batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg-l12247-l12338
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg-l12247-l12338
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 12247-12338
start: '12247'
end: '12338'
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: A husband recounts how, after returning from a goddess, suspicion of his
wife's fidelity led him, with Aurora's help in changing his shape, to test her
in disguise with offers and bribes. After she wavered, he revealed himself, accused
her, and she fled to the mountains and Diana's pursuits before reconciliation.
She later gave him a swift dog, Lælaps, and a javelin received from Cynthia. He
then narrates how, after the son of Laius solved a riddle and its propounder fell,
Themis sent a savage monster against Thebes. Lælaps pursued the monster in an
extraordinary chase until both appeared as marble statues, apparently fixed by
a god so neither would be conquered.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The narrator says he returned while thinking over a goddess's sayings and
became apprehensive that his wife had not observed the laws of wedlock.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Aurora encouraged the narrator's suspicion and changed his shape, allowing
him to enter Athens and his own house unknown.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The wife was sorrowful for her absent husband and repeatedly repulsed attempts
against her chastity, saying she was reserved for one man wherever he was.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The narrator offered increasing rewards for one night until the wife wavered,
then revealed himself as her real husband and accused her.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The wife fled from the house, resented the narrator, abhorred men, and wandered
on the mountains in the pursuits of Diana before later being restored to him after
his confession and request for forgiveness.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The wife gave the narrator a dog that Cynthia had given her, together with
a javelin; the dog was said to excel all dogs in running.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: After the son of Laius solved the riddle and the mysterious propounder fell,
Themis sent another plague, described as a savage monster, against Aonian Thebes.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Neighboring youths enclosed fields with nets, but the savage monster leaped
over the nets and eluded pursuing dogs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Lælaps was released, vanished from sight in speed, and pursued the monster
while the monster changed course in circles to avoid being caught.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: When the narrator turned back to the chase after preparing his javelin, he
saw two marble statues in the plain, one appearing to flee and the other to bark
in pursuit.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The narrator concludes that some god wished both contestants to remain unconquered
in the contest of speed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Narrating husband
description: The first-person speaker who suspects, tests, accuses, seeks forgiveness
from his wife, and later owns Lælaps and the javelin.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Daughter of Erectheus / wife
description: The narrator's wife, described as beautiful, sorrowful for her husband,
initially chaste in speech and conduct, later fleeing to the mountains and returning
after reconciliation.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Aurora
description: A goddess who encouraged the narrator's apprehension and changed his
shape.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Cynthia / Diana
description: Cynthia is named as giver of the dog to the wife, and Diana is named
in connection with the wife's mountain pursuits.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Phocus
description: The person addressed by the narrator during the account of the wife's
beauty and sorrow.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Son of Laius
description: The figure who solved verses not understood by others before him.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Mysterious propounder
description: The riddle propounder who lay precipitated after the son of Laius solved
the verses.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Themis
description: The divine figure who did not leave the fall of the riddle propounder
unrevenged and sent another plague against Thebes.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Savage monster / wild beast
description: The plague sent against Aonian Thebes; it consumes cattle and people,
escapes nets and dogs, and is pursued by Lælaps.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Lælaps
description: The dog given to the narrator by his wife, described as excelling all
dogs in running and pursuing the savage monster with extraordinary speed.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Unnamed god
description: A god inferred by the narrator to have made both Lælaps and the wild
beast remain unconquered in the contest.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: disguised tester of fidelity
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The narrator's shape is changed and he tests his wife's constancy through
artifices and bribes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: penitent husband
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After his wife flees, he begs forgiveness and admits fault.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: tested wife
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: She is approached in disguise and subjected to repeated attempts and offers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: mountain wanderer in Diana's pursuits
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: After fleeing, she wanders on the mountains in the pursuits of Diana.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: divine shape-changer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Aurora changes the narrator's shape.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: divine hunt-associated giver
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Cynthia gives the dog to the wife, and Diana's pursuits are named in the
wife's mountain wandering.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: narrative addressee
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The narrator directly addresses Phocus during the account.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:8
label: hound owner and hunter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The narrator carries the javelin, owns Lælaps, and prepares to use the javelin
during the chase.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: riddle solver
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The son of Laius solves verses not understood by others.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: fallen riddle propounder
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The mysterious propounder lies precipitated after the riddle is solved.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:11
label: divine avenger
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Themis sends another plague against Thebes in response to the prior event.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:12
label: plague monster and quarry
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The monster is sent as a plague, destroys cattle and people, and is hunted
by dogs and Lælaps.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:13
label: supernaturally swift pursuer
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Lælaps is said to excel all dogs in running and pursues the monster with
speed exceeding weapons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:14
label: divine resolver of contest
