batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg-l7245-l7295
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg-l7245-l7295
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 7245-7295
start: '7245'
end: '7295'
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: Atlas, great as he is, becomes a mountain.
summary: Perseus flies across the world and seeks rest in Atlas's western kingdom.
Atlas, fearing an oracle that a son of Jove will take gold from his tree, refuses
hospitality and attacks him. Perseus shows Medusa's face, and Atlas is transformed
into a mountain that supports the heavens.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A flying male figure is carried by shifting winds through the sky and looks
down on the earth from far above.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: At day's decline he stops in the western part of the world, in the kingdom
of Atlas, seeking rest until morning.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Atlas is described as the son of Iapetus and as surpassing all men in bodily
size.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Atlas rules at the extremity of the earth, near the sea associated with the
horses and chariot of the Sun.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Atlas has many flocks and herds, and his land is undisturbed by neighboring
places.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Trees in Atlas's land have golden leaves, golden branches, and golden apples.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Perseus asks Atlas for hospitality and a resting place, citing his descent
from Jupiter and his exploits.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Atlas remembers an oracle from Parnassian Themis that his tree will be stripped
of gold by a son of Jove.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Atlas encloses his orchard with walls, assigns a huge dragon to guard it,
and expels strangers from his territories.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Atlas tells Perseus to leave, questions his claimed exploits and divine descent,
and uses threats and violence to drive him away.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Perseus, inferior to Atlas in strength, turns away his face and exposes Medusa's
horrible features on his left side.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: 'Atlas is transformed into a mountain: hair and beard become woods, shoulders
and hands become ridges, head becomes the summit, and bones become stones.'
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: After growing to immense height, Atlas supports the whole heaven and its stars.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: A footnote identifies the huge dragon as Ladon.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Perseus
description: A son of Jupiter/Jove who flies through the sky, seeks hospitality
from Atlas, and exposes Medusa's features when threatened.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Atlas
description: Son of Iapetus, a huge king at the western extremity of the earth,
owner of the golden orchard, and transformed into a mountain bearing the heavens.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Parnassian Themis
description: The giver of an oracle warning Atlas about the future loss of the tree's
gold.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Jupiter / Jove
description: Named by Perseus as the author of his descent and named in the oracle
as father of the future claimant.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Medusa
description: The being whose horrible features Perseus exposes, causing Atlas to
become a mountain.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Huge dragon / Ladon
description: A huge dragon set to keep Atlas's walled orchard; the footnote names
it Ladon.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:14
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sun
description: Associated with panting horses and a wearied chariot received by the
sea at the world's extremity.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Aurora
description: Named as ushered by Lucifer before the chariot of the day.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Lucifer
description: Named as the one who will usher forth Aurora's fires.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sky-traveling petitioner
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Perseus flies across the world and asks Atlas for rest and hospitality.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: son of Jupiter / Jove
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Perseus claims Jupiter as the author of his descent, and Atlas's oracle concerns
a son of Jove.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: giant western king
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Atlas is a king at the western extremity of the earth and surpasses all men
in bodily size.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: guardian of golden orchard
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Atlas walls the orchard, assigns a dragon to keep it, and expels strangers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: role:5
label: mountain sky-bearer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Atlas becomes a mountain and the whole heaven with stars rests upon him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:6
label: user of Medusa's head
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Perseus turns his face away and exposes Medusa's horrible features to Atlas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:7
label: oracle giver
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Themis gives the response warning Atlas about his tree's gold.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: divine ancestor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Jupiter/Jove is cited as the source of Perseus's descent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: petrifying or transforming visage
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Medusa's features are exposed immediately before Atlas becomes a mountain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:10
label: orchard guardian
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The dragon is assigned to keep the walled orchard.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:14
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: golden tree and apples
literal_form: Trees with golden leaves, golden branches, and golden apples in Atlas's
orchard.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:2
label: guarding dragon
literal_form: A huge dragon guarding the orchard; footnote names it Ladon.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:14
- id: sym:3
label: mountain body of Atlas
literal_form: Atlas's transformed body as a mountain with woods, ridges, summit,
stones, and heaven resting on it.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: sym:4
label: Medusa's face
literal_form: The horrible features of Medusa exposed by Perseus.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:5
label: western edge of the world
literal_form: The western extremity of the earth, near the sea that receives the
Sun's chariot.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: heaven and stars resting on Atlas
literal_form: The whole heaven, with many stars, resting upon the transformed Atlas.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Perseus's aerial wandering
summary: Perseus is carried by winds through the sky, sees constellations and directions
repeatedly, and looks down upon the distant earth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Arrival in Atlas's western kingdom
summary: At the decline of day, Perseus stops in Atlas's western realm at the edge
of the earth, seeking rest until morning.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Golden orchard and oracle
summary: Atlas possesses golden trees and apples, remembers Themis's oracle about
a son of Jove taking the tree's gold, and has enclosed the orchard with a dragon
guard.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:14
- id: scene:4
label: Refusal of hospitality
summary: Perseus requests hospitality, but Atlas tells him to depart and attempts
to drive him away with threats and violence.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Transformation of Atlas
summary: Perseus exposes Medusa's features, and Atlas is transformed into a mountain
whose enlarged body supports the heavens.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: giant transformed into world-bearing mountain
taxonomy_refs:
- cosmic_mountain
- world_center
- shapeshifter
basis: Atlas becomes a mountain of immense height, and the whole heaven with stars
rests upon him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The passage describes metamorphosis and sky-bearing directly; broader
labels such as world center are taxonomy approximations rather than explicit terms
in the passage.
