batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l9133-l9233
---
record_id: batch.motif.roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg-l9133-l9233
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/roman/project-gutenberg/metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley.md
passage_locator:
label: EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / BOOK THE THIRTEENTH. / EXPLANATION.; lines
9133-9233
start: '9133'
end: '9233'
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 is a set of explanatory notes and a fable summary concerning
Ajax, Ulysses, Achilles, Polydorus, Hecuba, Polyxena, Polymnestor, and Memnon.
It reports variant traditions about Ajax's birth, invulnerability, dispute with
Ulysses, death, and burial; Achilles' concealment and offspring; Polydorus' substitution,
oracle, and revenge against Polymnestor; and the events in which Achilles' shade
demands Polyxena's sacrifice, Hecuba discovers Polydorus, blinds Polymnestor,
is transformed into a bitch, and Memnon's ashes become birds.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The notes describe Ajax Telamon and Ulysses as rival speakers whose characters
are contrasted.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Ancient writers disagree about the identity of Ajax Telamon's mother.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Hercules prays to Jupiter that Telamon may have a son with skin as impenetrable
as the Nemean lion's skin, and an eagle appears during the prayer.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Some authorities say Hercules covered the infant Ajax with the lion's skin,
making him invulnerable except at the spot beneath the hole made by Hercules'
arrow.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The passage reports a dispute between Ulysses and Ajax over either the Palladium
or, more generally, the armor of Achilles.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Ajax is said to have become distracted with grief and anger, attacked flocks
as though they were enemies, and stabbed himself with Hector's sword.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The passage reports variant locations and traditions for Ajax's tomb and burial
honors.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The passage says Achilles was, in one story, concealed by Thetis in female
apparel at the court of Lycomedes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: At Lycomedes' court, Achilles is said to have loved and married Deidamia,
who bore Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Polydorus is said to have been sent by Priam to Polymnestor in Thrace while
still in his cradle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: Ilione, distrusting Polymnestor, raised Polydorus as her own son and made
her own son Deiphylus pass for Polydorus.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Polymnestor, accepting a Greek proposal, is said to have killed his own son
Deiphylus unknowingly while intending to kill Polydorus.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: Polydorus consults an oracle, receives news that his father is dead and his
city is in ashes, and later learns the hidden truth from his sister.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: After learning the secret, Polydorus deprives Polymnestor of his sight.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:15
text: The shade of Achilles stops the Greeks in Thrace and requests that Polyxena
be sacrificed to his manes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:16
text: While fetching water to bathe Polyxena's body, Hecuba sees the corpse of her
son Polydorus.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:17
text: Hecuba tears out Polymnestor's eyes and is transformed into a bitch.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:18
text: Memnon, slain by Achilles, receives a magnificent funeral, and at Aurora's
prayer Jupiter transforms his ashes into birds called Memnonides.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ajax Telamon
description: A hero whose parentage, invulnerability, dispute with Ulysses, death,
and burial are discussed.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ulysses
description: Ajax's rival in the dispute over heroic objects and a figure awarded
the contested object in reported traditions.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Telamon
description: Friend of Hercules and father of Ajax in the traditions reported.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Hercules
description: Prays for Telamon's son and later covers Ajax with the Nemean lion's
skin in one account.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Jupiter
description: Divinity addressed in Hercules' prayer and later transformer of Memnon's
ashes.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Achilles
description: Hero whose armor is disputed, whose concealment is discussed, whose
shade demands Polyxena's sacrifice, and who slew Memnon.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Thetis
description: Mother who conceals Achilles in female apparel in the court of Lycomedes
in the reported story.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Lycomedes
description: Ruler at whose court Achilles is concealed and where Achilles marries
Deidamia.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Deidamia
description: Woman whom Achilles loves and marries at Lycomedes' court; mother of
Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus
description: Son of Achilles and Deidamia, present at the taking of Troy at an early
age.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Polydorus
description: Son sent by Priam to Polymnestor, protected by substitution, recipient
of an oracle, and avenger against Polymnestor.
role_refs:
- role:14
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Priam
description: Father who sends Polydorus to Polymnestor in Thrace.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Polymnestor
description: King of Thrace, husband of Ilione, killer of Deiphylus by mistake,
and later blinded by Polydorus or Hecuba in reported accounts.
