batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l4977-l5022
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l4977-l5022
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
passage_locator:
label: THE MARRIAGE OF CEYX / THE GREAT EOIAE / THE MELAMPODIA / AEGIMIUS; lines
4977-5022
start: '4977'
end: '5022'
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: A sequence of Aegimius fragments reports Phrixus entering Aeetes' halls
with a purified fleece after sacrifice; Thetis testing or destroying her children
by Peleus in a cauldron of water until Peleus stops her from throwing Achilles
in; Io as Hera's priestess seduced by Zeus, transformed into a white cow, watched
by Argus, and associated with Euboea; Hermes killing Argus; a brief future statement
about a place of refreshment; and an explanation of the Three-fold People as three
Hellenic tribes settling in Crete.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Phrixus is said to have been received without an intermediary because of the
fleece.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: After a sacrifice, Phrixus purified the fleece and entered the halls of Aeetes
while holding it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Thetis threw children she had by Peleus into a cauldron of water because she
wished to learn where they were mortal.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Many children had perished before Peleus stopped Thetis from throwing Achilles
into the cauldron.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Io is identified as the daughter of Peiren in a report attributed to Hesiod
and Acusilaus.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Io held the office of priestess of Hera when Zeus seduced her.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: After Hera discovered the matter, Zeus touched Io and changed her into a white
cow.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Zeus swore that he had not had intercourse with Io, and the passage connects
this with an ordinance that oaths about secret deeds of the Cyprian should be
without penalty for men.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: Zeus is said to have renamed Abantis as Euboea after the cow.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: Hera set Argus as a watcher over Io.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Argus is described as great and strong, four-eyed, always looking every way,
sleepless, and always keeping watch.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: Hermes is said to have slain Argus, the herdsman of Io.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: A brief fragment states that a future place of refreshment will belong to
the speaker, addressed to a leader of the people.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: The Three-fold People are explained as so called because they settled in three
groups and divided land in three far from their country.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:15
text: The Pelasgi, Achaeans, and Dorians are named as three Hellenic tribes that
settled in Crete.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Phrixus
description: Person received without intermediary because of the fleece and entering
Aeetes' halls with the purified fleece.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Aeetes
description: Owner or ruler of the halls into which Phrixus walks.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Thetis
description: Mother of children by Peleus who throws them into a cauldron of water
to learn where they are mortal.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Children of Thetis and Peleus
description: Children thrown into the cauldron of water; many perish.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Peleus
description: Father of Thetis' children who becomes annoyed and prevents Achilles
from being thrown into the cauldron.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Achilles
description: Child whom Peleus prevents Thetis from throwing into the cauldron.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Io
description: Daughter of Peiren, priestess of Hera, seduced by Zeus, transformed
into a white cow, watched by Argus.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Peiren
description: Named as Io's father.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Hera
description: Goddess whose priestess is Io; she discovers Zeus and Io and sets Argus
to watch Io.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Zeus
description: God who seduces Io, transforms her into a white cow, swears denial,
and renames Abantis Euboea after the cow.
role_refs:
- role:11
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Cyprian
description: Divine figure or epithet associated with secret deeds of love in the
oath fragment.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Argus
description: Great and strong four-eyed watcher set over Io; herdsman of Io slain
by Hermes.
role_refs:
- role:14
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Hermes
description: Called slayer of Argus; kills Argus, the herdsman of Io.
role_refs:
- role:16
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Three-fold People
description: People named from settlement in three groups and threefold division
of land.
role_refs:
- role:17
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Pelasgi, Achaeans, and Dorians
description: Three Hellenic tribes said to have settled in Crete.
role_refs:
- role:18
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: bearer of purified fleece
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Phrixus purifies and holds the fleece while entering Aeetes' halls.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: host or hall-owner
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage names the halls of Aeetes as Phrixus' destination.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: testing mother
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Thetis throws her children into water to learn where they are mortal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: imperiled children
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The children are thrown into the cauldron and many perish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: intervening father
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Peleus prevents Thetis from throwing Achilles into the cauldron.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: rescued child
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Achilles is not thrown into the cauldron because Peleus prevents it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: priestess and beloved
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Io is Hera's priestess and is seduced by Zeus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: transformed and guarded woman
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Io is transformed into a white cow and watched by Argus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: named father
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Io is called the daughter of Peiren.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:10
label: jealous discoverer and setter of watcher
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Hera discovers the affair and sets Argus over Io.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:11
label: divine seducer
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Zeus seduces Io.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:12
label: transformer and namer
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Zeus changes Io into a white cow and names Euboea after the cow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:13
label: love-deed reference
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The fragment refers to secret deeds of the Cyprian in connection with oaths.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:14
label: sleepless watcher
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: Argus is set over Io, has four eyes, and sleep never falls on his eyes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:15
label: slain herdsman
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: Argus is called Io's herdsman and is slain by Hermes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:16
label: slayer of guardian
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Hermes is said to slay Argus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:17
label: threefold settler group
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: The people are named from settlement in three groups and division of land
in three.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:18
label: settling tribes
assigned_to:
- fig:15
basis: The Pelasgi, Achaeans, and Dorians are named as three Hellenic tribes settling
in Crete.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: purified fleece
literal_form: fleece held by Phrixus after sacrifice and purification
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: cauldron of water
literal_form: cauldron of water into which Thetis throws her children
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: white cow form
literal_form: Io transformed into a white cow
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: four eyes of Argus
literal_form: four eyes that look every way and remain sleepless
associated_figures:
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: threefold division
literal_form: settlement in three groups and division of land in three
associated_figures:
- fig:14
- fig:15
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Phrixus enters Aeetes' halls with fleece
summary: After sacrifice, Phrixus purifies the fleece and, holding it, walks into
Aeetes' halls; the fleece is said to explain his direct reception.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Thetis tests children in a cauldron
summary: Thetis throws her children by Peleus into a cauldron of water to discover
where they are mortal; after many perish, Peleus prevents Achilles from being
thrown in.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Io seduced and transformed
summary: Io, priestess of Hera, is seduced by Zeus; after Hera discovers the matter,
Zeus changes Io into a white cow and swears denial.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Cow names Euboea
summary: Zeus changes the name of Abantis to Euboea after the cow.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Argus watches Io
summary: Hera sets the great, strong, four-eyed, sleepless Argus to keep watch over
Io.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:9
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Hermes kills Argus
summary: Hermes slays Argus, described as the herdsman of Io.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:12
- fig:13
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Three-fold settlement in Crete
summary: Three Hellenic tribes, the Pelasgi, Achaeans, and Dorians, are said to
settle in Crete and are associated with a threefold division of land.
