batch.motif.greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg-l11305-l11425
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg-l11305-l11425
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
passage_locator:
label: THE NIGHT-ADVENTURE OF DIOMED AND ULYSSES. / BOOK XI. / ARGUMENT / THE THIRD
BATTLE, AND THE ACTS OF AGAMEMNON.; lines 11305-11425
start: '11305'
end: '11425'
translation: The Iliad
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: In battle, Socus wounds Ulysses, but Pallas prevents the spear from killing
him. Ulysses withdraws, answers with a threat, kills Socus as he flees, and predicts
that birds will consume Socus' corpse while Ulysses will receive Greek funeral
honors. Ulysses then suffers from his wound and calls for help. Menelaus hears
him and brings Ajax; Ajax scatters the surrounding Trojans while Menelaus helps
Ulysses to his chariot. Ajax continues attacking the routed enemy. Elsewhere Hector
drives slaughter by the Scamander; Machaon is wounded, and Idomeneus urges Nestor
to carry the physician back to the ships. Cebriones, seeing Ajax's success, urges
Hector to turn toward that fight.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Socus pierces Ulysses' shield and wounds his side with a javelin or spear.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Pallas' care is said to stop the spear short of Ulysses' life and entrails.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Ulysses recognizes that the wound is not mortal, withdraws a few steps, and
speaks threateningly to Socus.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Socus becomes frightened, turns away in flight, and is pierced between the
shoulders by Ulysses' dart, which passes through his heart.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Ulysses says Socus will have no parental funeral care and will be torn by
birds and vultures, while Ulysses expects Greek funeral honors and a tomb.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Ulysses extracts the dart from his own wound; blood pours out, and Trojan
forces press him until he calls loudly for aid three times.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Menelaus hears Ulysses' voice and tells Ajax that Ulysses seems distressed
and surrounded without help.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Menelaus and Ajax find Ulysses surrounded by furious Trojans; Ajax's arrival
scatters the crowds, and Menelaus supports Ulysses and conveys him to his car.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: A simile compares the endangered Ulysses to a wounded deer surrounded by wolves
until a lion drives the wolves away.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: Ajax kills or wounds named opponents and is compared to a winter-swollen torrent
that carries trees and ruin toward the sea.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Hector is fighting elsewhere near the Scamander, where heaps of slain are
said to swell the river.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: Machaon is wounded in the right shoulder, and Idomeneus urges Nestor to carry
him to the ships because a skilled physician is of great public value.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: Cebriones surveys the battle from Hector's car, recognizes Ajax by his broad
sevenfold shield, and urges Hector to drive toward the danger.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ulysses
description: A Greek warrior wounded by Socus, spared from death, surrounded by
Trojans, and rescued by Menelaus and Ajax.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Socus
description: A son of Hippasus who wounds Ulysses, flees in fear, and is killed
by Ulysses.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Pallas
description: A divine figure whose care prevents Ulysses' wound from becoming fatal.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Menelaus / Atrides
description: A Greek leader who hears Ulysses' call, alerts Ajax, and helps the
wounded Ulysses to his car.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Ajax Telamon
description: A Greek warrior who accompanies Menelaus, scatters the Trojans surrounding
Ulysses, and then routes and strikes the enemy.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:11
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Trojans
description: Enemy troops who press around the wounded Ulysses and later are scattered
by Ajax.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Hector
description: A Trojan leader fighting elsewhere on the left near the Scamander,
later urged by Cebriones to turn toward Ajax.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Machaon
description: A wounded Greek physician, called the offspring of the healing god,
who is carried toward the ships by Nestor.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Nestor
description: An elder Greek warrior who is urged to take Machaon away in his chariot
and does so.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Idomeneus
description: A Greek warrior who advises Nestor to convey the wounded Machaon to
the ships.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Cebriones
description: A figure in Hector's car who surveys the battle and urges Hector toward
Ajax.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Doryclus, Pandocus, and Lysander
description: Named opponents struck by Ajax during the rout.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: wounded but surviving warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ulysses is deeply wounded, but the wound is not mortal and he continues to
resist.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: killer and funeral-taunter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ulysses kills Socus and speaks over him about corpse exposure and future
