batch.motif.greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg-l10310-l10444
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg-l10310-l10444
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
passage_locator:
label: THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. / BOOK X. / ARGUMENT. / THE NIGHT-ADVENTURE OF DIOMED
AND ULYSSES.; lines 10310-10444
start: '10310'
end: '10444'
translation: The Iliad
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Diomed prays to Pallas Athena for aid and vows an untamed steer. Athena
grants the prayer, and Diomed and Ulysses move through the night battlefield.
Hector calls for a volunteer to spy on the Greek camp, promising captured chariot
horses as reward. Dolon accepts, asks Hector to swear by Zeus that Achilles' horses
will be his, and sets out armed and disguised in animal hides. Ulysses hears him
approach, instructs Diomed on an ambush, and the two Greeks pursue Dolon. Diomed
stops him with a warning spear cast; Dolon is terrified, captured, begs for ransom,
and is questioned by Ulysses.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Diomed addresses Pallas as daughter of Jove and asks her to defend him as
she once defended his father Tydeus.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Diomed promises that a young, untamed steer with gilded horn-tips shall be
sacrificed if Athena aids the heroes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Pallas is said to accord the heroes' vow and to make their enterprise succeed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Diomed and Ulysses move through a dark, bloody battlefield covered with arms
and slain bodies.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Hector asks for a volunteer to investigate the Greek fleet, its watch, and
its intentions, offering a chosen chariot and the best horses as reward.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Dolon is identified as the only son of Eumedes, wealthy in metal goods, not
handsome, but very swift of foot.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Dolon agrees to scout the Greek fleet but first requires Hector to swear that
Achilles' horses and chariot will be his prize.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Hector raises a golden sceptre and calls Zeus as witness to his oath that
Dolon alone shall receive the horses.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Dolon sets out with a bow, a wolf hide over his shoulders, ferret fur lining
his helmet, and a pointed javelin in his hand.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The narrator states that Dolon went toward the shore on a path from which
he would not return.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Ulysses hears hostile footsteps and tells Diomed to let the approaching man
pass before cutting off his return to Troy.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: Diomed and Ulysses hide behind a heap of dead bodies, then follow Dolon at
a careful distance.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Dolon first thinks the footsteps behind him may be Trojans sent by Hector,
then recognizes that enemies are pursuing him.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: Diomed stops Dolon by calling out and casting a javelin that intentionally
misses and fixes in the earth beyond him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: obs:15
text: Dolon trembles, his teeth chatter, his color leaves him, and he begs for his
life with tears.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- id: obs:16
text: Dolon offers ransom from his father in brass, steel, and gold.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:16
- id: obs:17
text: Ulysses tells Dolon not to fear immediate death and asks whether he came as
Hector's spy or as a plunderer of corpses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Diomed / Tydides
description: Greek hero who prays to Pallas, travels with Ulysses, pursues Dolon,
and stops him with a spear-cast.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:14
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Pallas Athena
description: Daughter of Jove, addressed as queen of arms and celestial maid; grants
the heroes' vow and inspires Diomed's thought to secure the glory.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:14
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Tydeus
description: Diomed's father, recalled as having received Pallas' aid in earlier
conflict near Thebes.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Hector
description: Trojan chief who convenes his peers, requests a night scout, offers
rewards, and swears an oath for Dolon.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Dolon
description: Trojan youth, son of Eumedes, swift of foot, who volunteers as a scout,
equips himself, is pursued and captured, and begs for ransom.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:15
- ev:16
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Ulysses
description: Greek hero who hears Dolon's approach, proposes the ambush, pursues
him with Diomed, and questions him after capture.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:17
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Jove / Zeus
description: High god invoked as Pallas' father and as witness to Hector's oath.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Pelides / Achilles
description: Absent owner of the immortal horses and glittering car demanded by
Dolon as reward.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: supplicant warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Diomed prays to Pallas and asks for divine defense and aid.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: divine patron of the enterprise
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Pallas receives the vow, grants it, and is associated with the success of
the heroes' mission.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: ancestral precedent for divine favor
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Tydeus is cited by Diomed as one whom Pallas previously aided.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: oath-giving commander
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Hector solicits a dangerous reconnaissance and swears to grant Dolon the
stated reward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: volunteer scout
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Dolon accepts the task of exploring the Greek fleet and reporting its plans.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: night ambusher
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:6
basis: Diomed and Ulysses hide, pursue Dolon, and intercept him at night.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:14
- id: role:7
label: captured supplicant for ransom
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: After capture, Dolon begs for his life and promises ransom from his father.