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The narrator says some god desired both contestants to remain unconquered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: altered shape / disguise
literal_form: The narrator's changed shape, used to enter Athens and his house unknown.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: mountains
literal_form: Mountains where the wife wanders in Diana's pursuits after fleeing.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: divine hunting dog
literal_form: Lælaps, the dog given by Cynthia to the wife and then to the narrator,
said to excel all dogs in running.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:10
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: javelin
literal_form: The javelin given with the dog and later prepared by the narrator
during the chase.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: nets / toils
literal_form: Nets enclosing the fields during the attempted hunt of the monster.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: paired marble statues
literal_form: Two marble statues in the plain, one appearing to flee and the other
to bark in pursuit.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Disguised fidelity test in Athens
summary: The narrator's shape is changed by Aurora; he enters Athens unknown, reaches
his wife, tests her with artifices and offers, and then reveals himself as her
husband when she wavers.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Flight, mountain wandering, and reconciliation
summary: After being accused, the wife flees, wanders on the mountains in Diana's
pursuits, and later returns after the narrator begs forgiveness and admits fault.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Gift of Lælaps and the javelin
summary: The wife gives the narrator a dog from Cynthia, said to surpass all dogs
in running, along with a javelin.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Theban plague monster and organized hunt
summary: After a riddle is solved and its propounder falls, Themis sends a savage
monster against Thebes; youths enclose fields with nets, but the monster leaps
the barriers and eludes ordinary dogs.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Unconquered chase fixed in marble
summary: Lælaps is released and pursues the monster at extraordinary speed; the
monster evades by circling, and the narrator later sees two marble statues, one
fleeing and one barking, which he attributes to a god preserving both from defeat.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: shape-changed disguise for fidelity test
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
- trickster_boundary
basis: Aurora changes the narrator's shape, after which he enters unknown and uses
artifices and bribes to test his wife's constancy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents a changed shape and deceitful test, but the narrator
is transformed by a goddess rather than independently acting as a shapeshifter.
- id: motif:2
label: divine punishment through plague monster
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Themis does not leave the fall of the riddle propounder unrevenged and sends
a savage monster as a plague against Thebes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The exact justice or guilt structure is only briefly summarized in this
passage.
- id: motif:3
label: divine gift of peerless hunting animal
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Cynthia gives a dog to the wife, who gives it to the narrator; the dog is
said to excel all dogs in running.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes a divine-origin gift, but does not frame the transfer
as a ritual exchange.
- id: motif:4
label: impossible chase resolved by transformation into statues
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The peerless dog and evasive monster remain locked in pursuit until they
are seen as marble statues, with the narrator inferring divine intervention so
neither is conquered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No exact available taxonomy reference for petrification or impossible
contest was provided.
- id: motif:5
label: wronged woman withdraws to mountain hunt
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: After the disguised test and accusation, the wife flees, rejects men, and
wanders on the mountains in Diana's pursuits.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives a temporary withdrawal rather than a full independent
quest or permanent exile.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The Lælaps episode can be cautiously compared to an impossible-contest pattern
in which a perfect pursuer and an evasive quarry are prevented from defeating
one another by divine intervention.
claim_level: same_function
target: impossible chase / unconquered contest pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage itself supplies the functional pattern but does not name
an external comparative tradition or taxonomy ID for it.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Themis episode aligns with the divine-judgment motif family insofar as
a divine figure sends a destructive monster as retribution.
claim_level: same_motif
target: divine_judgment
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage gives limited detail about the moral reasoning behind the
retribution.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 12247-12259
quote_or_summary: The narrator returns from a goddess, fears his wife's infidelity,
says Aurora encouraged the suspicion and changed his shape, and enters Athens
and his house unknown.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 12260-12276
quote_or_summary: The wife is sorrowful for her husband and says, “I am reserved
for but one, wherever he is; for that one do I reserve my joys.” The narrator
addresses Phocus in this account.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 12276-12293
quote_or_summary: The narrator increases promised rewards until the wife wavers,
reveals himself, accuses her, and she flees; she later wanders on the mountains
in Diana's pursuits until he begs forgiveness and she is restored to him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 12293-12301
quote_or_summary: The wife gives the narrator a dog that Cynthia had given her,
saying it would excel all dogs in running, and also gives a javelin that he carries.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 12302-12312
quote_or_summary: The son of Laius solves verses others could not understand; the
mysterious propounder falls, and Themis sends another plague, a savage monster,
against Aonian Thebes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 12312-12324
quote_or_summary: Neighboring youths enclose fields with nets; the monster leaps
the nets and eludes dogs. Lælaps is requested, struggles to be released, and vanishes
from sight after being let loose, leaving tracks in warm dust.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 12324-12332
quote_or_summary: Lælaps is compared in speed to spear, sling-pellets, and arrow;
from a hill the narrator sees the beast almost caught, then evading by circular
movement while the dog snaps at air.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 12333-12338
quote_or_summary: After preparing his javelin, the narrator sees “two marble statues
in the middle of the plain,” one as if flying and the other barking, and says
some god wanted both “to remain unconquered in this contest of speed.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is explicit about actions, figures, gifts, divine intervention,
and transformation. Motif labels using the supplied taxonomy are partly approximate
where the taxonomy lacks precise entries for fidelity testing, petrification,
or impossible chase.
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: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used. Names not directly supplied in the passage were avoided except where the passage itself gives them.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg__l12247-l12338
passage_sha256=fd1c20aec090e4a77144ba37c1449ad9d43b7bee5f7da5de92bc98e8c2c42942