funeral honors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: attacker slain while fleeing
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Socus wounds Ulysses, then turns away in fear and is killed from behind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: divine protector
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Pallas' care keeps the spear from killing Ulysses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: rescuer of endangered comrade
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: Menelaus brings Ajax to Ulysses, Ajax scatters the surrounding troops, and
Menelaus supports Ulysses to his car.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: rout-bringing warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Ajax scatters the crowds and overwhelms the yielding throng.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: enemy combatants or victims
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:12
basis: Trojans surround Ulysses and are routed; Doryclus, Pandocus, and Lysander
are struck by Ajax.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: distant battle leader
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Hector rages on the left and rules the tide of war before Cebriones directs
him elsewhere.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
- id: role:9
label: wounded healer
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Machaon is wounded and identified as a physician skilled in healing wounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: evacuating elder
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Nestor mounts his chariot and carries Machaon toward the fleet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:11
label: strategic adviser
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Idomeneus advises that Machaon should be conveyed to the ships because a
physician is highly valuable.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:12
label: battle observer and adviser
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Cebriones surveys the field, identifies Ajax by his shield, and urges Hector
toward the fight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: piercing spear or dart
literal_form: Javelin, lance, spear, and dart used to wound Ulysses and kill Socus.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: protective and identifying shield
literal_form: Ulysses' pierced shield, Ajax's tower-like shield, and Ajax's broad
glittering sevenfold shield.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: sym:3
label: endless darkness and realms below
literal_form: Ulysses' speech sends Socus to endless darkness and adds a spectre
to the realms below.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: birds and vultures over the unburied corpse
literal_form: Hungry birds and hovering vultures that will tear Socus' body after
death.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: rescue chariot
literal_form: The car or chariot used to convey the wounded Ulysses and later Machaon
away from battle.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: Scamander river filled by battle-dead
literal_form: The Scamander swelling with heaps of slain.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: winter torrent from the mountains
literal_form: A swollen torrent from the mountains tearing up pines and oaks in
a simile for Ajax's rout.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
- mountain
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:8
label: wounded deer, wolves, and lion
literal_form: A simile in which a wounded deer is surrounded by wolves until a lion
drives them away.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Socus wounds Ulysses but fails to kill him
summary: Socus pierces Ulysses' shield and side, but Pallas keeps the spear from
reaching a fatal point.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Ulysses kills Socus and speaks over the slain
summary: Ulysses withdraws, threatens Socus, kills him as he flees, and contrasts
Socus' unburied corpse with Ulysses' expected honored burial.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Wounded Ulysses calls for aid and is rescued
summary: Bleeding and surrounded, Ulysses calls out three times; Menelaus hears
him, brings Ajax, and Ulysses is carried to his car after Ajax scatters the enemy.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:5
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Ajax overwhelms the routed enemy
summary: Ajax continues fighting, striking named opponents and being compared to
a destructive winter torrent.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Hector's separate slaughter and Machaon's evacuation
summary: Hector fights elsewhere near the Scamander while Machaon is wounded; Idomeneus
urges Nestor to carry the valuable physician back to the ships.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:6
label: Cebriones directs Hector toward Ajax
summary: From Hector's car, Cebriones notices the Trojans being driven back, identifies
Ajax by his sevenfold shield, and urges Hector toward that sector.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divinely limited wound
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The spear wounds Ulysses deeply, but Pallas prevents it from becoming fatal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states divine protection but does not elaborate a broader
theology or ritual pattern.
- id: motif:2
label: isolated hero surrounded by many and rescued by comrades
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ulysses is pressed by groups of Trojans, calls three times for aid, and is
saved when Menelaus and Ajax arrive.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: This is a battlefield rescue pattern in the passage; no broader comparative
claim is made.