figure_refs:
- fig:14
- fig:15
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: purified object grants direct reception
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The fleece is purified after sacrifice and is the stated reason Phrixus is
received without an intermediary before entering Aeetes' halls.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is fragmentary and does not explain the social or ritual mechanics
of the reception.
- id: motif:2
label: parent tests children for mortality in water
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_parent_child
- water
basis: Thetis throws her children by Peleus into a cauldron of water to learn where
they are mortal, and Peleus intervenes to save Achilles.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The fragment states the test and deaths but gives no fuller ritual context.
- id: motif:3
label: divine seduction of priestess
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: Io is a priestess of Hera and Zeus seduces her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The relationship is described briefly and from a fragmentary source citation.
- id: motif:4
label: human transformed into animal to conceal or respond to discovery
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: After Hera discovers Zeus and Io, Zeus touches Io and changes her into a
white cow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: Only Io's transformation is described; no reversal is included in this
passage.
- id: motif:5
label: sleepless many-eyed watcher guarding a transformed woman
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Hera sets Argus over Io; Argus has four eyes, sees every way, never sleeps,
and keeps constant watch.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly names watcher or guardian motifs.
- id: motif:6
label: slaying of the guardian or watcher
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: Hermes slays Argus, the herdsman of Io, after Argus has been set as watcher
over her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The fragment does not narrate how Hermes kills Argus or present Hermes'
trickster function explicitly.
- id: motif:7
label: threefold tribal settlement and land division
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Three-fold People are named from three groups dividing land in three,
and three Hellenic tribes are said to settle in Crete.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is etiological and ethnographic; it is not clearly mythic
in narrative form.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly reports that both Hesiod and Acusilaus identify Io
as daughter of Peiren, indicating a shared point in nearby Greek genealogical
tradition for this Io episode.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Acusilaus' account of Io's parentage
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: Only the parentage statement is shared in the cited fragment; the passage
does not compare complete narratives.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 'lines 4977-4983, Fragment #1'
quote_or_summary: The Aegimius author says Phrixus was received without intermediary
because of the fleece; after sacrifice he purified it and entered Aeetes' halls
holding it.
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: 'lines 4984-4989, Fragment #2'
quote_or_summary: Thetis threw her children by Peleus into a cauldron of water to
learn where they were mortal; many perished before Peleus stopped her from throwing
Achilles in.
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: 'lines 4990-5000, Fragment #3'
quote_or_summary: Hesiod and Acusilaus identify Io as daughter of Peiren; while
Hera's priestess she is seduced by Zeus, discovered by Hera, transformed by Zeus
into a white cow, and connected with an oath about secret deeds of the Cyprian
being without penalty.
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: 'lines 5001-5004, Fragment #4'
quote_or_summary: Zeus is said to have changed Io in Abantis and then called the
island Euboea after the cow.
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: 'lines 5005-5009, Fragment #5'
quote_or_summary: Hera sets the great and strong Argus over Io; he has four eyes,
looks every way, does not sleep, and always keeps watch.
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: 'lines 5010-5012, Fragment #6'
quote_or_summary: Hermes is called slayer of Argus and is said to have slain Argus,
the herdsman of Io.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 'lines 5013-5016, Fragment #7'
quote_or_summary: A fragment says that a future place of refreshment shall belong
to the speaker, addressed to a leader of the people.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 'lines 5017-5022, Fragment #8'
quote_or_summary: The Three-fold People are so named because they settled in three
groups and divided land in three; the Pelasgi, Achaeans, and Dorians are named
as three Hellenic tribes settling in Crete.
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 extraction is relatively secure, but the passage consists of short,
fragmentary scholia and citations, so motif labeling remains cautious.
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: |-
All content is based only on the supplied passage and metadata.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg__l4977-l5022
passage_sha256=5592e7007d5d1d289f4fca1c6ef04588037d1068fd38ff71eb3daa9c4f60927f