- id: motif:2
label: dragon-guarded golden tree
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_tree_axis
- serpent
basis: Atlas's golden tree and apples are protected within walls by a huge dragon
identified in a note as Ladon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the tree's gold and dragon guard; it does not describe
an actual theft within this excerpt.
- id: motif:3
label: oracle prompts guarded exclusion of strangers
taxonomy_refs:
- forbidden_knowledge
basis: Atlas acts on Themis's oracle by enclosing the orchard, assigning a dragon,
and expelling strangers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: 'The taxonomy reference is approximate: the passage concerns prophetic
knowledge and defensive action, not necessarily forbidden knowledge in a strict
sense.'
- id: motif:4
label: dangerous divine-descended guest refused hospitality
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_parent_child
basis: Perseus identifies Jupiter as his ancestor and asks for hospitality; Atlas
refuses because an oracle warned him about a son of Jove.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage emphasizes descent and refusal of hospitality; it does not
explicitly frame the episode as a hospitality law or divine judgment.
- id: motif:5
label: petrifying gaze as transformative weapon
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Perseus exposes Medusa's features, after which Atlas's body changes into
mountain, woods, ridges, summit, and stone.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy term shapeshifter is used broadly for bodily transformation;
Medusa's gaze itself is not assigned a dedicated taxonomy ID here.
- id: motif:6
label: world-ranging aerial journey to the west
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
- departure
basis: Perseus flies over the whole world through the sky and stops at the western
part of the world near Atlas's kingdom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage includes aerial travel but not a full quest structure within
this excerpt.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 7245-7252
quote_or_summary: Perseus is carried by fitful winds through boundless space, looks
down from the sky, flies over the whole world, and repeatedly sees constellations
and directions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 7252-7256
quote_or_summary: As day declines, he stops in the western part of the world, in
Atlas's kingdom, seeking rest until Lucifer and Aurora bring the day.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: 7256-7258
quote_or_summary: "“Here was Atlas, the son of Iapetus, surpassing all men in the
vastness of his body.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt from provided passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 7258-7261
quote_or_summary: Atlas's realm is at the extremity of the earth, beside the sea
that receives the Sun's horses and chariot.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 7261-7263
quote_or_summary: Atlas has a thousand flocks and as many herds, and no neighboring
places disturb the land.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: 7263-7265
quote_or_summary: "“Leaves of the trees, shining with radiant gold, covered branches
of gold, {and} apples of gold.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt from provided passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 7265-7270
quote_or_summary: Perseus tells Atlas that Jupiter is the author of his descent,
that his exploits are worthy of admiration, and that he asks for hospitality and
rest.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: 7270-7274
quote_or_summary: "“A time will come, Atlas, when thy tree shall be stripped of
its gold, and a son of Jove shall have the honor of the prize.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt from provided passage.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 7274-7277
quote_or_summary: Fearing the oracle, Atlas encloses his orchard with solid walls,
sets a huge dragon to guard it, and expels all strangers from his territories.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 7277-7282
quote_or_summary: Atlas orders Perseus to leave, denies the protection of his claimed
exploits and Jupiter, adds violence to threats, and tries to drive him away.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 7282-7286
quote_or_summary: Perseus, weaker than Atlas, says his friendship has little value
and, turning his own face away, exposes Medusa's horrible features on his left
side.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 7286-7291
quote_or_summary: 'Atlas becomes a mountain: beard and hair become woods, shoulders
and hands become ridges, head becomes the summit, and bones become stones.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:13
type: quote
locator: 7291-7293
quote_or_summary: "“the whole heaven, with so many stars, rests upon him.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt from provided passage.
- id: ev:14
type: quote
locator: 7294-7295
quote_or_summary: "“The name of the dragon was Ladon.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt from provided footnote.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strongly supported by the provided passage. Motif taxonomy
assignments are cautious because the taxonomy categories do not always map exactly
to the passage's specific Ovidian episode. No comparison claims are made because
the passage itself does not explicitly compare this episode to another corpus
or tradition.
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 supplied passage and metadata. Footnote 76 is treated as evidence for the dragon's name.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-1-7-riley-gutenberg__l7245-l7295
passage_sha256=a535518c9341df8df3c117116c7de0953f64fbe76a297fd41d90e736105c3e2e