- id: motif:3
label: death taunt with denial of burial
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ulysses tells the slain Socus that his parents will not tend his body and
that birds and vultures will consume him, contrasting this with Ulysses' own expected
funeral honors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The motif is limited to speech over a slain enemy in this passage.
- id: motif:4
label: predator simile for battlefield rescue
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage compares Ulysses to a wounded deer surrounded by wolves and Ajax's
arrival to a lion dispersing them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an explicit poetic simile rather than a narrated mythic event.
- id: motif:5
label: warrior as destructive flood or torrent
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ajax's rout of enemies is compared to a swollen winter torrent tearing trees
from the mountains and carrying ruin to the sea.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an epic simile; the torrent is not an independent event in the
story-world.
- id: motif:6
label: wounded healer protected as communal resource
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Machaon is wounded, and Idomeneus argues that a skilled physician is worth
more than armies to the public good, prompting evacuation to the ships.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy ref 'wisdom' fits only generally through medical
skill; the passage does not frame this as esoteric wisdom.
- id: motif:7
label: hero recognized by distinctive shield
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Cebriones identifies Ajax across the field by the broad glittering of his
sevenfold shield.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: This is a recognition marker within battle, not necessarily a broader
symbolic system.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 11305-11315
quote_or_summary: Socus addresses Ulysses, pierces his shield and side, and Pallas
prevents the spear from reaching a fatal depth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 11316-11324
quote_or_summary: Ulysses judges his wound nonfatal, withdraws, and tells Socus
that fate calls him to endless darkness and the realms below.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 11325-11333
quote_or_summary: Socus flees in fear; Ulysses' dart pierces him between the shoulders
and through the heart, and he falls with ringing armor.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 11334-11345
quote_or_summary: Ulysses speaks over Socus, saying his parents will not close his
eyes or tend his corpse, birds and vultures will prey on him, while Ulysses will
receive Greek funeral rites and a lasting tomb.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 11346-11356
quote_or_summary: Ulysses extracts the dart, blood pours out, Trojans press him,
and he calls loudly for aid three times.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 11357-11365
quote_or_summary: Menelaus hears Ulysses and tells Ajax that Ulysses seems distressed,
alone against many, and that Greece would despair if he were lost.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 11366-11386
quote_or_summary: Menelaus and Ajax find Ulysses surrounded. A simile compares him
to a wounded deer surrounded by wolves until a lion scatters them. Ajax's shield
frightens the crowds away, and Menelaus conveys Ulysses to his car.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 11387-11396
quote_or_summary: Ajax attacks the routed enemy, kills Doryclus, wounds Pandocus,
lays Lysander down, and is compared to a winter torrent tearing trees from the
mountains and overwhelming the plains.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 11397-11405
quote_or_summary: Hector fights far away on the left; groans mark his progress,
and the Scamander is said to swell with heaps of slain while Nestor and Idomeneus
oppose him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 11406-11419
quote_or_summary: The spouse of Helen wounds Machaon in the right shoulder; Idomeneus
urges Nestor to take the physician to the ships, and Nestor drives the wounded
son of the healing god toward the fleet.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 11420-11425
quote_or_summary: Cebriones observes from Hector's car that Trojans are falling
before Ajax, recognizes Ajax by his broad glittering sevenfold shield, and urges
Hector to drive there.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The narrative sequence and main figures are explicit in the supplied passage.
Motif labels are candidate descriptions rather than claims of historical relationship.
No comparison claims are made because the passage itself does not support an external
comparison.
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: |-
Line locators are approximate subdivisions within the supplied canonical range. Taxonomy references are used only where directly supported by available refs and passage content.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg__l11305-l11425
passage_sha256=89259ef8eefa3f3ef2cb588339d8fbdf585a37af0468271703f260154c0a907a