role_refs:
- role:16
- role:17
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Ilione
description: Daughter of Priam and wife of Polymnestor who raises Polydorus as her
own and substitutes Deiphylus for him.
role_refs:
- role:10
- role:18
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Deiphylus
description: Son of Ilione and Polymnestor, made to pass as Polydorus and killed
unknowingly by Polymnestor.
role_refs:
- role:19
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:16
name_or_label: Electra
description: Offered by the Greeks to Polymnestor in marriage on condition that
he divorce Ilione and slay Polydorus.
role_refs:
- role:20
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:17
name_or_label: Polyxena
description: Requested by Achilles' shade as a sacrifice to his manes; her body
is to be bathed by Hecuba.
role_refs:
- role:21
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:18
name_or_label: Hecuba
description: Mother who fetches water for Polyxena's body, sees Polydorus' corpse,
blinds Polymnestor, and is transformed into a bitch.
role_refs:
- role:15
- role:22
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:19
name_or_label: Memnon
description: Slain by Achilles, honored with a funeral, and connected with ashes
transformed into birds.
role_refs:
- role:23
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:20
name_or_label: Aurora
description: Prays for Memnon, after which Jupiter transforms his ashes into birds.
role_refs:
- role:24
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: rival claimant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: Ajax and Ulysses are described as rivals, and each lays claim to the contested
object in the reported dispute.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: invulnerable hero with exception
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ajax is said to become invulnerable except for one spot under the lion-skin's
arrow-hole.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: self-killing dishonored hero
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ajax kills himself after losing the armor of Achilles and becoming distracted.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: successful claimant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The nobles or judges decide in favor of Ulysses in the dispute.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: father
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:12
basis: Telamon is the father for whom Hercules prays; Priam sends Polydorus away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: heroic intercessor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Hercules prays to Jupiter and acts upon Ajax with the lion's skin.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: divine responder and transformer
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Jupiter is invoked in the prayer for Ajax and later transforms Memnon's ashes
into birds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: hidden or disguised hero
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Achilles is said to have been concealed in female apparel by Thetis.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: dead hero demanding sacrifice
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Achilles' shade requests Polyxena's sacrifice to his manes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:10
label: protective female kin
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:14
basis: Thetis conceals Achilles; Ilione protects Polydorus by raising him as her
own.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: host ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Lycomedes' court is the place of Achilles' concealment and marriage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:12
label: beloved and mother
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Deidamia is loved and married by Achilles and bears Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:13
label: young warrior offspring
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus is present at Troy's taking at a very early age.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:14
label: substituted child survivor
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Polydorus is raised as Ilione's son while Deiphylus passes as Polydorus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:15
label: avenger
assigned_to:
- fig:11
- fig:18
basis: Polydorus blinds Polymnestor in one account; Hecuba tears out Polymnestor's
eyes in the fable summary.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:16
label: treacherous host or husband
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Polymnestor accepts a proposal to divorce Ilione and slay Polydorus, killing
Deiphylus unknowingly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:17
label: blinded wrongdoer
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Polymnestor is deprived of sight or has his eyes torn out.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:18
label: child-substitution agent
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: Ilione makes Deiphylus pass for Polydorus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:19
label: mistaken victim
assigned_to:
- fig:15
basis: Deiphylus is killed by his own father, who thinks he is killing Polydorus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:20
label: marriage inducement
assigned_to:
- fig:16
basis: Electra is offered in marriage to Polymnestor by the Greeks under conditions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:21
label: sacrificial victim
assigned_to:
- fig:17
basis: Achilles' shade requests that Polyxena be sacrificed to his manes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:22
label: transformed avenging mother
assigned_to:
- fig:18
basis: Hecuba discovers her son's corpse, blinds Polymnestor, and is transformed
into a bitch.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:23
label: funerary transformed dead
assigned_to:
- fig:19
