batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg-l12340-l12383
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg-l12340-l12383
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 12340-12383
start: '12340'
end: '12383'
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 set of explanatory footnotes identifies Hymettus as an Attic mountain,
reports variant accounts of a wife's fidelity test and gifts involving a golden
wreath, a javelin, and the dog Laelaps, summarizes Oedipus and the Sphinx, notes
Themis's oracle in Boeotia, explains the Gortynian bow of Crete, and gives variant
explanations of a voracious wild beast called the Teumesian fox or a man named
Alopis.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Hymettus is described as a mountain of Attica famous for honey and marble.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: One account says a husband found his wife with a young man named Pteleon,
who had given her a golden wreath.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Another account says the husband tested his wife's fidelity by offering her
a bribe through a slave.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Some writers say the wife fled to Crete and received from Diana a javelin
no one could escape and the dog Laelaps, which no wild beast could outrun.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Other writers say she fled to Minos, who prevailed over her virtue and gave
her the dog and javelin.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The wife later appeared before her husband disguised as a huntress and demonstrated
the efficacy of the dog and javelin.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: When the husband asked for the dog and javelin, she set a condition that would
apparently breach conjugal fidelity; after he assented, she revealed herself and
gave him the desired gifts.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Oedipus is identified as the son of Laius, king of Thebes.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The Sphinx is described as a monster, offspring of Typhon and Echidna, haunting
a mountain near Thebes.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: Oedipus solved the Sphinx's riddle, after which the monster threw itself from
a rock.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: The Sphinx is described as having the face of a woman, wings of a bird, and
extremities of a lion.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:12
text: Themis is said to have had a very ancient oracle in Boeotia.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:13
text: Crete is called Gortynian from Gortys or Gortyna, a city famous for the archery
skill of its inhabitants.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: Antoninus Liberalis and Apollodorus identify the wild beast as the Teumesian
fox from Teumesus, a mountain of Boeotia.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:15
text: The Thebans are said to have appeased the fox's voracity by giving it a child
to devour every month.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:16
text: Palaephatus says the wild beast was not an animal but a man called Alopis.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Hymettus
description: Mountain of Attica famous for honey and marble.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Unnamed wife
description: A woman whose fidelity and flight to Crete are discussed in variant
accounts; she later appears disguised as a huntress.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Unnamed husband
description: The husband who finds or tests his wife and later requests the dog
and javelin.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Pteleon
description: A young man said to have given the wife a golden wreath.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Diana
description: A divine figure said in one version to give the wife an inescapable
javelin and the dog Laelaps.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Aurora
description: A divine figure described as attached to the wife's husband.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Minos
description: In another version, a figure to whom the wife fled and who gave her
the dog and javelin.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Laelaps
description: A dog that no wild beast could outrun.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Oedipus
description: Son of Laius, king of Thebes, who solved the Sphinx's riddle.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Laius
description: King of Thebes and father of Oedipus.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Sphinx
description: A monster, offspring of Typhon and Echidna, with woman's face, bird's
wings, and lion's extremities.
role_refs:
- role:11
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Typhon
description: Named as a parent of the Sphinx.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Echidna
description: Named as a parent of the Sphinx.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Themis
description: A figure associated with an ancient oracle in Boeotia.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Teumesian fox
description: A wild beast from Teumesus, a mountain of Boeotia, said to be appeased
by monthly child offerings.
role_refs:
- role:11
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:16
name_or_label: Thebans
description: People said to give a child monthly to appease the voracity of the
Teumesian fox.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:17
name_or_label: Alopis
description: A man whom Palaephatus identifies as the supposed wild beast.
role_refs:
- role:16
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: noted mountain
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage identifies Hymettus as an Attic mountain with notable products.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: wife under fidelity test
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage reports accounts involving her husband testing or discovering
her fidelity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: disguised huntress and gift giver
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: She appears before her husband disguised as a huntress and later gives him
the dog and javelin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: testing or requesting husband
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: He tests his wife or requests the dog and javelin after seeing their efficacy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: giver of wreath
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Pteleon is named as the young man who gave a golden wreath.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: giver of magical hunting objects
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:7
basis: Diana or Minos is said, in different versions, to give the dog and javelin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: divine admirer
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Aurora is described as having attachment to the husband.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: unoutrunnable hound
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Laelaps is described as a dog no wild beast could outrun.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: riddle solver
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Oedipus solves the riddle proposed by the Sphinx.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:10
label: parent
assigned_to:
- fig:10
- fig:12
- fig:13
basis: Laius is father of Oedipus; Typhon and Echidna are parents of the Sphinx.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: monster or wild threat
assigned_to:
- fig:11
- fig:15
basis: The Sphinx is called a monster; the fox is described as a wild beast with
voracity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:12
label: riddle poser
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The Sphinx proposed a riddle for solution.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:13
label: oracle holder
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: Themis is associated with a very ancient oracle in Boeotia.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:14
label: recipient of child offerings
assigned_to:
- fig:15
basis: Thebans are said to give the fox a child to devour every month.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:15
label: appeasing community
assigned_to:
- fig:16
basis: The Thebans give a child monthly to appease the wild beast's voracity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:16
label: rationalized identity of beast
assigned_to:
- fig:17
basis: Palaephatus says the wild beast was a man named Alopis.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: mountain
literal_form: Hymettus; mountain near Thebes; Teumesus
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:11
- fig:15
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: golden wreath
literal_form: golden wreath given by Pteleon
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: inescapable javelin
literal_form: javelin which no person could escape
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: unoutrunnable dog
literal_form: dog Laelaps, which no wild beast could outrun
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: riddle
literal_form: riddle proposed by the Sphinx and solved by Oedipus
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: hybrid monster body
literal_form: woman's face, bird's wings, and lion's extremities
associated_figures:
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:7
label: oracle
literal_form: ancient oracle in Boeotia
associated_figures:
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:8
label: monthly child offering
literal_form: a child given every month for the fox to devour
associated_figures:
- fig:15
- fig:16
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Attic mountain note
summary: Hymettus is identified as an Attic mountain famous for honey and marble.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Fidelity accounts and golden wreath
summary: Variant accounts report either that the wife was found with Pteleon after
receiving a golden wreath or that her husband tested her fidelity through a bribe.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Dog and javelin variants
summary: Variant accounts explain how the wife acquired the dog Laelaps and an inescapable
javelin from Diana or Minos, then appeared to her husband disguised as a huntress
and eventually gave him the objects.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Oedipus and the Sphinx
summary: Oedipus, son of Laius, solves the Sphinx's riddle; the monster then throws
itself from a rock, and its hybrid form and parentage are described.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Themis's oracle
summary: Themis is associated with a very ancient oracle in Boeotia.
