batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l10620-l10708
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l10620-l10708
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK THE FOURTEENTH. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines
10620-10708
start: '10620'
end: '10708'
translation: The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books VIII-XV
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The commentary discusses ancient Sibyls, their alleged prophetic verses,
their use by Christian authors, ancient lists of multiple Sibyls, Ovid's treatment
of the Sibyls as one long-lived figure favored by Apollo, Roman custody and consultation
of Sibylline books, and the story in which an aged woman sells prophetic books
to Tarquinius after burning some of them.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage says early Christian writers, including Justin, Constantine, and
Augustine, used or quoted Sibylline verses in connection with Christian claims.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage describes Sibyls as women who, in frenzied enthusiasm, uttered
obscure sentences that were treated as predictions by those consulting them.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Virgil and Ovid are said to represent Aeneas as going to the cave of the Cumaean
Sibyl to learn the outcome of future wars.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The passage reports variant ancient traditions about the number, names, and
localities of the Sibyls.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The commentary says Ovid represents the various Sibyls as the same person
and explains her long existence by Apollo granting her a life lasting many ages.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The Romans are said to have possessed verses attributed to the Sibyls and
to have consulted them during public calamities.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The Sibylline books are described as kept in a stone chest beneath the temple
of Jupiter Capitolinus.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: An aged woman is said to have offered Sibylline books to Tarquinius Superbus,
burned some after refusals, and eventually sold the remaining books for the original
price.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Sibyls
description: Ancient women associated with frenzied prophetic utterance and obscure
sentences treated as predictions.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Cumaean Sibyl / Deiphobe
description: The Sibyl connected with Cumae and named Deiphobe in the passage's
list; represented as consulted by Aeneas.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Aeneas
description: A hero represented by Virgil and Ovid as going to the Cumaean Sibyl's
cave to learn about future wars.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Apollo
description: The deity said to have granted the Sibyl a life lasting many ages in
Ovid's explanation.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Roman keepers of the Sibylline books
description: Officers and later colleges assigned to keep and consult the Sibylline
books for the Roman state.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Tarquinius Superbus
description: The Roman king to whom an aged woman presented Sibylline books for
purchase.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Aged woman
description: A woman who presented Sibylline books to Tarquinius, burned books after
refusals, and demanded the original price for the remaining books.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: prophetic woman / oracle-giver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The passage describes Sibyls as women whose obscure utterances passed for
predictions and says the Cumaean Sibyl was consulted by Aeneas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: seeker of prophecy
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Aeneas is represented as going to the Sibyl's cave to learn the success of
wars.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: divine granter of extended life
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Apollo is said to have granted the Sibyl a life lasting many ages.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: state guardians and consultants of sacred books
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The officers' business was to keep the Sibylline books and inspect them during
public calamity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: royal purchaser of prophetic books
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Tarquinius is said to have bought the remaining Sibylline books after the
aged woman's repeated demands and burnings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: seller and destroyer of prophetic books
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The aged woman offered the books for sale and burned some of them after refusals.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Sibyl's cave
literal_form: cave of the Cumaean Sibyl
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- cave
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Sibylline books
literal_form: books or verses containing oracles attributed to the Sibyls
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: burning of books
literal_form: the aged woman burning offered Sibylline books after refusal
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: stone chest beneath temple
literal_form: stone chest beneath the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: many-ages lifespan
literal_form: a life to last for many ages
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Aeneas consults the Cumaean Sibyl
summary: Aeneas is represented as going to the Sibyl's cave to learn the expected
outcome of his wars.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Multiple Sibyl traditions enumerated
summary: The passage lists different ancient accounts of one, two, three, or ten
Sibyls, with names and places, and then states that Ovid treats them as one long-lived
figure.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Roman custody and consultation of Sibylline books
summary: Roman officials keep Sibylline books, consult them during public calamity,
report to the Senate, and store them beneath Jupiter Capitolinus's temple.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Aged woman sells the Sibylline books
summary: An aged woman offers books of Sibylline oracles to Tarquinius, burns some
after his refusals, and finally sells the remaining books for the original price.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: oracular wisdom in obscure speech
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage centers on Sibyls whose obscure utterances are treated as predictions,
on Sibylline verses, and on state consultation of prophetic books.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is explanatory commentary rather than a full mythic narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: quest for prophetic knowledge at a cave oracle
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
- wisdom
basis: Aeneas is said to go to the cave of the Cumaean Sibyl to learn the outcome
of future wars.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage only summarizes the consultation and does not narrate the
full episode.
