batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l39189-l39204
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l39189-l39204
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. / CHAPTER CV. / ENTITLED, THE ELEPHANT;
REVEALED AT MECCA. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 39189-39204
start: '39189'
end: '39204'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an)
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: |-
and send against them flocks of birds,
which casts down upon them stones of baked clay;
and render them like the leaves of corn eaten by cattle?
summary: The passage describes flocks of birds being sent against unnamed targets;
the birds cast stones of baked clay on them, leaving them compared to corn leaves
eaten by cattle.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Flocks of birds are sent against unnamed targets.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The birds cast down stones of baked clay upon the targets.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The targets are rendered like leaves of corn eaten by cattle.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The passage occurs under a chapter label entitled “The Elephant.”
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: flocks of birds
description: Birds acting collectively in flocks and casting down stones.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: unnamed targets
description: The group referred to as “them,” against whom the birds are sent and
upon whom stones are cast.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: aerial agents of attack
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The birds are sent against the targets and cast stones down upon them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: targets of destructive attack
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The unnamed targets receive the attack and are described as being reduced
to a damaged state.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: flocks of birds
literal_form: collective birds in flight
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: stones of baked clay
literal_form: stones made or described as baked clay
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: eaten corn leaves
literal_form: leaves of corn eaten by cattle used as a comparison for the targets’
condition
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Birds cast baked-clay stones on unnamed targets
summary: Flocks of birds are sent against an unnamed group, cast down stones of
baked clay on them, and the group is left in a state compared to corn leaves eaten
by cattle.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: destruction by birds bearing stones
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage centers on flocks of birds attacking an unnamed group by dropping
stones of baked clay, resulting in devastation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The excerpt does not identify the targets or the sender within the quoted
lines.
- id: motif:2
label: punitive destruction of an opposing group
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The birds are sent against a group and the group is rendered like eaten corn
leaves, suggesting a destructive punitive episode within the passage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage excerpt implies punishment or destruction but does not explicitly
name the judge, offense, or full narrative context.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 39189-39204
quote_or_summary: "“and send against them flocks of birds,”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 39189-39204
quote_or_summary: "“which casts down upon them stones of baked clay”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 39189-39204
quote_or_summary: "“render them like the leaves of corn eaten by cattle”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:4
type: citation
locator: passage label; lines 39189-39204
quote_or_summary: Chapter label identifies Chapter CV as entitled “The Elephant.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; citation/label summary.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward for the provided lines. Motif labeling
is limited because the excerpt supplies only the closing action and not the full
narrative antecedent or explicit subject of the verbs.
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: |-
Footnote material in the provided passage was not used for motif extraction except insofar as the passage label identifies the chapter title.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l39189-l39204
passage_sha256=5e594384b187dd4d37b36074818b436bbe5da07b62104547c1c7456fe4b169c1