batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l9056-l9226
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg-l9056-l9226
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
passage_locator:
label: THE CERCOPES / THE BATTLE OF FROGS AND MICE / OF THE ORIGIN OF HOMER AND
HESIOD, AND OF THEIR CONTEST / ENDNOTES; lines 9056-9226
start: '9056'
end: '9226'
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 passage is a sequence of editorial endnotes explaining textual, philological,
mythological, and calendrical points in Hesiodic and Homeric material. Notes include
references to divine gifts in a jar or casket, the birth of Stesichorus, a tradition
that humans sprang from oaks, stones, and ash-trees, moral personifications Aidos
and Nemesis, and numerous seasonal or calendar identifications.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: One note says that an unnamed female figure is said to have given birth to
the lyrist Stesichorus.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: One note identifies 'The All-endowed' as an explanatory gloss.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: One note explains that a jar or casket contained gifts of the gods mentioned
elsewhere.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: One note reports that Eustathius refers to Hesiod as saying that men sprang
from oaks, stones, and ash-trees.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The same note says Proclus believed that the Nymphs called Meliae were intended.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: One note explains a degeneration motif in which even a new-born child would
show marks of old age.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: One note defines Aidos as reverence or shame that restrains people from wrong.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The same note defines Nemesis as righteous indignation especially aroused
by wicked people in undeserved prosperity.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Several notes identify seasonal or calendrical times, including May, November,
October, December, March, January-February, June, July, September, and October-November.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: One note explains the succession of stars as making up the full year.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: One note explains a phrase as an old man walking with a staff, with the staff
treated as a third leg in comparison with the riddle of the Sphinx.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Stesichorus
description: A lyrist said in the note to have been born from an unnamed female
figure.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: the gods
description: Divine beings whose gifts are said to have been contained in a jar
or casket.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: men
description: Humans described in a cited Hesiodic tradition as springing from oaks,
stones, and ash-trees.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Nymphs called Meliae
description: Nymphs whom Proclus believed were intended in the passage about humans
from natural materials.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Aidos
description: A quality defined as reverence or shame restraining people from wrong.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Nemesis
description: A quality defined as righteous indignation at wicked people in undeserved
prosperity.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: new-born child with marks of old age
description: A hypothetical child used to describe the extreme degeneration of a
race.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: old man with staff
description: An old man walking with a staff, glossed as a 'third leg' in relation
to the riddle of the Sphinx.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: born lyrist
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The note states that Stesichorus was born from an unnamed female figure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: givers of gifts
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The note says the jar or casket contained gifts of the gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: humans with natural-material origin
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The note reports a tradition that men sprang from oaks, stones, and ash-trees.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: possible intended nymphs
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The note reports Proclus's belief that the Meliae were intended.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: moral restraint
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Aidos is defined as reverence or shame restraining people from wrong.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: moral indignation
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Nemesis is defined as righteous indignation at undeserved prosperity of the
wicked.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: sign of degeneration
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The new-born child showing marks of old age is used as a sign of extreme
decline.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: riddle figure
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The old man with a staff is linked by the note to the riddle of the Sphinx.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: jar or casket of divine gifts
literal_form: jar or casket
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: oaks and ash-trees as human-origin materials
literal_form: oaks and ash-trees
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: stones as human-origin material
literal_form: stones
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: new-born child marked by old age
literal_form: new-born child showing marks of old age
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: staff as third leg
literal_form: staff
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: stars composing the year
literal_form: succession of stars
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Divine gifts in a vessel
summary: An explanatory note states that a jar or casket contained gifts of the
gods mentioned in an earlier line.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Human origin from trees, stones, and ash-trees
summary: An explanatory note reports that Hesiod was understood as saying that men
sprang from oaks, stones, and ash-trees, with a further interpretation connecting
the passage to the Meliae nymphs.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Degeneration shown in premature old age
summary: An explanatory note says the race will become so degenerate that even a
new-born child will show marks of old age.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Moral personifications defined
summary: An explanatory note defines Aidos as restraining reverence or shame and
Nemesis as righteous indignation at undeserved prosperity of the wicked.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Seasonal and astral calendar glosses
summary: A cluster of notes identifies months, seasons, and the succession of stars
that make up the full year.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: Old man with staff as riddle image
summary: An explanatory note glosses a phrase as an old man walking with a staff,
described as a third leg in the riddle of the Sphinx.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divine gifts contained in a vessel
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The note identifies a jar or casket as containing gifts of the gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: low
cautions: The passage is an editorial note and does not narrate the exchange itself;
the taxonomy reference is only approximate.
