batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l1904-l1992
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l1904-l1992
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
passage_locator:
label: INTRODUCTION / BIBLIOGRAPHY / HESIOD / HESIODS WORKS AND DAYS; lines 1904-1992
start: '1904'
end: '1992'
translation: Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: 'The speaker gives Perses agricultural instructions keyed to stars, weather,
bird calls, and seasons: harvest at the Pleiades'' rising, plough at their setting,
prepare house, labor, oxen, ploughs, timber, and wagon parts in advance, heed
the crane''s cry as a ploughing signal, pray to Zeus of the Earth and Demeter
for heavy grain, and work diligently to avoid debt, hunger, and dependence on
neighbors.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The rising and setting of the Pleiades are presented as markers for harvest
and ploughing, and their hidden period is counted as forty nights and days.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The speaker warns Perses that failure to work in due season may lead to want,
begging, debt, hunger, and lack of help from neighbors.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage advises acquiring a house, a woman, and an ox for ploughing, and
making ready at home before the season passes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Delay in work is contrasted with industry; the sluggish or postponing worker
is said not to fill his barn and to be close to ruin.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The abating heat of the sun, autumn rains sent by Zeus, and the nightward
course of Sirius mark the time for cutting timber.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The passage gives measurements and material instructions for agricultural
tools and wagon parts, including mortar, pestle, axle, felloe, plough-tree, ploughs,
poles, share-beam, and timbers.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Two nine-year-old bulls are recommended for ploughing because they are strong,
mature, and less likely to fight in the furrow and break the plough.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: A brisk forty-year-old worker is recommended to follow the oxen, drive a straight
furrow, and avoid distraction.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: The crane's yearly cry from the clouds is described as a signal for ploughing
and for the season of rainy winter.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: At the proclaimed ploughing time, the speaker urges master and slaves alike
to plough promptly in wet and dry conditions.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: The passage recommends ploughing in spring and sowing fallow land when the
soil is still light.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: At the beginning of ploughing, the speaker instructs prayer to Zeus of the
Earth and pure Demeter so that Demeter's grain may be sound and heavy.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: A slave is to follow behind with a mattock and hide the seed from birds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: If the Olympian gives a good result, the corn-ears will be full, the bins
used, and the household will have plenty until spring.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Perses
description: The addressee whom the speaker calls foolish and instructs to work,
pay debts, and avoid hunger.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: speaker
description: The first-person instructor who refuses to give Perses more and gives
agricultural and moral advice.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Pleiades, daughters of Atlas
description: A group of stars whose rising, setting, disappearance, and reappearance
mark agricultural timing.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Demeter
description: A divine figure associated with fruits and holy grain; she is invoked
for sound and heavy grain.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: gods
description: Divine powers said to have ordained work for men.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Zeus
description: Divine figure who sends autumn rains and is invoked as Zeus of the
Earth at ploughing.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sirius
description: A star passing over human heads for a short time by day and taking
a greater share of night in the described season.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Athena's handmen
description: Craftsmen or workers who fix the plough share-beam and fasten it to
the pole with dowels.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: crane
description: A bird whose cry from the clouds gives a signal for ploughing and rainy
winter.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: slaves
description: Laborers who are to join in ploughing and one of whom follows behind
with a mattock to hide the seed.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Olympian
description: A divine figure whose favorable result is linked to full corn-ears
and plenty.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: admonished addressee
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Perses is directly addressed, warned against hunger and debt, and told to
work.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: didactic instructor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The speaker issues advice, warnings, and practical instructions throughout
the passage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: seasonal marker
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:7
- fig:9
basis: The Pleiades, Sirius, and the crane are used to identify or signal seasonal
agricultural tasks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: invoked agricultural deity
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:6
basis: Zeus of the Earth and pure Demeter are to be prayed to for sound and heavy
grain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: ordainers of human work
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The gods are said to have ordained work for men.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: giver of agricultural outcome
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:11
basis: Zeus sends autumn rains, and the Olympian's favorable result is linked to
full corn and plenty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: craft worker
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Athena's handmen are described fastening plough components.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: agricultural laborer
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Slaves are instructed to plough and to follow with a mattock to protect seed
