batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l1330-l1459
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l1330-l1459
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK THE EIGHTH. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 1330-1459
start: '1330'
end: '1459'
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 passage consists of explanatory footnotes identifying mythological
figures, genealogies, variant traditions, and ritual terms connected with Ovid’s
account of the Calydonian boar hunt and Meleager. It includes notes on heroic
participants, Atalanta, Amphiaraus, Meleager’s family, funeral rites, and offerings
to the dead.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Several footnotes identify named heroic figures by parentage, homeland, or
later mythological association.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: obs:2
text: Iolaüs is described as aiding Hercules in slaying the Hydra.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Hippocoön is said to have sent four sons to hunt the Calydonian boar; one
was killed by the monster, and the others with their father were later slain by
Hercules.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:4
text: Amphiaraüs is described as foreseeing that he would not return from the Theban
war, hiding himself, being betrayed by his wife after a bribe, and being swallowed
up in the earth with his chariot.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:5
text: Atalanta is identified as daughter of Iasius and native of Tegeæa; the note
also says some considered her distinct from another swift-running Atalanta mentioned
elsewhere.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:6
text: A funeral pile is described as an altar-like structure with four equal sides.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:7
text: The Eumenides are explained as a euphemistic name for the Furies.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:8
text: The inferiæ are described as sacrifices offered to the shades of the dead,
including wine, milk, garlands, and victims.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:9
text: The notes report variant traditions about Meleager’s wife’s name and about
the death of the woman described as piercing her entrails.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Iolaüs
description: Bœotian son of Iphiclus who aided Hercules against the Hydra.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Hercules
description: Hero associated in the notes with slaying the Hydra and later killing
Hippocoön and his remaining sons.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Hydra
description: Monster slain by Hercules with Iolaüs’ aid.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Hippocoön
description: Son of Amycus who sent four sons to hunt the Calydonian boar and was
later slain by Hercules.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Hippocoön’s four sons
description: Enæsimus, Alcon, Amycus, and Dexippus; sent to hunt the Calydonian
boar, with Enæsimus killed by the monster.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Calydonian boar
description: Monster hunted by Hippocoön’s sons; it killed Enæsimus according to
the note.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Amphiaraüs
description: Descendant of Œclus with prophetic power; he hid to avoid the Theban
war and was swallowed by the earth with his chariot.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Eriphyle
description: Wife of Amphiaraüs who, after being bribed with a gold necklace by
Adrastus, betrayed his hiding-place.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Adrastus
description: Person who bribed Eriphyle with a gold necklace to reveal Amphiaraüs’
hiding-place.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Atalanta
description: Daughter of Iasius and native of Tegeæa; noted in relation to variant
identification with another swift-running Atalanta.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Mopsus
description: Son of Ampycus, described as a famous soothsayer and priest of Apollo.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:12
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Meleager
description: Central figure referenced through notes on his wife, father, sisters,
and related deaths.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Œneus
description: Father of Meleager; the note says he had other sons besides Meleager.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Wife of Meleager
description: Named Cleopatra by Antoninus Liberalis, Alcyone by Hyginus, with Homer
reconciling the discrepancy.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Shades of the dead
description: Departed souls receiving inferiæ, including wine, milk, garlands, and
sacrificial victims.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: heroic monster-slayer or helper
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: Iolaüs aided Hercules in slaying the Hydra.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: monster opponent
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:6
basis: The Hydra is slain by Hercules and Iolaüs; the Calydonian boar kills one
of Hippocoön’s sons during the hunt.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: boar-hunt sender or participant
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: Hippocoön sent his four sons to hunt the Calydonian boar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: doomed prophet
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Amphiaraüs foresaw his death if he joined the Theban war and hid himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: betraying spouse
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Eriphyle betrayed Amphiaraüs’ hiding-place after receiving a bribe.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: briber
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Adrastus bribed Eriphyle with a gold necklace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: female hunter or heroic woman
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Atalanta is identified in the notes among the figures connected with the
episode; another note says she slew Hyleus and Rhœtus in a separate tradition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:14
- id: role:8
label: seer-priest
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Mopsus is called a famous soothsayer and a priest of Apollo.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:12
- id: role:9
label: Meleager-cycle figure
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: Multiple notes refer to Meleager’s wife, father, sisters, and related events.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
- id: role:10
label: father of Meleager
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Œneus is identified as having sons besides Meleager.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: role:11
label: variantly named spouse
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: The note gives variant names for Meleager’s wife in different authors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:12
label: ritual recipients
assigned_to:
- fig:15
basis: The departed are described as receiving offerings and sacrifices.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Hydra
literal_form: Monster slain by Hercules with Iolaüs’ aid.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: Calydonian boar
literal_form: Monster hunted by Hippocoön’s sons and killer of Enæsimus.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: gold necklace
literal_form: Bribe given to Eriphyle by Adrastus to reveal Amphiaraüs’ hiding-place.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: earth swallowing the prophet
literal_form: The earth swallows Amphiaraüs together with his chariot.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: funeral pile as altar
literal_form: A funeral pile built in the form of an altar with four equal sides.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: milk offering
literal_form: Milk presented to departed souls as part of offerings to the dead.
associated_figures:
- fig:15
taxonomy_refs:
- milk
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: wine, garlands, and sacrificial victims
literal_form: Items offered to the shades of the dead in Roman funerary practice
described by the note.
