batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l4706-l4757
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l4706-l4757
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
passage_locator:
label: THE THEOGONY / THE CATALOGUES OF WOMEN AND EOIAE1701 / II. 1745 / THE SHIELD
OF HERACLES; lines 4706-4757
start: '4706'
end: '4757'
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: Heracles faces manslaying Ares in battle. Athena, wearing the aegis, warns
Ares that he is not ordained to kill Heracles, but Ares attacks. Athena diverts
Ares' spear, and Heracles wounds Ares in the thigh. Panic and Dread carry Ares
by chariot to Olympus. Heracles and Iolaus strip Cycnus' armor and depart. Ceyx
and nearby peoples bury Cycnus, but the rain-swollen river Anaurus destroys his
grave and memorial at Apollo's command because Cycnus had despoiled hecatombs
being brought to Pytho.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The son of Zeus, also called the son of Amphitryon, stands face to face with
manslaying Ares and prepares for battle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage compares Heracles' battle-readiness to a raging lion and compares
Ares' charge to a rock crashing down from a cliff.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Athena comes to meet Ares wearing the dark aegis and tells him to stop fighting,
saying it is not ordained that he kill Heracles or strip his armor.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Ares ignores Athena, shouts, waves his spears like fire, and hurls a brazen
spear at Heracles' great shield.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Athena reaches from the car and turns aside the force of Ares' spear.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Ares draws his sword and leaps at Heracles; Heracles wounds Ares in the thigh
below his shield and casts him to the ground.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Panic and Dread drive Ares' chariot and horses near, lift him into the car,
and take him to high Olympus.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Heracles and Iolaus strip the fine armor from Cycnus' shoulders and travel
by horse to Trachis.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Athena leaves for great Olympus and her father's house.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Ceyx and many nearby people bury Cycnus and honor Ceyx.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The river Anaurus, swollen by a rainstorm, blots out Cycnus' grave and memorial
at Apollo's command.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Apollo commands the erasure because Cycnus used to watch for and violently
despoil rich hecatombs brought to Pytho.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Heracles
description: Stout-hearted son of Zeus, also called the son of Amphitryon and the
son of Alcmena; he faces Ares, receives the attack, wounds Ares, and strips Cycnus'
armor with Iolaus.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ares
description: Manslaying, deadly, chariot-borne god who attacks Heracles in anger
over his dead son and is wounded in the thigh.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Athena
description: Bright-eyed daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus; she wears the dark aegis,
warns Ares, diverts his spear, and returns to Olympus.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Panic and Dread
description: Personified attendants who drive Ares' chariot and horses near him,
lift him into the car, and take him to Olympus.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Cycnus
description: Dead son of Ares whose armor is stripped; he is later buried, but his
grave and memorial are erased because he had despoiled hecatombs destined for
Pytho.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Iolaus
description: Glorious companion of Heracles who helps strip Cycnus' armor and travels
with Heracles to Trachis.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Ceyx
description: Figure who buries Cycnus with many people and is described as the friend
of the blessed gods.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Anaurus
description: River swollen by a rainstorm that blots out Cycnus' grave and memorial.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Apollo
description: Leto's son, who commands Anaurus to blot out Cycnus' grave and memorial
because of Cycnus' violent despoiling of hecatombs brought to Pytho.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Nearby peoples
description: Countless people from the region around Ceyx's city and nearby places
who gather for Cycnus' burial and honor Ceyx.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: heroic combatant protected from Ares
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Heracles faces Ares, Athena says Ares is not ordained to kill him, and Heracles
wounds Ares.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: vengeful divine combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Ares attacks Heracles in anger over his dead son and is defeated by Heracles'
spear-thrust.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: divine intervener and restrainer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Athena warns Ares to stop and turns aside his spear when he attacks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: rescuing attendants
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Panic and Dread lift wounded Ares into his chariot and drive him to Olympus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: dead despoiler whose memorial is erased
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Cycnus' grave and memorial are destroyed because he had violently despoiled
hecatombs destined for Pytho.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: heroic companion
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Iolaus strips Cycnus' armor with Heracles and departs with him to Trachis.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: burial sponsor and friend of the gods
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Ceyx buries Cycnus, and people gather doing honor to Ceyx, who is called
friend of the blessed gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: river-agent of erasure
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Anaurus, swollen by rain, blots out Cycnus' grave and memorial.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: divine commander of punishment
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Apollo commands the river to erase Cycnus' grave because Cycnus despoiled
hecatombs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: burial participants
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Many people gather for the burial and honor Ceyx.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: dark aegis