from birds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Pleiades
literal_form: Rising, setting, hidden, and reappearing star cluster identified as
daughters of Atlas.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: Demeter's fruits and grain
literal_form: Agricultural produce and holy grain to be gathered in season and made
sound and heavy by prayer.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: plough and yoke equipment
literal_form: Plough-tree, ploughs, pole-bar, yoke-straps, share-beam, and related
prepared tools for ploughing.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: autumn rains
literal_form: Rains sent by Zeus after the piercing heat of the sun abates.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: Sirius
literal_form: Star whose seasonal passage is described in relation to day and night.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:6
label: crane's cry
literal_form: The yearly voice of the crane from the clouds, signaling ploughing
and rainy winter.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:7
label: oxen
literal_form: Horned oxen and nine-year-old bulls used for ploughing and yoked to
the plough.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: barns, bins, and stored plenty
literal_form: A filled barn, swept bins, and garnered substance representing the
result of timely work and divine favor within the passage.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Seasonal timing by the Pleiades
summary: The passage opens by tying harvest and ploughing to the rising, setting,
hidden interval, and reappearance of the Pleiades, and warns Perses to work in
due season to avoid need.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Household preparation and anti-delay admonition
summary: The speaker advises preparing a house, woman, ox, and domestic supplies,
and contrasts industry with postponement and ruin.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Timber, tools, oxen, and ploughman
summary: After Zeus's autumn rains and the seasonal position of Sirius, the speaker
lists timber-cutting, tool-making, plough construction, oxen selection, and the
qualities of a good worker.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Crane as ploughing signal
summary: The crane's cry from the clouds announces ploughing and rainy winter, prompting
preparation of oxen and wagon timbers.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Ploughing season and fallow land
summary: At the proclaimed time, master and slaves are to plough promptly, including
spring ploughing and sowing fallow land while the soil is light.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Prayer and hoped-for fullness of grain
summary: At the start of ploughing, the worker is to pray to Zeus of the Earth and
Demeter, guide the oxen, protect the seed from birds, and, if the Olympian grants
success, enjoy full ears, stored grain, and plenty until spring.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: seasonally ordered agricultural labor
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage repeatedly organizes harvest, timber-cutting, ploughing, sowing,
and storage around stars, rains, bird calls, and named seasons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a didactic agricultural passage rather than a mythic narrative;
the motif is extracted as a recurring seasonal pattern.
- id: motif:2
label: divine powers governing agricultural success
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The gods are said to ordain human work; Zeus sends rains; Zeus of the Earth
and Demeter are invoked for heavy grain; the Olympian's favorable result brings
abundance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives practical piety and divine causation but does not narrate
a separate divine intervention episode.
- id: motif:3
label: practical wisdom against idleness and dependence
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The speaker instructs Perses to work, prepare in advance, avoid postponement,
pay debts, and prevent hunger and reliance on neighbors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: This is moral-didactic instruction; any broader wisdom classification
should be reviewed against project taxonomy standards.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: Works and Days ll. 383-404; source lines 1904-1925
quote_or_summary: The Pleiades' rising and setting mark harvest and ploughing; they
are hidden forty days and nights; the speaker warns Perses to do the gods' ordained
work, pay debts, and avoid hunger and begging.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: Works and Days ll. 405-413; source lines 1927-1936
quote_or_summary: The speaker advises getting a house, woman, and plough ox, preparing
at home, and not postponing work because industry prospers while delay brings
ruin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: Works and Days ll. 414-447; source lines 1938-1972
quote_or_summary: When heat abates, Zeus sends autumn rains and Sirius takes more
of night; timber should be cut and agricultural tools, ploughs, oxen, and a suitable
ploughman prepared.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: Works and Days ll. 448-457; source lines 1974-1983
quote_or_summary: The crane's yearly cry from the clouds signals ploughing and rainy
winter; the man without oxen is troubled, and wagon timbers should be prepared
beforehand.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: Works and Days ll. 458-464; source lines 1985-1991
quote_or_summary: At ploughing time, master and slaves should plough promptly in
wet and dry weather; spring ploughing and sowing fallow land are recommended.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: Works and Days ll. 465-478; source lines 1992 and following in supplied
passage
quote_or_summary: At the start of ploughing, pray to Zeus of the Earth and Demeter
for sound heavy grain; guide oxen, have a slave hide seed from birds, and, if
the Olympian grants a good result, enjoy full corn and stored plenty until spring.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The practical agricultural instructions, figures, and seasonal markers are
explicit. Motif labels require review because the passage is didactic rather than
narrative myth. No comparison claims were made because the passage itself does
not compare traditions or motif families.
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: |-
Used only supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references were limited to available labels and applied only where directly supported.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg__l1904-l1992
passage_sha256=852f05125fbc32d3d8aaf305273ccc2c73bcd0b9ec846a07fff80d38004965d4