batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l1523-l1623
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l1523-l1623
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
passage_locator:
label: THE KING'S WHITE ELEPHANT / THE OX WHO ENVIED THE PIG / GRANNY'S BLACKIE
/ THE CRAB AND THE CRANE; lines 1523-1623
start: '1523'
end: '1623'
translation: Jataka tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: During a dry summer, fishes in a nearly dry pond suffer from lack of water.
A crane offers to carry them to a better pond, first proving that such a pond
exists, but then carries the fishes away one by one and eats them. When only a
crab remains, the crane offers the same transport. The crab insists on gripping
the crane's neck with his claws. At the place where the fish bones lie, the crane
reveals his intent to eat the crab, but the crab pinches the crane's neck so that
the crane's head falls off.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A summer with very little rain leaves animals, especially fishes, suffering
for want of water; the pond containing the fishes is very low.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A crane sits on the bank watching the fishes and says he knows of a deep-woods
pond with plenty of water, food, and shade.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: A little fish says the crane may intend to eat the fishes one by one; the
crane proposes taking a trusted fish to see the other pond and return.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: A big fish rides on the crane's back, sees the larger full pond, returns,
and tells the other fishes about it.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: After the fishes want to go, the crane carries them away one by one to a hidden
place in the woods and eats them until none remain in the pond.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: A crab remains on the sand; the crane offers to take him to the same fine
pond.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The crab refuses to ride on the crane's back unless he can hold the crane's
neck with his claws; the crane knows crabs grip tightly but agrees because he
is hungry.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: At the place where the crane had eaten the fishes, the crab sees fish bones
and the crane says the crab's shell will be left if he lets go.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: The crab pinches the crane's neck so that the crane's head falls off, then
says the crane's bones will dry with the fishes' bones.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Crane
description: A crane who watches the fish, offers transport to another pond, eats
the fish, threatens the crab, and is killed by the crab.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fishes
description: The fish community in the low pond; they suffer from lack of water
and are carried away and eaten by the crane.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Little Fish
description: A fish who questions the crane's offer and voices suspicion that the
crane wants to eat the fishes.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Big Fish
description: A fish who rides with the crane, sees the full pond, returns, and reports
to the other fishes.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Crab
description: A crab left on the sand after the fishes are gone; he grips the crane's
neck and kills him when the crane reveals his threat.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: predatory deceiver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The crane presents himself as a helper carrying fishes to water but instead
carries them to a hidden place and eats them; he later threatens the crab.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: endangered victims
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The fishes suffer in the low pond and are eaten after accepting the crane's
transport.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: suspicious questioner
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The little fish challenges the crane's offer and states that the crane may
wish to eat the fishes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: verifying witness
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The big fish visits the full pond and returns to tell the other fishes about
it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: surviving counter-agent
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The crab secures a grip on the crane's neck, recognizes the fish bones, and
kills the crane when threatened.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: water scarcity and refuge water
literal_form: low pond during drought and full pond in the deep woods
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: fish bones
literal_form: a pile of Fish bones at the place where the crane had eaten the fishes
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: crab's tight grip
literal_form: the crab's claws holding the crane's neck
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Drought-stricken pond and crane's offer
summary: In a dry summer, fishes suffer in a low pond while a crane watches and
offers to carry them to a better pond in the woods.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Verification of the other pond
summary: A big fish rides with the crane, sees the full pond, and returns to report
it to the other fishes.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Hidden predation
summary: The fishes trust the report and the crane carries them away one by one,
not to the pool, but to a hidden place where he eats them.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Crab bargains for a neck grip
summary: After the fishes are gone, the crane offers to transport the crab; the
crab agrees only if he may hold the crane's neck with his claws.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Bone pile and reversal
summary: At the place of the fish bones, the crane reveals his intent to eat the
crab, but the crab pinches the crane's neck until the crane's head falls off.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: false rescue used for predation
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The crane offers to save the fishes from the drying pond by carrying them
to water, but uses the offer to isolate and eat them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy label is broad; the passage presents deception
and predation rather than an explicit named trickster category.
- id: motif:2
label: partial truth creates fatal trust
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The crane shows a real pond to the big fish and returns him, causing the
other fishes to trust the crane before he eats them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a narrative pattern inferred from the sequence; the passage does
not name it as a motif.
- id: motif:3
label: intended victim outwits predator
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- trickster_boundary
basis: The crab requires a hold on the crane's neck before traveling and kills the
crane when the crane reveals his intent to eat him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The wisdom classification is supported by successful precaution and response,
but the tale does not explicitly use the term wisdom.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1523-1546
quote_or_summary: The tale opens in a dry summer with little rain. Animals, especially
fishes in a very low pond, suffer for want of water; a crane watches them and
offers to carry them to a deep-woods pond with water, food, and shade.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata permits full text use.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1548-1554
quote_or_summary: A little fish says the crane may want to eat the fishes one by
one. The crane replies that they may send a trusted fish with him to see the pond
and return.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata permits full text use.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1555-1567
quote_or_summary: A big fish goes with the crane, sees the cool, shady, larger,
full pond, returns to the little pond, and tells the other fishes about it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata permits full text use.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1567-1577
quote_or_summary: After hearing the report, the fishes want to go. The crane carries
them away one by one, not to the pool, but to a hidden place in the woods, where
he eats them until all the fishes in the pond are gone.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata permits full text use.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1577-1585
quote_or_summary: The next day the crane finds no fish left, only a crab on the
sand, and offers to take the crab to the fine pond in the deep woods.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata permits full text use.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1588-1598
quote_or_summary: The crab says he cannot ride on the crane's back and asks to hold
the crane's neck with his claws. The crane knows crabs have a tight grip and dislikes
the idea, but agrees because he is hungry.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata permits full text use.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 1600-1613
quote_or_summary: At the place where the crane had eaten the fishes, the crane tells
the crab to let go and walk. The crab sees no pond, only a pile of fish bones.
The crane admits that the crab's shell will be all that remains if he lets go.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata permits full text use.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 1615-1617
quote_or_summary: The crab pinches the crane's neck so that the crane's head falls
off, then says the crane's bones, not the crab's shell, will dry with the fishes'
bones.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain; source metadata permits full text use.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are candidate
analytical labels and should be reviewed against the Atlas taxonomy. No comparison
claims were made because the passage itself provides no explicit cross-text or
cross-tradition 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: |-
The passage locator label lists multiple tale titles, but the supplied passage text contains only THE CRAB AND THE CRANE; extraction is limited to that supplied text.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg__l1523-l1623
passage_sha256=e10bb12e7483abdb84fe2e06b3c02e28d695de88b9455193108e86f0ac7a0542