batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l287-l410
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l287-l410
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
passage_locator:
label: CONTENTS / THE GIANT CRAB / THE HYPOCRITICAL CAT / THE CROCODILE AND THE
MONKEY; lines 287-410
start: '287'
end: '410'
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 crocodile’s wife desires a monkey’s heart. The crocodile lures the monkey
onto his back by promising fruit across the river, then reveals that he intends
to drown him and take his heart. The monkey deceives the crocodile by claiming
that monkeys keep their hearts in trees. Once carried to the far bank, the monkey
climbs into a fig-tree, mocks the crocodile’s foolishness, and eats the fruit
safely.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage is set at a deep, wide river where a crocodile lives and a monkey
lives on the bank among trees.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: obs:2
text: The crocodile’s wife cries and says she wants the monkey’s heart to eat.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:3
text: The crocodile invites the monkey to ride on his back across the river to reach
fruit trees on the opposite bank.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:4
text: While carrying the monkey, the crocodile sinks lower in the water and reveals
that his wife wants the monkey’s heart.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:5
text: The monkey says that monkeys do not carry their hearts inside their bodies
and claims the hearts are in a tree on the bank.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:6
text: The crocodile carries the monkey to the bank; the monkey climbs the fig-tree,
refuses to give a heart, and stays safe there.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Monkey
description: A monkey living on the riverbank, eating nuts and wild fruit; later
described as clever and able to deceive the crocodile.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Mr. Crocodile
description: A large crocodile living in the river, described as dangerous, fond
of his wife, and foolish enough to believe the monkey’s claim about the heart.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Mrs. Crocodile
description: The crocodile’s wife, who cries from hunger and asks for the monkey’s
heart to eat.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: targeted victim who escapes
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The monkey is targeted for his heart but escapes into the fig-tree.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: deceptive carrier across water
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The crocodile offers to carry the monkey across the river while intending
to take his heart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: clever deceiver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The monkey fabricates the claim that his heart is kept in a tree, inducing
the crocodile to bring him to safety.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: foolish predator
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The crocodile is fooled by the monkey’s false statement and later returns
feeling foolish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: desiring instigator
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Mrs. Crocodile’s desire for the monkey’s heart causes the crocodile to pursue
the monkey.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: river crossing
literal_form: deep and wide river
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: fig-tree refuge and food source
literal_form: fig-tree on the further bank
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: desired heart
literal_form: the monkey’s heart, requested as food
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: fruit lure
literal_form: fruit trees on the opposite bank
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Riverbank setting
summary: A crocodile lives in a deep, wide river, while a monkey lives on the bank
among trees whose fruit has become scarce.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Wife requests the monkey’s heart
summary: Mrs. Crocodile cries and tells her husband she wants the monkey’s heart
to eat; the crocodile considers a plan.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Invitation to cross the river
summary: The crocodile tells the monkey about abundant fruit across the river and
offers to carry him there on his back.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Betrayal in the water
summary: As the crocodile sinks, he reveals that he is not helping the monkey but
taking him because his wife wants the monkey’s heart.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: False external heart
summary: The monkey claims that monkeys keep their hearts in a tree, causing the
crocodile to carry him to the bank.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Escape into the fig-tree
summary: The monkey climbs into the fig-tree, eats figs, tells the crocodile that
no creature keeps its heart in a tree, and remains safe while the crocodile returns
foolishly to his wife.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Clever weak animal outwits dangerous predator
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The monkey survives by using a quick verbal trick against the physically
stronger crocodile.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents practical cleverness
rather than formal instruction or doctrine.
- id: motif:2
label: Deceptive river crossing as trap
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The crocodile turns a promised crossing over water into a predatory trap,
but the boundary-crossing is reversed to the monkey’s advantage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The crocodile begins as the deceiver, while the monkey’s counter-deception
resolves the episode; the available taxonomy label is approximate.
- id: motif:3
label: False external heart deception
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The monkey falsely claims that his heart is stored outside his body in a
tree, inducing the crocodile to bring him to safety.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly corresponds to this motif.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 287-303
quote_or_summary: The story opens with a deep, wide river inhabited by a dangerous
crocodile who lies in mud and snaps up small animals.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 304-307
quote_or_summary: A monkey lives on the riverbank, climbs trees, and eats nuts and
wild fruit, though little fruit remains nearby.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 308-327
quote_or_summary: Mrs. Crocodile cries from hunger and says she wants the monkey’s
heart; Mr. Crocodile promises to see what he can do and thinks of a plan.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 328-358
quote_or_summary: Mr. Crocodile calls to the monkey, describes abundant fruit on
the far side of the river, and offers to carry him across on his back.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 359-374
quote_or_summary: During the crossing, the crocodile sinks and tells the monkey
that his wife wants the monkey’s heart to eat.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 375-393
quote_or_summary: The monkey replies that monkeys do not carry hearts inside them
and points to round things in a tree, claiming they are monkey hearts; the crocodile
believes him and takes him across.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 394-410
quote_or_summary: The monkey leaps off, climbs the fig-tree, eats figs, mocks the
crocodile for thinking a creature keeps its heart in a tree, and the crocodile
returns to his wife feeling foolish.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The narrative sequence, figures, and objects are explicit. Motif labels are
candidate abstractions from the passage and should be reviewed against the Atlas
taxonomy.
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 explicitly support comparison to another named text, tradition, or motif family beyond the supplied taxonomy candidates.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg__l287-l410
passage_sha256=48cfb50ce1b9ee68d4123d9bed5d3052e062e5bf56ea6ceba60c9faa09a96f6c