- id: motif:2
label: human origin from trees and stones
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The note reports a tradition in which men spring from oaks, stones, and ash-trees.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The note reports secondary explanations by Eustathius and Proclus rather
than giving the underlying Hesiodic lines directly.
- id: motif:3
label: race degeneration marked by premature old age
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The note explains that degeneration becomes so extreme that a new-born child
bears marks of old age.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a gloss on a passage rather than a full narrative scene.
- id: motif:4
label: moral restraint and retributive indignation personified
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Aidos and Nemesis are defined as moral forces restraining wrong and reacting
to wicked prosperity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: low
cautions: The note defines qualities rather than explicitly describing divine judgment
in action.
- id: motif:5
label: seasonal and astral ordering of the year
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Multiple notes identify months and seasons, and one note explains the succession
of stars as the full year.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The material is calendrical annotation rather than mythic narrative.
- id: motif:6
label: staff as third leg in age riddle
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The note interprets an old man with a staff as the 'third leg' known from
the riddle of the Sphinx.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: low
cautions: The passage only provides a brief explanatory comparison to the riddle;
it does not recount the riddle or its solution.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The note explicitly compares the image of an old man walking with a staff
to the 'third leg' in the riddle of the Sphinx.
claim_level: same_function
target: 'riddle of the Sphinx: human life-stage riddle using legs as signs of age'
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is made only in an editorial gloss and the full Sphinx
riddle is not present in the supplied passage.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: endnote 1105
quote_or_summary: An unnamed female figure is said to have given birth to the lyrist
Stesichorus.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: endnote 1302
quote_or_summary: '"The All-endowed."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: endnote 1303
quote_or_summary: The jar or casket contained gifts of the gods mentioned in line
82.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: endnote 1304
quote_or_summary: Eustathius refers to Hesiod as saying that men sprang from oaks,
stones, and ash-trees; Proclus believed the Nymphs called Meliae were intended.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: endnote 1306
quote_or_summary: The race will degenerate so far that even a new-born child will
show the marks of old age.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: endnote 1307
quote_or_summary: Aidos is reverence or shame restraining people from wrong; Nemesis
is righteous indignation at the wicked in undeserved prosperity.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: endnotes 1310-1321
quote_or_summary: A series of notes identifies seasonal times from May, November,
October, December, March, January-February, and February-March.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: endnotes 1325-1334
quote_or_summary: A later series of notes identifies seasonal times including February-March,
middle of May, June, July, September, late October, October-November, and July-August.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: endnote 1332
quote_or_summary: The succession of stars is explained as making up the full year.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: endnote 1324
quote_or_summary: An old man walking with a staff is explained as having a third
leg, as in the riddle of the Sphinx.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/hesiod-homeric-hymns-homerica.md
rights_note: Public-domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The supplied passage is predominantly editorial endnotes, so motif extraction
is limited to mythological or symbolic content explicitly mentioned in the notes.
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 figures, scenes, or comparisons were added beyond what the supplied endnotes explicitly support.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-hesiod-homeric-hymns-evelyn-white-gutenberg__l9056-l9226
passage_sha256=294d66d402d493fcf0bfd86c6b9ae5265198d286a2ac9f89642dec0e3e986b3b