batch.motif.buddhist-more-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l307-l358
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-more-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l307-l358
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
passage_locator:
label: XXI THE ELEPHANT AND THE DOG / THE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS /
THE THREE FISHES / THE TRICKY WOLF AND THE RATS; lines 307-358
start: '307'
end: '358'
translation: More Jataka Tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A wolf deceives a community of rats by pretending to be lame and to live
only on air. The rats visit him regularly, and he eats the last rat as they leave.
When the rats notice their numbers declining, their chief tests the wolf by going
last, escapes the attack, exposes the deception, kills the wolf, and the rats
live peacefully afterward.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A Big Rat lives in the forest and is called Chief by many hundreds of other
rats.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A wolf sees the troop of rats and plans how to catch and eat them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The wolf stands on his hind legs near the rats' home as part of his plan.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The wolf tells the Chief Rat that he stands on his hind legs because he is
lame.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The wolf says he keeps his mouth open to drink in air and claims air is his
only food.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The Chief Rat feels sorry for the wolf and visits him morning and night with
the other rats.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Each time the rats leave, the wolf catches and eats the last one, then wipes
his lips and appears as if nothing happened.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: The rats notice that there are fewer of them each night and ask the Chief
Rat about it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The Chief Rat suspects the wolf and tells the others to go first while he
goes last.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: When the Chief Rat goes by last, the wolf springs at him, but the Chief Rat
gets away.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: The Chief Rat tells the wolf that his trick is exposed and bites the wolf's
throat so that the wolf dies.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: After the wolf's death, the rats live happily in peace and quiet.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Chief of the Rats
description: A Big Rat in the forest whom many hundreds of rats call their Chief.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Tricky Wolf
description: A wolf who wants to catch and eat the rats and deceives them by pretending
to be lame and to live on air.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Other Rats
description: Many hundreds of rats who follow the Chief Rat, visit the wolf, and
are reduced in number by the wolf's attacks.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: community leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The other rats call the Big Rat their Chief, and he gives instructions when
the rats face danger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: deceptive predator
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The wolf plans to eat the rats, pretends to be lame and air-fed, and secretly
eats the last rat as the group leaves.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: endangered community
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The rats repeatedly visit the wolf and diminish in number as he eats them
one by one.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: tester and defender
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Chief Rat suspects the wolf, changes the order of departure to test him,
escapes the attack, and kills him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: hind-leg posture
literal_form: The wolf standing on his hind legs near the rats' home.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: open mouth
literal_form: The wolf keeping his mouth open while claiming to drink in air as
food.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: last in line
literal_form: The final rat in the departing group, whom the wolf catches and eats;
later the Chief Rat takes this position.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Wolf devises a deception
summary: The wolf sees the troop of rats, wants to eat them, and stations himself
near their home while standing on his hind legs.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Wolf explains his condition
summary: The Chief Rat questions the wolf, who claims to be lame and to live only
on air.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Repeated secret predation
summary: The rats visit the apparently pitiable wolf, and he eats the last rat as
the group leaves each time.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Chief Rat tests the wolf
summary: After the rats notice their declining number, the Chief Rat suspects the
wolf and arranges to go last himself.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Wolf exposed and killed
summary: The wolf springs at the Chief Rat, but the Chief escapes, denounces the
deception, bites the wolf's throat, and kills him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Peace restored to the rats
summary: After the wolf dies, the rats live happily in peace and quiet.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: predator deceives victims by false helplessness
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The wolf uses a deceptive performance of lameness and harmless air-eating
to gain the rats' sympathy and access to them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has no specific animal-fable deception category;
the trickster_boundary reference is broad.
- id: motif:2
label: wise leader exposes hidden danger
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Chief Rat notices the pattern of disappearing rats, tests the wolf by
going last, escapes the attack, and defeats him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents practical discernment rather than an explicit doctrinal
teaching.
- id: motif:3
label: community restored after deceiver's death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After the Chief Rat kills the wolf, the rats live happily in peace and quiet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a narrative outcome rather than a clearly named taxonomy motif
in the supplied list.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 307-316
quote_or_summary: A Big Rat is chief over many rats in the forest; a wolf sees the
troop, wants to catch and eat them, and stands on his hind legs near their home.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 317-329
quote_or_summary: The Chief Rat asks why the wolf stands on hind legs and keeps
his mouth open; the wolf says he is lame and that he lives only on air.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 330-337
quote_or_summary: The Chief Rat pities the wolf and visits with the other rats morning
and night; as they leave, the wolf eats the last rat and wipes his lips.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 338-343
quote_or_summary: The rats notice fewer rats each night and ask the Chief Rat what
is wrong; he is not sure but suspects the wolf.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 344-350
quote_or_summary: The Chief Rat tells the others to go first while he goes last;
the wolf springs at him, but the Chief Rat escapes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 351-357
quote_or_summary: The Chief Rat exposes the wolf's trick, bites the wolf's throat
so that he dies, and afterward the rats live happily in peace and quiet.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is straightforward animal-fable narrative. Motif taxonomy mapping
is limited by the broad supplied categories; no comparison claims are made because
the passage itself does not state a comparison.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. No available symbol taxonomy references applied because none of the listed symbol terms occur in the passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-more-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg__l307-l358
passage_sha256=8fd48ebe8b8e8fb04295599329d68b68801f6fa00d0a786cb6b08f6f013eb7ef