- id: motif:3
label: sacred exchange of prophetic books
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- wisdom
basis: The aged woman demands payment for books containing Sibylline oracles; after
destroying some, she obtains the same original price for the remainder.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The sacred status of the books is inferred from their contents and later
public use; the passage frames the story as reported by ancient writers.
- id: motif:4
label: divinely extended prophetic lifespan
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The commentary states that Ovid explains the Sibyl's prolonged existence
by Apollo granting her life for many ages.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: No available taxonomy reference exactly matches extended life granted
by a god.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly treats multiple regional Sibyl traditions as consolidated
in Ovid into one long-lived Sibyl figure.
claim_level: same_function
target: Delphian, Erythraean, Cumaean, Samian, Hellespontine, Libyan, Persian or
Babylonian, Phrygian, and Tiburtine Sibyl traditions
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The claim is based on the commentator's summary of Ovid and ancient
catalogues, not on a direct quotation from Ovid's narrative.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage notes a later Christian use of Sibylline verses as prophetic
support while also reporting later judgments that many such verses were spurious
or interpolated.
claim_level: same_function
target: Christian apologetic use of Sibylline prophecy
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
limitations: This is a reception-history comparison within the commentary, not a
mythic parallel asserted by the ancient narrative itself.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 10620-10629
quote_or_summary: Early church authors and Constantine are said to have used or
quoted Sibylline verses in support of Christianity, though authorship was doubted.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg text; Riley translation.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 10642-10646
quote_or_summary: Certain ancient women are described as uttering obscure sentences
in a frenzied enthusiasm, which credulous consultants treated as predictions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg text; Riley translation.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 10646-10649
quote_or_summary: Virgil and Ovid are said to represent Aeneas as going to the Cumaean
Sibyl's cave to learn the success of future wars.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg text; Riley translation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 10649-10682
quote_or_summary: The passage cites ancient writers who give differing numbers,
names, and locations for Sibyls, including lists from one Sibyl up to Varro's
ten.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg text; Riley translation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 10682-10686
quote_or_summary: The commentary says Ovid represents the various Sibyls as the
same person and explains her long existence by Apollo granting her life for many
ages.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg text; Riley translation.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 10687-10699
quote_or_summary: Romans are said to have had verses attributed to Sibyls, consulted
them during public calamities, assigned official keepers, and stored the books
in a stone chest beneath Jupiter Capitolinus's temple.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg text; Riley translation.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 10700-10708
quote_or_summary: Ancient writers are said to report that an aged woman offered
Sibylline books to Tarquinius, burned books after refusals, and finally sold the
remaining books for the original price; Pliny and Solinus give a variant with
three original books and two destroyed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg text; Riley translation.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 10631-10640
quote_or_summary: Castalio defended the truth of the Sibylline oracles while admitting
interpolation; other writers judged them spurious and pious frauds, described
as the general opinion of the commentator's day.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain Project Gutenberg text; Riley translation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is commentary and reception history rather than Ovidian narrative;
extraction therefore emphasizes explicit reported traditions and avoids unsupported
mythic reconstruction.
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. Taxonomy references were limited to the provided lists.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg__l10620-l10708
passage_sha256=c9a6a201a9bb7c19a9bc2da9e015569400e223387fc8e2c64bc79df520677e50