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- ev:16
- id: role:8
label: interrogator
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Ulysses questions Dolon about whether he came as a spy or plunderer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- id: role:9
label: divine oath witness
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Hector raises the sceptre and calls Zeus to witness the promised reward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: absent owner of coveted horses
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Dolon names Pelides' horses and chariot as the prize he wants.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: vowed steer
literal_form: young untamed steer with gilded horn-tips promised to Pallas
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: golden sceptre oath-token
literal_form: golden sceptre raised toward the sky while Hector calls Zeus as witness
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:7
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: Achilles' horses and chariot
literal_form: immortal coursers and glittering car that bear Pelides in war
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:8
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: animal-hide disguise or equipment
literal_form: wolf's grey hide over Dolon's shoulders and ferret fur lining his
helmet
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: warning javelin
literal_form: javelin cast by Diomed to miss Dolon and fix in the earth
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: sym:6
label: heap of dead
literal_form: heap of dead bodies behind which the Greek chiefs hide
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Diomed's prayer and vow to Pallas
summary: Diomed asks Athena to aid him as she aided Tydeus and promises a valuable
young steer as an offering; Pallas grants the vow.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Night movement through the battlefield
summary: Diomed and Ulysses travel through the dark, bloodied plain among weapons
and slain bodies.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Hector recruits a Trojan scout
summary: Hector offers rewards for reconnaissance of the Greek fleet; Dolon volunteers
and secures an oath for Achilles' horses and chariot.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:4
label: Dolon sets out
summary: Dolon equips himself with bow, hides, helmet lining, and javelin, then
heads toward the shore on a path the narrator marks as fatal.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Ambush and pursuit
summary: Ulysses hears Dolon, devises an interception, and with Diomed hides behind
corpses and pursues the scout until he realizes enemies are after him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: scene:6
label: Capture and questioning of Dolon
summary: Diomed stops Dolon with a deliberate warning spear-cast. Dolon collapses
in fear, pleads for life and ransom, and Ulysses begins questioning him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
- ev:16
- ev:17
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: vowed offering in exchange for divine aid
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- sacrifice
basis: Diomed asks Pallas for aid and promises a sacrificial steer if she supports
the mission; the goddess grants the vow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The sacrifice is promised within this passage but not performed here.
- id: motif:2
label: dangerous night reconnaissance
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Hector sends a volunteer to investigate the enemy camp at night, and Dolon
departs equipped for the mission.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage concerns a military scouting
mission rather than a full heroic departure cycle.
- id: motif:3
label: ambush of the enemy spy
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ulysses and Diomed let Dolon pass, hide, pursue him, cut off his return,
and capture him for questioning.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- ev:17
confidence: high
cautions: No specific supplied taxonomy family closely matches this military ambush
pattern.
- id: motif:4
label: oath-bound reward for perilous service
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Dolon demands an oath before undertaking the scout mission, and Hector calls
Zeus as witness while promising the requested horses and chariot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The exchange is political and martial as well as sacred; the gods are
invoked as oath witnesses, not as direct recipients.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 10310-10320
quote_or_summary: Diomed prays to Pallas, daughter of Jove, asking her to defend
him as she once aided his father Tydeus near Thebes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 10321-10326
quote_or_summary: Diomed vows that a youthful, untamed steer with broad forehead,
spreading horns, and gilded horn-tips will fall beneath the sacrificial stroke.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 10327-10328
quote_or_summary: '"The heroes prayd, and Pallas from the skies / Accords their
vow, succeeds their enterprise."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 10329-10333
quote_or_summary: The two heroes, compared to lions, pass through the black horrors
of a bloody plain, amid dust, blood, arms, and heaps of slain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 10334-10350
quote_or_summary: Hector addresses the Trojan peers and asks who will spy on the
Greek fleet and night watch, promising a chariot, superior horses, and glory.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 10351-10356
quote_or_summary: Dolon, only son of Eumedes with five sisters, is wealthy in brass
and gold, not handsome, but swift and unmatched in racing.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 10357-10368
quote_or_summary: Dolon accepts the scouting mission but asks Hector to raise his
sceptre and swear that Achilles' immortal horses and shining chariot will be his
prize.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 10369-10376
quote_or_summary: Hector lifts the golden sceptre, invokes the immortal lord whose
thunder shakes the sky, and swears that only Dolon will receive the horses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 10377-10382
quote_or_summary: Dolon prepares to cross the plain with a bent bow, a grey wolf
hide over his shoulders, ferret fur in his helmet, and a pointed javelin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: quote
locator: lines 10382-10384
quote_or_summary: '"Then (never to return) he sought the shore, / And trod the path
his feet must tread no more."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 10385-10400
quote_or_summary: Ulysses notices hostile footsteps and tells Diomed the man may
be a spy or plunderer; he instructs that they let him pass, then rush behind and
cut off his return to Troy.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 10401-10408
quote_or_summary: The two Greeks step aside and stoop behind a heap of dead while
Dolon passes, then follow him softly at a measured distance.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 10409-10421
quote_or_summary: Dolon hears the pursuers, first thinks Hector has sent men after
him, then realizes no friendly voice follows; similes compare the pursuit to hounds
chasing hare or hind.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10431
quote_or_summary: Near the Greek guards, Diomed stops and calls for the unknown
man to remain; he throws a javelin that deliberately misses over Dolon's shoulder
and sticks in the ground.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: lines 10432-10436
quote_or_summary: Dolon stands trembling against the spear, with palsied head, chattering
teeth, and lost color; the warriors seize him as he begs for life with tears.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:16
type: summary
locator: lines 10437-10440
quote_or_summary: Dolon asks that his youth be spared and says his father will give
large ransom in brass, tempered steel, and shining gold.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:17
type: summary
locator: lines 10441-10444
quote_or_summary: 'Ulysses tells Dolon to be bold and asks why he roams the silent
night fields: to discover Greek secrets for Hector, by his own daring, or to plunder
the dead.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is explicit about actions, roles, vows, oath, pursuit, capture,
and questioning. Motif-family mapping is cautious because the supplied taxonomy
is broad for a military reconnaissance episode. No comparison claims were added
because the passage itself does not establish external historical or cross-traditional
comparisons.
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 observations and interpretations are limited to the provided passage and metadata.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg__l10310-l10444
passage_sha256=69a4bbad727d7db3a25a0af9bb18e9b8d74a3825a0574db7aa15696cb2d9e253