batch.motif.greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg-l22714-l22855
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg-l22714-l22855
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
passage_locator:
label: ARGUMENT. / BOOK XXIV. / ARGUMENT. / THE REDEMPTION OF THE BODY OF HECTOR.;
lines 22714-22855
start: '22714'
end: '22855'
translation: The Iliad
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Hermes, disguised as a guide, tells Priam that Hector’s body remains untouched
and divinely preserved despite Achilles dragging it. Priam offers gratitude and
asks to be led safely to Achilles. Hermes refuses secret gifts, guides the chariot
through the Greek camp by putting the guards to sleep, opens the gates, and reveals
himself before vanishing. Priam enters Achilles’ tent, supplicates him by embracing
and kissing his hands, and appeals to him through the image of his aged father
while offering gifts for Hector.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Hector’s body is described as whole, untainted, undisfigured, and preserved
by heavenly or divine care.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Achilles is said to drag Hector’s dead body around his friend’s tomb each
morning.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Priam offers a goblet as a pledge of gratitude and asks the guide to conduct
him safely to Achilles’ tent.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The disguised god refuses to accept a secret gift from Priam, saying it would
wrong his master.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Hermes takes control of the chariot, drives it onward, casts sleep on the
guards with his wand, opens the gates, and leads the chariot unseen through the
hostile camp.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Hermes reveals that Priam’s guide is not mortal but Hermes, messenger of Jove,
then advises Priam to supplicate Achilles by invoking Achilles’ father, son, and
mother.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Priam enters Achilles’ inner tent unseen by the attendants, kneels before
Achilles, embraces his knees, weeps over his hands, and kisses them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Priam asks Achilles to think of his own aged father and to pity Priam, whose
sons, including Hector, have been slain.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Priam says he has brought large gifts and asks Achilles to hear him and revere
the gods.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Priam
description: The aged Trojan king and father of Hector, traveling through the hostile
camp and supplicating Achilles.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Hermes / celestial guide
description: A divine guide disguised as a youth, later revealed as Hermes, messenger
of Jove.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Hector
description: Priam’s dead son, whose body remains preserved and is the object of
Priam’s journey and appeal.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Achilles / Pelides
description: The Greek hero in whose tent Hector’s body lies and before whom Priam
makes supplication.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Aged herald
description: Priam’s herald, left on the chariot when Priam enters Achilles’ tent.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Alcimus and Automedon
description: Attendants serving Achilles in the inner tent.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: suppliant father
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Priam kneels, embraces Achilles’ knees, kisses his hands, and appeals as
a bereaved father.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: divine guide
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Hermes conducts Priam through the camp, protects him, and reveals that the
guidance came from no mortal hand.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: divine messenger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Hermes identifies himself as the messenger of Jove.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: preserved dead son
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Hector’s corpse is described as uncorrupted and divinely preserved.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: ransom bearer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Priam says he has brought large gifts while pleading for Hector.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: enemy warrior addressed by supplication
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Achilles receives Priam’s supplication and is described by Priam as the killer
of his children.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: attendants
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Alcimus and Automedon serve Achilles, while others stand at a distance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: incorrupt corpse
literal_form: Hector’s untainted, undisfigured body
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: wand of sleep
literal_form: Hermes’ wand used to pour deep slumber on the guards’ eyes
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: opened gates and crossed trenches
literal_form: massy gates, bars, trenches, and rolling cars passed through the camp
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: suppliant gesture
literal_form: embracing Achilles’ knees, bathing his hands in tears, and kissing
his hands
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: ransom gifts
literal_form: goblet and large gifts brought by Priam
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: Achilles’ tent threshold
literal_form: the strongly barred tent door opened by Hermes before Priam enters
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Report of Hector’s preserved body
summary: The divine guide tells Priam that Hector’s corpse has not been torn by
animals or corrupted, and that some divine care preserves it despite Achilles’
treatment of the body.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Request for safe conduct and refusal of secret gift
summary: Priam praises divine care for Hector, offers a goblet, and asks to be led
to Achilles; the disguised Hermes refuses to take secret gifts and offers protection
on the way.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Divine passage through the hostile camp
summary: Hermes drives Priam’s chariot, casts sleep on the guards, opens the camp
gates, and leads the chariot unseen through the Greek camp toward Achilles’ tent.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Hermes reveals himself at Achilles’ tent
summary: At the entrance to Achilles’ tent, Hermes opens the great door, identifies
himself, advises Priam how to appeal to Achilles, and vanishes skyward.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Priam supplicates Achilles
summary: Priam enters the inner tent unseen, kneels before Achilles, kisses his
hands, and appeals to him as a bereaved father by invoking Achilles’ father and
Priam’s own losses.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divine guide through hostile boundary
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: Hermes, a concealed god and messenger, escorts Priam across enemy defenses,
uses a wand to put guards to sleep, opens gates, and enables unseen passage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage supports divine boundary-crossing and concealment, but does
not explicitly frame Hermes as a trickster in this episode.