basis: Memnon's ashes are transformed into birds after his funeral.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:24
label: praying divine mother
assigned_to:
- fig:20
basis: Aurora prays, and Jupiter transforms Memnon's ashes into birds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: eagle omen and name
literal_form: eagle seen during Hercules' prayer; associated with Ajax's name in
Greek
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: Nemean lion skin
literal_form: lion's skin used to make Ajax invulnerable except for one spot
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: vulnerable spot
literal_form: one place on Ajax's body beneath the hole made by Hercules' arrow
in the lion skin
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: contested Palladium
literal_form: Palladium claimed by both Ulysses and Ajax in one reported tradition
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: armor of Achilles
literal_form: armor of Achilles sought by Ajax and awarded to Ulysses in the more
general account
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:6
label: Hector's sword
literal_form: sword received from Hector with which Ajax stabs himself
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:7
label: female apparel disguise
literal_form: female clothing used in the concealment of Achilles
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:8
label: oracle message
literal_form: oracle telling Polydorus that his father was dead and his native city
reduced to ashes
associated_figures:
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:9
label: water for bathing the dead
literal_form: water Hecuba fetches to bathe Polyxena's body
associated_figures:
- fig:17
- fig:18
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:10
label: torn-out eyes
literal_form: Polymnestor's eyes torn out by Hecuba, or his sight taken by Polydorus
in another account
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:13
- fig:18
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:11
label: bitch transformation
literal_form: Hecuba transformed into a bitch
associated_figures:
- fig:18
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:12
label: ashes becoming birds
literal_form: Memnon's ashes transformed by Jupiter into birds called Memnonides
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:19
- fig:20
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ajax's auspicious and invulnerable birth tradition
summary: Hercules prays for Telamon to have a son with impenetrable skin, sees an
eagle, and in later accounts makes Ajax invulnerable with the Nemean lion's skin
except for one place.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Dispute, madness, and death of Ajax
summary: Ajax and Ulysses contend over the Palladium or Achilles' armor; the object
is awarded to Ulysses, and Ajax, overcome by grief, anger, and madness, kills
himself with Hector's sword.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Concealed Achilles at Lycomedes' court
summary: One tradition has Thetis conceal Achilles in female apparel at Lycomedes'
court, where Achilles loves and marries Deidamia and fathers Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Polydorus substitution and mistaken killing
summary: Priam sends Polydorus to Polymnestor; Ilione protects Polydorus by substituting
her own son Deiphylus, whom Polymnestor unknowingly kills when intending to kill
Polydorus.
figure_refs:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
- fig:15
- fig:16
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Oracle and blinding of Polymnestor
summary: Polydorus consults an oracle, misreads its report, learns the substitution
secret from his sister, and blinds Polymnestor.
figure_refs:
- fig:11
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Polyxena, Hecuba, and Polymnestor
summary: Achilles' shade demands Polyxena's sacrifice; Hecuba, while fetching water
to bathe Polyxena's body, discovers Polydorus' corpse, goes to Polymnestor, tears
out his eyes, and is transformed into a bitch.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:11
- fig:13
- fig:17
- fig:18
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
- sym:10
- sym:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:7
label: Memnon's funeral and bird transformation
summary: Memnon, slain by Achilles, receives a magnificent funeral; at Aurora's
prayer Jupiter transforms his ashes into birds.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:19
- fig:20
symbol_refs:
- sym:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: prayer-omen birth and limited invulnerability
taxonomy_refs:
- miraculous_child
basis: Hercules prays for Telamon's son, sees an eagle, and Ajax receives near-total
invulnerability through the lion skin in the reported tradition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is an explanatory note reporting later authorities, not the
main narrative itself.
- id: motif:2
label: rival claim to heroic object followed by self-destruction
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ajax and Ulysses dispute the Palladium or Achilles' armor; after Ulysses
receives it, Ajax becomes mad and kills himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches the contested heroic
object and suicide pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: hidden hero in female disguise
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
- initiation
basis: Achilles is concealed by Thetis in female apparel at Lycomedes' court before
later involvement in the Trojan War tradition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage notes that Homer may not have known this story; taxonomy mapping
is approximate.
- id: motif:4
label: child substitution and mistaken filicide
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ilione substitutes Deiphylus for Polydorus, leading Polymnestor to kill his
own son while intending to kill Polydorus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly covers child substitution or mistaken
killing of one's own child.