associated_figures:
- fig:15
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Heroic and genealogical identifications
summary: The notes identify multiple mythological figures by parentage, homeland,
heroic deeds, or later associations, including Admetus, Iolaüs, Echion, Nestor,
Laërtes, and Mopsus.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Calydonian boar-hunt note
summary: Hippocoön sends his four sons to the Calydonian boar hunt; one is killed
by the boar, and the others with Hippocoön are later killed by Hercules.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Betrayal and earth-swallowing of Amphiaraüs
summary: Amphiaraüs foresees that he will die if he joins the Theban war, hides,
is betrayed by his wife after a necklace bribe, and is swallowed by the earth
with his chariot.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Funerary ritual explanations
summary: The notes explain the funeral pile as altar-like and define inferiæ as
offerings and sacrifices made to the shades of the dead.
figure_refs:
- fig:15
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: scene:5
label: Variant traditions concerning Meleager’s family
summary: The notes preserve variant traditions about Meleager’s wife’s name, his
father’s other sons, and a differing account of a woman’s death.
figure_refs:
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: heroic monster hunt
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage references Iolaüs helping Hercules slay the Hydra and Hippocoön
sending sons to hunt the Calydonian boar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is explanatory footnote material rather than a continuous
narrative scene.
- id: motif:2
label: prophetic doom, betrayal, and engulfment by earth
taxonomy_refs:
- hero_descent
basis: Amphiaraüs foresees his death, hides, is betrayed through a bribe, and is
swallowed into the earth with his chariot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is tentative because the descent is an involuntary
engulfment rather than a deliberate underworld journey.
- id: motif:3
label: offerings and sacrifice to the dead
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The note defines inferiæ as sacrifices offered to the shades of the dead,
including wine, milk, garlands, and victims.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage describes ritual practice in a note, not a narrated sacrificial
episode.
- id: motif:4
label: variantly named spouse in heroic tradition
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Different ancient authorities are cited for the name of Meleager’s wife,
with Homer said to reconcile the discrepancy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a textual-tradition pattern rather than a mythic action motif.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The note explicitly reports variant ancient accounts for the name of Meleager’s
wife: Antoninus Liberalis calls her Cleopatra, Hyginus calls her Alcyone, and
Homer is said to reconcile the discrepancy.'
claim_level: same_function
target: variant ancient traditions about Meleager’s wife
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The claim is limited to the variation reported in this footnote and
does not establish historical dependence among the sources.
- id: claim:2
claim: The note explicitly contrasts Ovid’s account of a woman piercing her entrails
with Hyginus’ version in which she hanged herself.
claim_level: same_function
target: variant ancient accounts of the same death episode
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage does not name the woman in the footnote excerpt itself
and gives only a brief comparison.
- id: claim:3
claim: The note reports that an episode told here of Nestor is attributed by one
Homeric commentator to Thersites.
claim_level: same_function
target: variant attribution of an episode involving Nestor or Thersites
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The underlying episode is not narrated in this passage; only the commentator’s
attribution is summarized.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1333-1335, Footnote 45
quote_or_summary: Iolaüs, son of Iphiclus, is described as aiding Hercules in slaying
the Hydra.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1358-1360, Footnote 57
quote_or_summary: Mopsus, son of Ampycus, is called a famous soothsayer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1330-1357, Footnotes 44-56
quote_or_summary: Footnotes identify figures including Admetus, Eurytion, Echion,
Lelex, Panopeus, Hyleus, Hippasus, Nestor, Laërtes, and Ancæus by parentage, origin,
or mythological connection.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1344-1348, Footnote 53
quote_or_summary: Hippocoön sent four sons to hunt the Calydonian boar; Enæsimus
was killed by the monster, and the others with Hippocoön were later slain by Hercules.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1361-1368, Footnote 58
quote_or_summary: Amphiaraüs foresaw that he would not return from the Theban war,
hid himself, was betrayed by Eriphyle after Adrastus bribed her with a gold necklace,
and was swallowed by the earth with his chariot.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1369-1375, Footnote 59
quote_or_summary: Atalanta is identified as daughter of Iasius and native of Tegeæa;
some considered her different from the swift-running Atalanta mentioned in Book
10.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 1396-1399, Footnote 68
quote_or_summary: The sepulchral altar is explained as a funeral pile built in the
form of an altar with four equal sides.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 1400-1403, Footnote 69
quote_or_summary: The name Eumenides is explained as a euphemistic name for the
Furies.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 1404-1409, Footnote 70
quote_or_summary: Inferiæ are sacrifices to the shades of the dead; the note says
Romans offered wine, milk, garlands, and sacrificial victims to departed souls.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 1417-1423, Footnote 73
quote_or_summary: Antoninus Liberalis names Meleager’s wife Cleopatra; Hyginus names
her Alcyone; Homer is said to reconcile the discrepancy by explaining the double
naming.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 1427-1428, Footnote 75
quote_or_summary: A footnote says Hyginus gives hanging as the death, in contrast
to the referenced wording about piercing the entrails.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 1376-1377, Footnote 60
quote_or_summary: Mopsus is identified as a priest of Apollo.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 1410-1416 and 1429-1430, Footnotes 71 and 76
quote_or_summary: Œneus is described as having other sons besides Meleager; Parthaon
is identified as grandfather of Meleager and his sisters through Œneus.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 1339-1341, Footnote 50
quote_or_summary: According to Callimachus, Hyleus and Rhœtus were slain by Atalanta
after an attempt upon her virtue.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: lines 1382-1385, Footnote 63
quote_or_summary: A commentator on Homer attributes to Thersites what is here told
of Nestor.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is composed of editorial footnotes rather than direct mythic
narration, so motifs are extracted from summarized explanations and cited variant
traditions.
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 provided passage and metadata were used. No unsupported figures or taxonomy identifiers were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg__l1330-l1459
passage_sha256=789df32208a3eca94cf33c7fb4b45f80562926ec3f75d8954cf75890c9f282ef