- id: motif:2
label: divinely preserved body of the honored dead
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Hector’s corpse remains whole, fresh, and free of corruption; the passage
attributes this to heavenly or divine care.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches corpse preservation.
- id: motif:3
label: ransom or gift exchange for the dead
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Priam brings gifts for Hector and asks Achilles to hear him and revere the
gods; the scene belongs to the redemption of Hector’s body.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: Within this excerpt the actual transfer of Hector’s body is not yet narrated;
the exchange is prepared through supplication and gifts.
- id: motif:4
label: enemy supplication through kinship appeal
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Priam kneels before the killer of his son, kisses his hands, and urges Achilles
to think of his own aged father as a basis for pity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: This is a strongly supported scene pattern but has no direct available
taxonomy reference.
- id: motif:5
label: magical sleep enabling passage
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Hermes uses his wand to cast deep sleep on the guards so Priam’s chariot
can pass through the camp.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches magical sleep.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The episode functions like a boundary-crossing motif in which a divine mediator
enables safe passage through a guarded hostile space.
claim_level: same_function
target: trickster_boundary motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage supports concealed divine mediation and threshold crossing,
but the broader trickster category is only partially represented.
- id: claim:2
claim: Priam’s gifts and plea for Hector support a cautious classification as a
sacred exchange pattern centered on recovering the dead.
claim_level: same_function
target: sacred_exchange motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage presents the gifts and supplication, but the completion
of the exchange lies outside the provided excerpt.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 22714-22730
quote_or_summary: Hermes tells Priam that Hector’s body lies whole in the tent,
untouched by animals, worms, or decay, and that divine care preserves it even
though Achilles drags it around his friend’s tomb.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 22731-22744
quote_or_summary: Priam rejoices, praises those who honor the gods, offers a goblet
as gratitude for Hector’s sake, and asks to be conducted safely to Achilles’ tent.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 22745-22760
quote_or_summary: The disguised god refuses Priam’s gift as a secret theft from
his master, yet says he could guard Priam’s life and accompany him over forests
or sea.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 22761-22772
quote_or_summary: Hermes takes the chariot reins, drives the horses, uses his wand
to put the guards to sleep, opens the gates and bars, and leads the chariot unseen
through the hostile camp.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 22773-22796
quote_or_summary: At Achilles’ strongly barred tent, Hermes opens the door, identifies
himself as Hermes, messenger of Jove, and tells Priam to enter and appeal to Achilles
by his father, son, and mother.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 22797-22807
quote_or_summary: Hermes vanishes into the sky; Priam leaves his herald at the chariot,
enters Achilles’ inner tent, and finds Achilles attended by Alcimus, Automedon,
and others.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 22808-22824
quote_or_summary: Priam enters unseen, falls before Achilles, embraces his knees,
weeps over and kisses the hands that killed his son; Achilles and his attendants
are amazed and silent.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 22825-22855
quote_or_summary: Priam asks Achilles to think of his aged father, describes his
own misery and many slain sons, names Hector as his last hope, says he has brought
large gifts, and pleads with Achilles to revere the gods.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/iliad-pope.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal scene extraction is strongly supported by the supplied passage. Motif
and comparison labels are cautious, especially where the available taxonomy only
partially matches the episode.
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: |-
Used only the provided passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to the supplied available references.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-iliad-pope-gutenberg__l22714-l22855
passage_sha256=89f2f1202c569a8af91fbba386f829c04033fd0bc13d241fec7a3808f206d126