- id: motif:5
label: oracle message misread until hidden kinship is revealed
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Polydorus consults an oracle, thinks it has deceived him, then learns the
secret from his sister and acts against Polymnestor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage gives only a brief summary
of the oracle episode.
- id: motif:6
label: sacrifice to the dead hero's spirit
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The shade of Achilles requests that Polyxena be sacrificed to his manes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage summarizes the episode rather than narrating the sacrificial
act in detail.
- id: motif:7
label: avenging mother transformed into animal
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Hecuba discovers Polydorus' corpse, blinds Polymnestor, and is transformed
into a bitch.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The transformation is stated briefly without details of agent or process
in this passage.
- id: motif:8
label: ashes of the dead transformed into birds
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
- shapeshifter
basis: At Aurora's prayer, Jupiter transforms Memnon's ashes into birds called Memnonides.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a compressed summary; the transformation is of ashes
rather than a living body.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly states that the story of Polydorus is also related
in the third book of the Aeneid and told by Hyginus with variations.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Polydorus tradition in the Aeneid Book 3 and Hyginus
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage only summarizes the relationship and does not provide the
Aeneid or Hyginus texts for direct comparison.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage reports divergent ancient traditions about whether the Ajax-Ulysses
dispute concerned the Palladium or the armor of Achilles.
claim_level: same_function
target: Ajax and Ulysses contest traditions over Palladium and Achilles' armor
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: 'The disputed objects differ, so the claim is limited to a similar
narrative function: rival claim and adjudication.'
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage contrasts the Achilles concealment story with Homer's account
of Achilles' entry into the war, indicating variation within the Trojan-cycle
tradition.
claim_level: same_function
target: Achilles' recruitment or entry into the Trojan War in Homer and later concealment
tradition
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage itself says Homer probably knew nothing of the concealment
story, so this is a comparison of variant narrative routes rather than evidence
for a single shared episode.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 9133-9140
quote_or_summary: The explanation praises the speeches of Ajax Telamon and Ulysses
and the contrast sustained between the two rivals' characters.
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 9142-9159
quote_or_summary: Writers disagree about Ajax's mother; Hercules prays to Jupiter
for Telamon's son to have skin like the Nemean lion's, sees an eagle, and later
covers Ajax with the lion skin, making him invulnerable except at one spot.
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 9161-9184
quote_or_summary: Authorities report the Ajax-Ulysses dispute as concerning either
the Palladium or Achilles' armor; Ulysses wins, Ajax threatens or becomes mad,
attacks flocks, and stabs himself with Hector's sword; Homeric underworld resentment
is also noted.
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 9186-9193
quote_or_summary: The passage reports variant accounts of Ajax's burial place near
Sigaeum or Rhoeteum and mentions a tradition of denied funeral honor later softened
by Teucer's entreaties.
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 9195-9203
quote_or_summary: The passage discusses Achilles' concealment in female apparel
by Thetis at Lycomedes' court, contrasts it with Homer's account, and notes Achilles'
love and marriage with Deidamia and their son Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus.
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 9205-9223
quote_or_summary: The Polydorus story is said to appear in the Aeneid and Hyginus;
Priam sends Polydorus to Polymnestor, Ilione substitutes Deiphylus, Polymnestor
unknowingly kills Deiphylus, Polydorus hears an oracle, learns the secret, and
blinds Polymnestor.
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 9225-9230
quote_or_summary: In the fable summary, the Greeks returning from Troy are stopped
in Thrace by Achilles' shade, who asks for Polyxena's sacrifice; Hecuba fetches
water for Polyxena's body and sees Polydorus' corpse.
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 9230-9233
quote_or_summary: Hecuba goes to Polymnestor, tears out his eyes, and is transformed
into a bitch; Memnon, slain by Achilles, is honored with a funeral, and Aurora's
prayer leads Jupiter to transform his ashes into birds called Memnonides.
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: medium
notes: The passage is mostly explanatory and summarizes variant traditions, so literal
extraction is strong, while motif taxonomy assignments are sometimes approximate
and should be reviewed.
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. Public-domain content has been summarized rather than quoted at length.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:roman-ovid-metamorphoses-books-8-15-riley-gutenberg__l9133-l9233
passage_sha256=85653bb6430fcafbe947521c383b92495c68ad5e50476322433eb94a86acb8ca