batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg-l10640-l10724
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg-l10640-l10724
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / BOOK THE SEVENTH.; lines 10640-10724
start: '10640'
end: '10724'
translation: The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books I-VII
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage introduces Jason and the Argonauts arriving in Colchis to demand
the Golden Fleece. Medea, daughter of Aeetes, falls violently in love with Jason
and debates whether to aid him against the dangerous tasks set by her father,
including fire-breathing bulls, earth-born warriors, and a dragon. She weighs
love, reason, family loyalty, promises of marriage, departure from her homeland,
and fear of guilt.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Jason and the Argonauts arrive in Colchis after earlier adventures and demand
the Golden Fleece.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: obs:2
text: The Argonauts travel by sea in the Pagasaean ship and reach the waters of
the Phasis.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The fleece is described as formerly belonging to Phryxus.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Aeetes' daughter Medea develops a violent passion for Jason and recognizes
a conflict between desire and reason.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Jason faces tasks involving bulls, earth-born enemies, and a ravenous dragon.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Medea considers saving Jason through her own aid and requiring him to pledge
faith before the gods.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Medea imagines marriage to Jason and fame among Pelasgian women as the preserver
of their sons.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Medea weighs leaving her sister, brother, father, gods, and native soil.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: Medea imagines sea dangers including mountains in the waves, Charybdis, and
Scylla.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: Medea's speech ends by naming her contemplated action as criminality and urging
flight from guilt.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Jason
description: Leader associated with the Argonauts, son of Aeson, seeker of the Golden
Fleece, and object of Medea's love and aid.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Medea
description: Daughter of Aeetes who falls in love with Jason, debates aiding him,
and considers leaving her homeland and family.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Aeetes
description: Medea's father and king whose commands and conditions for Jason are
described as severe.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Argonauts / Minyae
description: Companions of Jason who travel by sea in the Pagasaean ship to Colchis.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Phineus
description: An aged distressed man under perpetual night whom the voyagers had
visited before reaching the Phasis.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: sons of the North wind
description: Youthful figures who drive away birds with the faces of virgins from
before Phineus' mouth.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: birds with faces of virgins
description: Birds driven away from Phineus by the sons of the North wind.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: bulls
description: Dangerous bulls whose mouths threaten to breathe upon Jason.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: earth-born enemies
description: Hostile beings or crops said to spring from the earth and threaten
Jason.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: dragon
description: A ravenous, never-sleeping dragon that threatens Jason.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Cupid
description: Divine figure named by Medea as persuading one course while reason
persuades another.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: questing hero
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jason seeks the Golden Fleece and must face dangerous labors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: enamored helper
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Medea falls in love with Jason and considers aiding and preserving him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: conflicted daughter
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Medea debates betraying her father's kingdom and leaving family, gods, and
homeland.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:4
label: beloved stranger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Medea calls Jason a stranger and desires marriage with him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: task-setting father king
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The conditions for the fleece are linked to the king and Medea calls her
father's commands rigid.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: voyaging companions
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Minyae travel with Jason by sea and reach the Phasis.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: ordeal adversaries
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
basis: The bulls, earth-born enemies, and dragon are named as dangers Jason will
face.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: divine impulse toward love
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Medea says Cupid persuades one thing while reason persuades another.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Golden Fleece
literal_form: fleece once belonging to Phryxus
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Pagasaean ship
literal_form: ship carrying the Minyae over the sea
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: Phasis waters
literal_form: rapid muddy waters of the Phasis
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: dragon
literal_form: ravenous never-sleeping dragon
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: earth-born enemies
literal_form: hostile crop or sons sprung from the earth
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: sea hazards
literal_form: mountains in waves, Charybdis, and Scylla in the Sicilian deep
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: pledge before gods
literal_form: compact witnessed by the gods
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Arrival and demand for the fleece
summary: Jason and the Argonauts reach Colchis and ask the king for the Golden Fleece,
for which severe labors are set.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Medea's internal conflict
summary: Medea experiences violent love for Jason and debates between Cupid's persuasion
and reason.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:11
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Imagined ordeals of Jason
summary: Medea imagines Jason facing bulls, earth-born enemies, and a ravenous dragon
unless she aids him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Promise, marriage, and departure debated
summary: Medea considers requiring Jason's oath, saving him, marrying him, and leaving
family, gods, and homeland.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Sea journey imagined with Jason
summary: Medea imagines crossing wide seas with Jason despite reported maritime
hazards, then rebukes herself for contemplating guilt.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Quest for a guarded golden prize
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: Jason and the Argonauts demand the Golden Fleece and must confront severe
labors to obtain it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage summarizes the quest opening rather than narrating the full
acquisition in detail.
- id: motif:2
label: Enamored foreign helper aids the hero
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Medea falls in love with Jason and considers using her aid to preserve him
from the tasks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the decision process; the practical aid is previewed
in the introductory summary.
- id: motif:3
label: Hero tested by monstrous and earth-born adversaries
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: Jason's dangers include bulls, enemies sprung from the earth, and a ravenous
dragon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The initiation label is interpretive and should be reviewed; the passage
itself frames the dangers as labors.
- id: motif:4
label: Serpentine guardian or adversary
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
basis: A ravenous, never-sleeping dragon is among the dangers guarding Jason's success.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The text says dragon, not serpent; the taxonomy association is based on
common dragon-serpent overlap and needs review.
- id: motif:5
label: Love versus kinship loyalty
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Medea debates saving Jason against betraying her father's kingdom and leaving
family, gods, and native soil.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly matches this interpersonal conflict.
- id: motif:6
label: Departure from homeland with beloved
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Medea imagines being borne away by winds, leaving family and homeland, and
crossing seas with Jason.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents the departure as contemplated, while the summary
indicates Medea is carried off with Jason.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 10640-10648
quote_or_summary: The fable summary says Jason arrives in Colchis with the Argonauts,
demands the Golden Fleece, is preserved by Medea's enchantments, obtains the prize,
carries off Medea, and returns to Thessaly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 10649-10657
quote_or_summary: The Minyae sail in the Pagasaean ship, after the Phineus episode,
and reach the rapid muddy waters of the Phasis.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 10658-10662
quote_or_summary: The voyagers ask for the fleece of Phryxus; difficult conditions
involving many labors are offered; Aeetes' daughter conceives a violent passion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 10662-10679
quote_or_summary: "“Cupid persuades one thing, reason another. I see which is the
more proper course, and I approve of it, while I follow the wrong one.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 10680-10694
quote_or_summary: Medea says that without her aid Jason will face bulls, enemies
sprung from the earth, and a ravenous never-sleeping dragon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 10695-10706
quote_or_summary: Medea considers saving Jason, requiring him to pledge faith before
the gods, marrying him, and being celebrated as preserver of Greek youths.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 10707-10716
quote_or_summary: Medea asks whether she will leave her sister, brother, father,
gods, and homeland, then reasons that her father is cruel, her country barbarous,
and her sister favorable.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 10717-10722
quote_or_summary: Medea imagines mountains rising in the waves, Charybdis, Scylla,
and crossing wide seas while clinging to Jason.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:9
type: quote
locator: lines 10723-10724
quote_or_summary: "“Do but consider how great an offence thou art meditating, and,
while still thou mayst, fly from guilt.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif labels using supplied
taxonomy are conservative and marked where interpretive.
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: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not make an explicit comparative claim to another tradition or motif family beyond the local mythic narrative.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg__l10640-l10724
passage_sha256=6b7cf2c2b124495e5fa7739234139ad0324fc297f49c46c03b13aca7c5f6828e