batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l610-l704
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l610-l704
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
passage_locator:
label: THE GIANT CRAB / THE HYPOCRITICAL CAT / THE CROCODILE AND THE MONKEY / THE
AXE, THE DRUM, THE BOWL, AND THE DIAMOND; lines 610-704
start: '610'
end: '704'
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 young man travels through a forest with magical objects, encounters a
giant with a drum, exchanges his wishing-bowl for the drum, kills the blood-drinking
giant with a magical axe, recovers the bowl and drum, then defeats a cruel king
by routing soldiers, flooding an army with water from the bowl, beheading the
king with the axe, summoning warriors with the drum, and becoming king.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The young man eats from a wishing-bowl before continuing through the forest.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A loud drum-like noise frightens wild animals, which flee across a forest
glade.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: A big black giant sits in front of a hut with a drum.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The giant says that one side of the drum makes hearers run away and the other
side summons an armed army from the ground.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The young man trades the wishing-bowl to the giant for the drum.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The giant wishes for and begins drinking a bowlful of blood.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The young man commands his axe to strike, and it cuts the giant's head in
two.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Inside the hut are dried bodies of travellers tied to the wall; the passage
says the giant caught travellers and sucked their blood.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The young man retrieves the bowl and drum, checks that his axe and diamond
are safe, and wishes himself to the gate of the nearest city.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: A cruel king sends soldiers and then larger forces to capture the stranger
outside the city gates.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The young man beats the drum and the king's first soldiers and regiment flee.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: The young man overturns the wishing-bowl, and water floods the plain and drowns
the army except for the king.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: The axe flies through the air, cuts off the king's head, and returns to the
young man.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:14
text: The young man beats the other side of the drum; warriors spring from holes
in the earth, and he enters the city and becomes king.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: young man
description: A travelling young man who possesses and uses a wishing-bowl, axe,
drum, and diamond.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: big black giant
description: A giant seated before a forest hut with a drum; later shown to be a
killer of travellers who drinks blood.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: wild animals
description: A frightened herd including elephants, lions, tigers, wolves, and other
wild animals fleeing the drum noise.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: dead travellers
description: Bodies of travellers tied to the uprights of the giant's hut, dry and
shrivelled.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: cruel king
description: The king of the city, described as robbing and murdering subjects and
showing no mercy to strangers.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: king's soldiers and army
description: Military forces sent by the king to capture the stranger; some flee
from the drum and the full army is drowned by the flood.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: city people
description: People inside the city who cheer when they see the cruel king beheaded.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: summoned warriors
description: Fully armed warriors who sprout from holes in the earth after the young
man beats the other side of the drum.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: traveller
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He walks through the forest and is later described as a stranger outside
the city gates.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: holder and user of magical objects
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He uses the wishing-bowl, axe, and drum, and checks that the diamond is safe.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:3
label: victorious new king
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After defeating the cruel king and summoning an army, he enters the city
and becomes king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:4
label: blood-drinking giant antagonist
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The giant wants the wishing-bowl, wishes for blood, and is said to have sucked
travellers' blood.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: frightened fleeing animals
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The animals flee in terror from the drum noise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: victims of the giant
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The passage identifies the dried bodies as travellers caught and drained
by the giant.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: cruel ruler antagonist
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The king is described as robbing and murdering subjects and seeking to seize
the stranger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: royal military force
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The king sends soldiers, a regiment, and then the whole army against the
young man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: approving city populace
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The people cheer when the cruel king is beheaded.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: magically summoned army
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Warriors fully armed spring from the earth when the drum is beaten on its
other side.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wishing-bowl
literal_form: A bowl that gives desired food and later pours out a torrent of water
when tipped over.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:9
- id: sym:2
label: two-sided drum
literal_form: A drum whose one side makes hearers flee and whose other side summons
an army from the ground.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:8
- ev:11
- id: sym:3
label: commanded axe
literal_form: An axe that responds to the young man's command for heads, cuts off
heads, flies through the air, and returns.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:10
- id: sym:4
label: diamond
literal_form: A diamond carried by the young man and checked for safety along with
the axe.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: water flood
literal_form: A roaring torrent of water released from the wishing-bowl that floods
the plain and drowns the army.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: blood in the bowl
literal_form: A bowlful of blood wished for and drunk by the giant.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: earth-born warriors
literal_form: Fully armed warriors sprouting from holes in the trembling earth.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Approach through forest and flight of animals
summary: The young man hears a drum-like din in the forest and sees many wild animals
flee in terror across a glade.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Meeting the giant and learning the drum's power
summary: The young man reaches a hut where a giant with a drum offers food; the
giant learns of the wishing-bowl and explains the drum's two powers.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Exchange, blood, and killing of the giant
summary: The young man trades the bowl for the drum; when the giant uses the bowl
for blood, the young man orders the axe to kill him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Discovery of the giant's victims and departure
summary: The young man finds dried travellers in the giant's hut, recovers his objects,
and wishes himself to a city gate.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Conflict with the cruel king
summary: A cruel king sends armed forces to seize the stranger; the young man uses
the drum to make early forces flee.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Flood, beheading, and new kingship
summary: The young man releases flood water from the bowl to drown the army, sends
the axe to behead the king, summons warriors with the drum, and enters the city
as king while the people cheer.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:5
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: magical objects used in successive trials
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: 'The young man repeatedly uses magical objects: a bowl for food and water,
a drum for flight and army-summoning, and an axe for beheading enemies.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: No specific provided taxonomy family directly names magical objects.
