batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l8328-l8340
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l8328-l8340
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
passage_locator:
label: THE TAKING OF OECHALIA / THE PHOCAIS / THE MARGITES / THE CERCOPES; lines
8328-8340
start: '8328'
end: '8340'
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: Liars and cheats, skilled in deeds irremediable, accomplished knaves.
summary: The passage identifies the Cercopes as two brother knaves, Passalus and
Acmon, known for cunning and deception. Their mother warns them to avoid Heracles,
called Black-bottom. They are also described as sons of Theia and Ocean and as
having been turned to stone for trying to deceive Zeus. A verse fragment says
they roamed widely, deceiving men continually.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Cercopes are described as two brothers living upon the earth.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The two brothers practiced every kind of knavery and were named for cunning
deeds.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: One brother was named Passalus and the other Acmon.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Their mother, described as a daughter of Memnon, warned them to keep clear
of Black-bottom, identified in the passage as Heracles.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The Cercopes are called sons of Theia and Ocean.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: They are said to have been turned to stone for trying to deceive Zeus.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: They are called liars, cheats, and accomplished knaves.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: They roamed far over the world and deceived men as they wandered continually.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Cercopes
description: A pair of brothers described as knavish, cunning deceivers who wandered
the world.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Passalus
description: One of the two Cercopes brothers.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Acmon
description: One of the two Cercopes brothers.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Mother of the Cercopes
description: A daughter of Memnon who warns the Cercopes to avoid Heracles.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Memnon
description: Named as the father of the mother of the Cercopes.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Heracles / Black-bottom
description: The figure whom the Cercopes' mother warns them to avoid; the passage
glosses Black-bottom as Heracles.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Theia
description: Named as a parent of the Cercopes.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Ocean
description: Named as a parent of the Cercopes.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Zeus
description: The god whom the Cercopes tried to deceive before being turned to stone.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Men
description: Human targets whom the Cercopes deceived while roaming the world.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: brother pair
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: The passage says the Cercopes were two brothers and names Passalus and Acmon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: deceivers and knaves
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: The passage describes them as practicing knavery, cunning deeds, lies, cheating,
and deception.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: warning mother
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: She tells the brothers to keep clear of Heracles.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: maternal ancestor
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The mother of the Cercopes is described as a daughter of Memnon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: dangerous figure to avoid
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The mother warns the Cercopes to keep clear of Black-bottom, identified as
Heracles.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: punished deceivers
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They are said to have been turned to stone for trying to deceive Zeus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: parents of the Cercopes
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: The passage says the Cercopes were sons of Theia and Ocean.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: attempted divine target of deception
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The Cercopes tried to deceive Zeus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: human targets of deception
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The fragment says the Cercopes roamed the world deceiving men.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: stone transformation
literal_form: being turned to stone
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: world roaming
literal_form: far over the world they roamed
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Identification of the Cercopes
summary: The Cercopes are introduced as two brothers named Passalus and Acmon, known
for knavery and cunning deeds.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Maternal warning about Heracles
summary: Their mother, a daughter of Memnon, warns them to keep clear of Black-bottom,
identified as Heracles.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Attempted deception of Zeus and petrification
summary: The Cercopes are described as sons of Theia and Ocean and are said to have
been turned to stone after trying to deceive Zeus.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Wandering deception of men
summary: The fragment describes the Cercopes as liars and cheats who roamed far
over the world, continually deceiving men.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: trickster brother-pair
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
- sibling_pair
basis: The passage presents the Cercopes as two brothers whose defining actions
are knavery, cunning, lies, cheating, and deception of men and Zeus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes deception and brotherhood but does not describe
boundary-crossing in detail beyond wandering and deceiving.
- id: motif:2
label: deceivers punished by petrification
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The Cercopes are said to have been turned to stone for trying to deceive
Zeus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports the punishment briefly and does not narrate the judgment
process.
- id: motif:3
label: warning to avoid a dangerous hero
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The mother of the Cercopes warns them to keep clear of Heracles.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives only the warning and does not narrate a subsequent encounter
with Heracles.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 8328-8332
quote_or_summary: The Cercopes are introduced as two brothers on earth who practiced
every kind of knavery; they are associated with cunning deeds and named Passalus
and Acmon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 8332-8334
quote_or_summary: Their mother, a daughter of Memnon, tells them to keep clear of
Black-bottom, glossed as Heracles.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 8334-8336
quote_or_summary: The Cercopes are called sons of Theia and Ocean and are said to
have been turned to stone for trying to deceive Zeus.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: 8338-8340
quote_or_summary: '"Liars and cheats, skilled in deeds irremediable, accomplished
knaves. Far over the world they roamed deceiving men as they wandered continually."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied passage. Motif labeling
is limited by the fragmentary nature of the notice and should be reviewed by a
human editor.
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 compare the Cercopes to another text or tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg__l8328-l8340
passage_sha256=ca46981c1c1e8c40c5e5e3085a1eea85b111680f1978851b4a63a9e8b34e807a