batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l8770-l8858
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l8770-l8858
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / BOOK THE THIRTEENTH.; lines
8770-8858
start: '8770'
end: '8858'
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: Ulysses answers accusations in the contest for the arms, defending his
conduct in the cases of Palamedes and Philoctetes. He lists stratagems useful
to the Greek cause, including the capture of a Trojan prophet and the removal
of Minerva's hidden statue from Troy. He argues that wisdom and planning surpass
bodily force, appeals to the chiefs for the arms, and displays the statue. The
chiefs award him the arms. Ajax, overcome by anger and grief, takes his own sword
and declares that only Ajax shall conquer Ajax.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Ulysses says Palamedes could not defend himself against a manifest charge,
and that the Greeks witnessed the evidence.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Ulysses says Philoctetes remains on Lemnos, that he advised Philoctetes to
withdraw from war and voyage to rest his pains, and that the Greeks consented.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Ulysses says the prophets demand Philoctetes for the destruction of Troy,
and he promises to attempt to bring Philoctetes back.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Ulysses says he became possessor of Philoctetes' arrows, captured the Dardanian
prophet, and revealed divine answers and the fates of Troy.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Ulysses says he carried off the hidden statue of Phrygian Minerva from the
enemy, and that Troy could not be captured without that statue.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Ulysses describes entering Troy by night through guards and swords, reaching
the highest towers, tearing the Goddess from her shrine, and bearing her off among
the enemy.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Ulysses contrasts Ajax's bodily strength with his own foresight, mind, and
judgment about the proper time for fighting.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Ulysses asks the chieftains to grant him the arms as compensation for years
of anxiety and service.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: Ulysses reveals the fatal statue of Minerva before the chieftains.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The chiefs are moved, and Ulysses receives the arms of a brave man.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Ajax, unable to withstand his own wrath and grief, seizes his sword and says
he will use it against himself.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ulysses
description: Speaker who defends his actions, claims wisdom and service, recounts
stealthy deeds, displays Minerva's statue, and receives the arms.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ajax, son of Telamon
description: Rival claimant contrasted with Ulysses; after the judgment he is overcome
by anger and grief and turns his sword against himself.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Philoctetes, son of Poeas
description: Warrior remaining on Lemnos, afflicted by pains, desired by prophets
for the destruction of Troy, and associated with arrows.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Palamedes, son of Nauplius
description: Condemned figure whom Ulysses says could not defend himself against
a great and manifest crime.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Greek chieftains
description: Collective audience and judges who are moved by Ulysses' speech and
award him the arms.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Minerva
description: Goddess represented by the hidden Phrygian statue taken from her shrine
inside Troy.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Dardanian prophet
description: Trojan prophet captured by Ulysses, after which Ulysses says he revealed
divine answers and the fates of Troy.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: speaker and claimant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ulysses addresses the chiefs, defends himself, and asks for the reward of
the arms.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: rival claimant and defeated warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Ajax is contrasted with Ulysses and fails to receive the arms.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: strategist and sacred-object thief
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ulysses recounts entering Troy and removing Minerva's hidden statue from
her shrine.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: alienated but necessary warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Philoctetes is angry and diseased, yet prophets demand him for Troy's destruction
and Ulysses promises to bring him back.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: condemned accused man
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Ulysses says Palamedes was charged and condemned on evidence witnessed by
the Greeks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: winner of the arms
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The chiefs are moved and the fluent man receives the arms.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: self-slain warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Ajax seizes his own sword and says he will use it against himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: judging assembly
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The chiefs are addressed for the award and are moved by Ulysses' eloquence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: deity represented by captured statue
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The passage identifies a hidden statue of Phrygian Minerva and the Goddess
torn from her shrine.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: captured revealer of divine fates
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Ulysses says he took the Dardanian prophet prisoner and revealed the answers
of the Deities and the fates of Troy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: hidden statue of Minerva
literal_form: The hidden statue of the Phrygian Minerva, also called the fatal statue,
taken from Troy and revealed before the chiefs.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: Philoctetes' arrows
literal_form: Arrows associated with Philoctetes, which Ulysses says he will possess.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: contested arms
literal_form: The arms awarded by the chiefs to Ulysses after his speech.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: Ajax's sword
literal_form: Ajax's own sword, formerly wet with Phrygian blood, which he says
he will use against himself.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: night infiltration
literal_form: The night through which Ulysses enters Troy past guards and swords
to reach the shrine.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: ship guide and rower comparison
literal_form: Ulysses compares his superiority to Ajax to the guide of a bark being
superior to a rower.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Defense concerning Palamedes and Philoctetes
summary: Ulysses answers blame for Palamedes' condemnation and for advising the
afflicted Philoctetes to remain away from war, while asserting that Philoctetes
is now required for Troy's destruction.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Catalogue of stealthy services against Troy
summary: Ulysses recounts capturing the Dardanian prophet, obtaining divine answers
and the fates of Troy, and carrying off the hidden statue of Minerva from within
the enemy city.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Wisdom set above bodily force
summary: Ulysses argues that Ajax has strength without intelligence, while Ulysses
serves by counsel, timing, foresight, and mind.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Appeal for the arms and display of Minerva's statue
summary: Ulysses asks the chieftains to reward his long service, invokes hopes for
Troy's fall and the gods taken from the enemy, and reveals the statue of Minerva.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Award and Ajax's self-directed violence
summary: The chiefs are moved by Ulysses' eloquence and award him the arms; Ajax
is overcome by wrath and grief, seizes his own sword, and declares that he will
turn it against himself.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Theft of a protective sacred image as prerequisite for conquest
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_theft
basis: Ulysses says Troy could not be captured without Minerva's hidden statue,
and recounts removing the Goddess from her shrine inside Troy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the removal as a military stratagem and fated condition;
broader cultic meaning is not elaborated here.