- id: motif:2
label: exchange of magical objects
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The young man gives the wishing-bowl to the giant in exchange for the drum,
then recovers both after killing the giant.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy label 'sacred_exchange' is broader than the literal
exchange in the passage; the passage does not call the objects sacred.
- id: motif:3
label: blood-drinking giant slain by magical weapon
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The giant drinks blood, is revealed to have drained travellers, and is killed
by the commanded axe.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the giant as blood-drinking but does not classify
him beyond 'giant'.
- id: motif:4
label: overthrow of cruel king and replacement by victorious outsider
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The cruel king attacks the stranger, is killed by the axe, the people cheer,
and the young man enters the city and becomes king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage shows popular approval and succession, but does not describe
formal coronation or divine authorization.
- id: motif:5
label: destructive water released from a vessel
taxonomy_refs:
- flood_and_renewal
basis: The wishing-bowl releases a torrent that floods the plain, destroys the king's
army, and precedes the young man's rule.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
confidence: low
cautions: This is a local battle flood, not a world flood; 'renewal' is limited
to political replacement.
- id: motif:6
label: army summoned from the earth
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: When the young man beats the other side of the drum, the earth trembles and
fully armed warriors sprout from holes in the ground.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: No matching provided taxonomy reference is available.
- id: motif:7
label: resourceful traveller survives hostile beings
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The young man avoids the giant's food, uses his own bowl, exploits the exchange,
and uses his magical objects to defeat the giant and king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage emphasizes action and magical objects more than explicit instruction
about wisdom.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 610-704, forest approach
quote_or_summary: The young man eats from his wishing-bowl, walks through the forest,
hears a loud drum-like noise, and sees frightened elephants, lions, tigers, wolves,
and other animals flee across a glade.
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 610-704, giant's hut
quote_or_summary: After the noise stops, the young man reaches another glade where
a hut stands and a big black giant sits in front of it with a drum.
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 610-704, drum explanation
quote_or_summary: The giant explains that beating one side of the drum makes everyone
who hears it run away, while beating the other side causes a splendid army of
soldiers and horses to spring from the ground to defend the holder.
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 610-704, exchange with giant
quote_or_summary: The young man tells the giant about the wishing-bowl that gives
any desired food, and the giant trades his drum for the bowl.
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 610-704, death of giant
quote_or_summary: The giant wishes aloud for a bowlful of blood and begins drinking;
the young man commands the axe with 'Heads,' and the axe splits the giant's head
in two.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation included from public domain text.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 610-704, inside the hut
quote_or_summary: Inside the giant's hut are dried bodies of travellers tied to
the wall; the passage says the giant caught travellers and sucked their blood
until they were dry.
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: lines 610-704, departure from hut
quote_or_summary: The young man picks up the bowl and drum, checks that the axe
and diamond are safe, and wishes himself to the gate of the nearest 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:8
type: summary
locator: lines 610-704, cruel king sends forces
quote_or_summary: The city king is described as cruel, robbing and murdering subjects
and showing no mercy to strangers; he sends soldiers, then a regiment, then all
his army to capture the young man, while the drum makes the first forces flee.
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 610-704, flood from bowl
quote_or_summary: The young man tips over the wishing-bowl, releasing a roaring
torrent of water that floods the plain and drowns every soldier in the army except
the king, who escapes to the city wall.
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 610-704, king beheaded
quote_or_summary: The young man commands the axe to take the king's head; it flies
like a boomerang, slices off the king's head, returns, and the people inside the
city cheer.
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 610-704, summoned army and accession
quote_or_summary: The young man beats the other side of the drum; the earth trembles,
holes appear, fully armed warriors sprout from them, and he marches into the city,
becomes king, and lives happily.
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 entirely on the supplied passage. Motif taxonomy
mappings are cautious because the available taxonomy does not include precise
labels for magical object cycles, ogre-slaying, or earth-born armies.
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 with another text, tradition, or named motif family beyond candidate motif classification.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg__l610-l704
passage_sha256=bdbba9d92b16b68d7a05f5c4f3f54fc9f4417e0d4f20fe933168d19d30e4686b