-2371
quote_or_summary: A ship is wrecked near the goblin city; five hundred sailors are
cast ashore, and the she-goblins bring them food, dry clothes, and an invitation
into the city.
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: lines 2371-2379
quote_or_summary: The goblins use magic to create appearances of ploughmen, shepherds,
huntsmen, hounds, and quiet country life so the sailors will feel safe.
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: lines 2381-2387
quote_or_summary: The goblins persuade the sailors to marry them by claiming their
husbands were lost at sea, while earlier husbands are actually imprisoned and
waiting to be eaten.
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: lines 2389-2393
quote_or_summary: At night the she-goblins go to the prison, kill several men, eat
their flesh, and return home.
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: quote
locator: lines 2393-2403
quote_or_summary: 'The captain sees his wife return still eating and hears her repeat:
"Man''s meat, man''s meat, / That''s what Goblins like to eat!"'
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:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2405-2410
quote_or_summary: The captain fears they cannot fight goblins; he thinks they could
escape by ship because goblins hate water, but the ship is gone.
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: lines 2412-2417
quote_or_summary: The captain tells his mates; some believe him and agree to look
for escape, while others think he dreamed it.
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: lines 2419-2427
quote_or_summary: A kind fairy who hates the goblins sends a flying horse; the captain
sees a beautiful horse with white and gold wings, and the horse asks in a human
voice who wants to go home.
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: lines 2429-2433
quote_or_summary: The sailors who want to leave climb on the horse; although it
appears ordinary-sized, there is room for all, and it flies them safely home.
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: lines 2435-2435
quote_or_summary: Those who remain behind are attacked by the goblins and eaten.
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 direct from the supplied passage. Motif labels are
candidate groupings and require human review, especially broad taxonomy mappings.
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 provides no explicit comparison to another named text or tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg__l2358-l2435
passage_sha256=0a44f31d9c8266a0e156879fa85bd66b626ab1c01a779c0a52c2ca6e516b9ebf