literal_form: The dark aegis worn by Athena when she confronts Ares.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: spears like fire
literal_form: Ares waves his spears, which are described by simile as like fire.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: shield and armor
literal_form: Heracles' great shield, Ares' richly wrought shield, and Cycnus' fine
armor stripped from his shoulders.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: chariot and horses to Olympus
literal_form: Ares' smooth-wheeled chariot and horses, driven by Panic and Dread
to high Olympus.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: grave and memorial
literal_form: Cycnus' grave and memorial, later blotted out by the river Anaurus.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: rain-swollen river
literal_form: Anaurus swollen by a rainstorm, used to erase the grave and memorial.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: hecatombs to Pytho
literal_form: Rich hecatombs that people might bring to Pytho, which Cycnus used
to watch for and despoil.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Heracles waits for Ares
summary: Heracles leaves Cycnus and stands ready for Ares, with the passage using
lion and falling-rock similes to describe the combatants' ferocity and clash.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Athena warns Ares
summary: Athena confronts Ares in the aegis and tells him to cease, saying Heracles'
death at Ares' hands is not ordained.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Ares attacks and Athena diverts the spear
summary: Ares ignores Athena, rushes against Heracles with spears like fire, and
hurls a spear at the shield, but Athena turns the force aside.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Heracles wounds Ares and Panic and Dread remove him
summary: Ares attacks with a sword; Heracles wounds his thigh beneath the shield
and throws him down, after which Panic and Dread carry him by chariot to Olympus.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Armor stripped and departures
summary: Heracles and Iolaus strip Cycnus' armor and go to Trachis, while Athena
returns to Olympus.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Cycnus buried and memorial erased
summary: Ceyx and many people bury Cycnus, but Apollo commands the rain-swollen
river Anaurus to erase the grave because Cycnus had despoiled hecatombs brought
to Pytho.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divine intervention in combat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Athena warns Ares that he is not ordained to kill Heracles and later diverts
Ares' spear.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a clear intervention, but no supplied motif-family reference
directly names this pattern.
- id: motif:2
label: hero wounds a god in battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Heracles wounds Ares in the thigh and casts him to the ground.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: This is a local heroic combat motif; no exact supplied taxonomy reference
is available.
- id: motif:3
label: divine judgment for sacrilege against offerings
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- sacred_exchange
- sacrifice
basis: Apollo commands Anaurus to erase Cycnus' grave because Cycnus violently despoiled
hecatombs being brought to Pytho.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not describe a trial or formal judgment scene; the judgment
is inferred from Apollo's punitive command and stated cause.
- id: motif:4
label: water erases memorial
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The rain-swollen river Anaurus blots out Cycnus' grave and memorial.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The literal water action is explicit, but its broader mythic function
beyond punishment is limited to this passage.
- id: motif:5
label: removal to Olympus by divine conveyance
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: Panic and Dread place wounded Ares in a chariot and drive him to high Olympus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: low
cautions: The passage describes transport to Olympus, but it is not presented as
an initiatory or salvific ascent.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'Within the supplied taxonomy, Apollo''s command that a river erase Cycnus''
grave after Cycnus despoiled hecatombs has the same function as a divine-judgment
pattern: a god imposes a punitive consequence for violation of sacred offerings.'
claim_level: same_function
target: divine_judgment motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: This is a functional comparison to a motif family, not evidence of
historical contact or a broader cross-cultural claim.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: source lines 4706-4724; internal ll. 424-442
quote_or_summary: Heracles, called the son of Zeus and son of Amphitryon, watches
for the onset of manslaying Ares; the passage uses lion and falling-rock similes
for Heracles' rage and Ares' charge.
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: source lines 4725-4732; internal ll. 443-449
quote_or_summary: Athena, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus, meets Ares wearing the
dark aegis and tells him not to fight, saying it is not ordained that he kill
Heracles or strip his armor.
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: source lines 4733-4740; internal ll. 450-456
quote_or_summary: Ares is not moved by Athena; he shouts, waves his spears like
fire, rushes at Heracles, hurls a brazen spear at the great shield, and Athena
turns aside the spear's force.
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: source lines 4741-4749; internal ll. 457-466
quote_or_summary: Ares draws his sword and attacks; Heracles wounds Ares' thigh
below the shield and casts him down; Panic and Dread place him in his chariot
and drive to high Olympus.
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: source lines 4750-4753; internal ll. 467-471
quote_or_summary: Heracles and Iolaus strip Cycnus' armor and go to Trachis; Athena
goes to Olympus and her father's house.
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: source lines 4754-4757; internal ll. 472-480
quote_or_summary: Ceyx and many nearby people bury Cycnus; Anaurus, swollen by a
rainstorm, blots out Cycnus' grave and memorial at Apollo's command because Cycnus
despoiled rich hecatombs brought to Pytho.
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: medium
notes: Literal sequence and figures are explicit in the passage. Motif labels are
cautious because several patterns lack exact supplied taxonomy references.
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 the supplied passage text and metadata; no external comparisons or unsupported taxonomy IDs added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg__l4706-l4757
passage_sha256=bb85e3b85743e1da6545c014f88e6a5d6aceabb6fb85d16d07b0e0dd9f5d2d91