batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l4951-l5033
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l4951-l5033
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 4951-5033
start: '4951'
end: '5033'
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: Cinyras asks Myrrha which suitor she wants for a husband, and she answers
that she wants one like him. At midnight, torn by shame and desire, she prepares
to hang herself, but her nurse intervenes. The nurse questions her, suggests possible
remedies for passion, magic, divine anger, or grief, and eventually understands
that Myrrha’s desire is directed toward her father. Horrified, the nurse first
tries to dissuade her, but then promises under oath to help her live and obtain
the beloved.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Cinyras asks Myrrha which husband she would choose from among her suitors.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Myrrha is silent, tearful, and confused while looking at her father.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: When asked what sort of husband she wants, Myrrha says she wants one like
Cinyras.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: At midnight, Myrrha remains awake and is described as consumed by an unconquerable
flame and wild desires.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Myrrha’s wavering mind is compared to a large tree wounded by an axe and uncertain
which way to fall.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Myrrha decides on death, ties her girdle to the door-post, and puts a noose
around her neck.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The nurse hears Myrrha, enters, sees the instruments of attempted death, removes
the girdle from her neck, and tears it apart.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The nurse asks Myrrha to reveal the cause of her grief and invokes her cradle
and first nourishment.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The nurse proposes remedies involving charms and herbs, magic rites, or sacrifice,
depending on the cause of Myrrha’s suffering.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Myrrha sighs deeply when the nurse mentions her father.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The nurse infers that Myrrha is in love and promises that her father will
not know.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Myrrha calls the matter that the nurse seeks to know impious.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: Myrrha says, “O, mother, happy in thy husband,” and the nurse understands
the meaning.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: The nurse is horrified, attempts to drive away the passion, and then promises
that Myrrha will enjoy the beloved, stopping before saying “parent.”
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Myrrha
description: Virgin daughter of Cinyras, troubled by desire for her father and by
shame; she attempts to hang herself and later confesses indirectly to her nurse.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Cinyras
description: Father of Myrrha who asks her which suitor she would choose and does
not understand her answer as referring to himself.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: nurse
description: Old nurse and foster-caregiver who hears Myrrha, prevents her hanging,
questions her, and eventually promises assistance.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: suitors
description: An honorable crowd of suitors whose names Cinyras repeats to Myrrha.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: mother of Myrrha
description: Myrrha refers to her mother as happy in her husband; the mother is
also mentioned as still living.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: daughter in forbidden desire
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Myrrha is Cinyras’s daughter and reveals, indirectly, desire connected to
him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: father and unintended beloved
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Cinyras is Myrrha’s father; her answer and later signs identify him as the
object of her desire, though he does not understand this.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: would-be suicide
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Myrrha prepares a noose and intends to hang herself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: nurse and foster-caregiver
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The old woman is called her nurse and refers to Myrrha’s cradle and first
nourishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: intervener and confidante
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The nurse prevents the hanging, presses Myrrha for the secret, and promises
help.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: potential husbands
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The suitors are named as possible husbands for Myrrha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:7
label: wife of Cinyras
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Myrrha refers to her mother as happy in her husband, signaling the mother’s
marital relation to Cinyras.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: unconquerable flame
literal_form: flame image describing Myrrha’s passion
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: wounded tree wavering before falling
literal_form: huge tree wounded by an axe and uncertain which way to fall
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: halter or noose
literal_form: girdle tied to the door-post and fitted around Myrrha’s neck
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: charms, herbs, magic rites, and sacrifice
literal_form: possible remedies named by the nurse
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: cradle and first nourishment
literal_form: nurse’s appeal by Myrrha’s cradle and first nourishment
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Father asks daughter to choose a husband
summary: Cinyras lists suitors and asks Myrrha which husband she wants. She weeps,
receives his comforting kisses, and says she wants one like him; he praises the
answer without understanding it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Midnight inner conflict and attempted hanging
summary: At midnight Myrrha remains awake, wavering between shame, desire, and despair.
Her mind is compared to a wounded tree, and she prepares a noose with her girdle
at the door-post.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Nurse prevents the death attempt
summary: The nurse hears Myrrha’s words, enters, removes the girdle from her neck,
destroys it, embraces her, and asks the cause of the attempted death.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Nurse seeks the hidden cause
summary: The nurse offers possible explanations and remedies, including passion,
spells, divine anger, herbs, magic rites, and sacrifice. She eventually understands
that Myrrha is in love.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Indirect confession and promise
summary: Myrrha says the matter is impious and indirectly identifies her father
by praising her mother’s married state. The nurse is horrified, tries to dissuade
her, then promises under oath to help.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: forbidden desire for a parent
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage establishes that Myrrha’s grief and desire are directed toward
her father and are described as unlawful or impious.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not name a taxonomy family for incestuous desire; no
taxonomy reference is assigned.
- id: motif:2
label: attempted suicide interrupted by caregiver
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Myrrha prepares to hang herself, but the nurse enters, removes the girdle
from her neck, and tears it apart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level narrative pattern rather than one of the supplied
taxonomy motif families.
- id: motif:3
label: confession extracted by nurse-confidante
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The nurse repeatedly questions Myrrha, threatens disclosure of the suicide
attempt, offers assistance, and eventually understands the secret through Myrrha’s
indirect speech.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The confession remains indirect; Myrrha does not plainly state the full
relation in the quoted speech.
- id: motif:4
label: ritual and magical remedies proposed for hidden suffering
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The nurse suggests charms, herbs, magic rites, and sacrifice as possible
remedies for passion, spells, or divine anger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: These remedies are proposed hypothetically and are not performed in the
passage.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 4951-4964
quote_or_summary: Cinyras, uncertain among suitors, asks Myrrha which husband she
wants; she weeps, is kissed by him, and answers that she wants one like him, while
he does not understand the answer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 4965-4977
quote_or_summary: At midnight Myrrha is awake, consumed by an unconquerable flame
and wild desires; her wavering mind is compared to a huge tree wounded by an axe
and uncertain which way to fall.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 4977-4982
quote_or_summary: Myrrha decides death is preferable, ties her girdle to the top
of the door-post, bids Cinyras farewell, and places the noose on her pale neck.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 4983-4995
quote_or_summary: The nurse hears Myrrha, enters, sees the signs of the intended
death, cries out, removes and tears the girdle, embraces Myrrha, and asks the
cause of the halter, invoking cradle and first nourishment.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 4996-5007
quote_or_summary: 'The nurse offers help and names possible remedies: charms and
herbs for frantic passion, magic rites for spells, and sacrifice for divine anger;
she also notes that Myrrha’s parents are alive.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 5008-5018
quote_or_summary: Myrrha sighs deeply at mention of her father. The nurse suspects
love, embraces her, says she understands Myrrha is in love, and promises her father
will not know.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 5019-5029
quote_or_summary: Myrrha pulls away, calls the secret impious, weeps, struggles
to confess, covers her blushing face, and says her mother is happy in her husband;
the nurse understands and is horrified.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 5029-5033
quote_or_summary: The nurse tries to drive away the dreadful passion, but Myrrha
is resolved to die unless she enjoys the one she loves. The nurse then says Myrrha
shall enjoy him, stops before saying parent, and confirms the promise with an
oath.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Figures, actions, and scenes are directly supported by the supplied passage.
Motif labels are descriptive and passage-level; no external comparison claims
were added.
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: |-
No comparison claims were included because the passage itself does not support a specific cross-textual or historical comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg__l4951-l5033
passage_sha256=2c5d0c98fc5439a7c79e48ed931389a34e52415c7f31574e24c1f44a8bc77b2a