figure_refs:
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Gortynian archery note
summary: Crete's Gortynian name is connected to Gortys or Gortyna, whose inhabitants
were famous for archery.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Teumesian fox and monthly child offering
summary: The wild beast is identified in some accounts as the Teumesian fox, which
the Thebans appeased by giving it a child each month; another account identifies
it as a man named Alopis.
figure_refs:
- fig:15
- fig:16
- fig:17
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: fidelity test through disguise or bribe
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The passage gives accounts of a husband testing fidelity by bribe and of
the wife returning disguised as a huntress to test or bargain with him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage presents explanatory
variants rather than a full narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: magical hunting aids that cannot fail
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The javelin is said to be inescapable and Laelaps is said to outrun every
wild beast.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly matches magical weapons or hunting
animals.
- id: motif:3
label: riddle solver defeats monster
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Oedipus solves the Sphinx's riddle, after which the monster dies by throwing
itself from a rock.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage summarizes the episode briefly in a footnote.
- id: motif:4
label: hybrid monster at a mountain
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
basis: The Sphinx is a composite-bodied monster haunting a mountain near Thebes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: Mountain is supplied as a symbol taxonomy reference, not a full motif
family.
- id: motif:5
label: oracle associated with divine figure
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Themis is associated with a very ancient oracle in Boeotia.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The footnote gives only the oracle's existence, not an oracle narrative.
- id: motif:6
label: community appeases voracious beast with recurring child offering
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Thebans are said to appease the Teumesian fox by giving it a child to devour
every month.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage also preserves a rationalizing variant that the beast was
a man named Alopis.
- id: motif:7
label: variant rationalization of monster as human
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Palaephatus says the wild beast was not an animal but a man named Alopis.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an explanatory claim about a mythic episode rather than a narrative
event in the passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself records variant ancient explanations for the wife's acquisition
of Laelaps and the javelin, contrasting a version involving Diana with versions
involving Minos.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Variant accounts attributed to Hyginus, Apollodorus, and Antoninus Liberalis
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is limited to variants explicitly named in the footnote
and does not establish historical dependence.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage records variant identifications of the wild beast, contrasting
the Teumesian fox account with Palaephatus's human Alopis account.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Teumesian fox tradition and Palaephatus's rationalizing Alopis explanation
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage gives only a brief report of each version.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 12340-12341 / Footnote 110
quote_or_summary: Hymettus is a mountain of Attica, famous for honey and marble.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 12343-12348 / Footnote 111
quote_or_summary: Tzetzes says the wife was found by her husband with Pteleon, who
gave her a golden wreath; Antoninus Liberalis says the husband tested her fidelity
by a bribe through a slave.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 12350-12366 / Footnote 112
quote_or_summary: Some writers say she fled to Crete and Diana gave her an inescapable
javelin and Laelaps; others say Minos gave them. She returned disguised as a huntress,
demonstrated them, set a condition when her husband requested them, then revealed
herself and gave the gifts.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 12368-12374 / Footnote 113
quote_or_summary: Oedipus, son of Laius, solved the Sphinx's riddle; the Sphinx,
child of Typhon and Echidna, haunted a mountain near Thebes, then threw itself
from a rock, and had a woman's face, bird wings, and lion extremities.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 12376-12377 / Footnote 114
quote_or_summary: Themis had a very ancient oracle in Boeotia.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 12379-12382 / Footnote 115
quote_or_summary: Crete was called Gortynian from Gortys or Gortyna, a city famous
for archery skill.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 12384-12390 / Footnote 116
quote_or_summary: Antoninus Liberalis and Apollodorus identify the wild beast as
the Teumesian fox from Teumesus; Thebans gave it a child monthly to appease it.
Palaephatus says it was a man named Alopis.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage consists of explanatory footnotes summarizing several myths and
variants, so motif extraction is possible but compressed and sometimes dependent
on unnamed figures in the excerpt.
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. Some figure labels remain descriptive where the excerpt does not name the person.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg__l12340-l12383
passage_sha256=a6e65c45fb87c5c11c2f480d8ca8d2ca729f22d86145b2359d2688230e5a4dd8