- id: motif:2
label: Wisdom and strategy surpassing bodily strength
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Ulysses explicitly contrasts Ajax's strength and fighting ability with his
own mind, foresight, and command of timing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is stated in partisan forensic speech by Ulysses, not as a neutral
narrator's maxim alone.
- id: motif:3
label: Return of an alienated necessary warrior
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: Philoctetes is angry, diseased, and absent on Lemnos, yet prophets demand
him for Troy's destruction and Ulysses promises to bring him back.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage anticipates the recovery of Philoctetes but does not narrate
the actual return.
- id: motif:4
label: Fatal loss of honor leading to self-destruction
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After losing the arms to Ulysses, Ajax is overcome by wrath and grief, seizes
his sword, and declares he will use it against himself so that only Ajax may conquer
Ajax.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The excerpt stops at Ajax's declaration and does not include the completed
death within the provided lines.
- id: motif:5
label: Fated tokens and persons required before a city can fall
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ulysses states that prophets require Philoctetes for Troy's destruction and
that the Fates would not allow Troy to be captured without Minerva's statue.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: This groups two prerequisites stated in the speech; the passage does not
present a full systematic list of all conditions.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 8770-8778
quote_or_summary: Ulysses says Palamedes, son of Nauplius, could not defend a manifest
charge, and that the Greeks witnessed both the charges and the bribe.
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 8778-8799
quote_or_summary: Ulysses says Philoctetes remains on Lemnos; he advised rest from
war and voyage; prophets require Philoctetes for Troy's destruction; Ulysses says
he will attempt to bring him back and obtain his arrows.
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 8799-8803
quote_or_summary: Ulysses says he captured the Dardanian prophet and revealed divine
answers and the fates of Troy.
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 8803-8810
quote_or_summary: Ulysses says he carried off the hidden statue of Phrygian Minerva;
he adds that the Fates would not allow Troy to be captured without that statue.
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 8810-8816
quote_or_summary: Ulysses asks why he dared to pass the guards at night, enter Troy's
walls and towers, tear the Goddess from her shrine, and bear her off among the
enemy.
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 8821-8843
quote_or_summary: Ulysses says Ajax has strength without intelligence, while he
has care for the future; he compares mind over hands to a bark's guide over a
rower and a general over a soldier.
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 8844-8854
quote_or_summary: Ulysses asks the chieftains to reward his watchful service and,
invoking common hopes, doomed Trojan walls, and gods taken from the enemy, reveals
the fatal statue of Minerva.
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 8855-8857
quote_or_summary: The chiefs are moved; the narration says what eloquence can do,
and the fluent man receives the arms of a brave one.
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 8857-8858 and following sentence in supplied passage
quote_or_summary: Ajax, who had often resisted Hector, sword, flames, and Jove,
cannot withstand his own wrath; grief conquers him, he seizes his sword, and says
he will use it against himself.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Passage is explicit about principal actions, symbols, and rhetorical contrasts.
Motif labels are candidate abstractions from the passage and should be reviewed,
especially where the episode is only anticipated rather than completed.
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 added because the passage itself does not explicitly compare these events to external traditions or motif families beyond its internal Trojan-cycle references.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg__l8770-l8858
passage_sha256=0a7c9ecc2e4b86af3e111c580ef8a8c637700c7d7e4df395a9db6c5ddb55b17b