batch.motif.buddhist-more-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l673-l720
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-more-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l673-l720
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
passage_locator:
label: THE CUNNING WOLF / THE PENNY-WISE MONKEY / THE RED-BUD TREE / THE WOODPECKER
AND THE LION; lines 673-720
start: '673'
end: '720'
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 lion suffers when a bone sticks in his throat. A woodpecker agrees to
help but first wedges a stick between the lion’s jaws for safety, then removes
the bone. The lion gives no thanks. Later, when the woodpecker asks for a favor,
the lion refuses and claims that sparing the woodpecker while she was in his mouth
was already sufficient. The woodpecker thereafter avoids the lion.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A bone becomes stuck in the Lion’s throat while he is eating, causing pain
and preventing him from finishing his meal.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Lion walks up and down and roars with pain.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The Woodpecker is on a branch of a nearby tree and asks the Lion what is wrong.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The Woodpecker says she could remove the bone but fears putting her head in
the Lion’s mouth because he might eat her.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The Lion tells the Woodpecker not to be afraid, promises not to eat her, and
asks her to save his life if she can.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Before entering the Lion’s mouth, the Woodpecker places a stick between the
Lion’s upper and lower jaws so that he cannot shut his mouth.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The Woodpecker enters the Lion’s mouth and strikes the bone with her beak
until the bone falls out.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The Woodpecker exits the Lion’s mouth and knocks out the stick, allowing the
Lion to shut his mouth.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: After feeling better, the Lion says no words of thanks to the Woodpecker.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Later in the summer, the Woodpecker asks the Lion to do something for her.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: The Lion refuses, saying that he already did much for the Woodpecker by letting
her go when she was in his mouth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: After the Lion’s refusal, the Woodpecker says no more and stays away from
him.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Lion
description: A lion with a bone stuck in his throat; he is helped by the Woodpecker
but later gives no thanks and refuses her request.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Woodpecker
description: A woodpecker who notices the Lion’s distress, cautiously removes the
bone from his throat, and later avoids him after his refusal.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Endangered sufferer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Lion is in pain and asks the Woodpecker to save his life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: Cautious helper
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Woodpecker agrees to help but first protects herself by wedging the Lion’s
jaws open.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: Ungrateful beneficiary
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After the bone is removed, the Lion gives no thanks and later refuses the
Woodpecker’s request.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: Avoider of danger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: After the Lion refuses help and claims past restraint as sufficient, the
Woodpecker keeps away from him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Bone in throat
literal_form: Bone lodged in the Lion’s throat
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: Stick between jaws
literal_form: Stick placed between the Lion’s upper and lower jaws
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: Tree branch
literal_form: Branch of a nearby tree where the Woodpecker lands
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: Lion’s mouth
literal_form: The Lion’s mouth, into which the Woodpecker must enter to remove the
bone
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Lion in distress
summary: While eating, the Lion gets a bone stuck in his throat and roars in pain.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Cautious rescue
summary: The Woodpecker hears the Lion, obtains his promise not to eat her, wedges
his jaws open with a stick, enters his mouth, and removes the bone.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Ingratitude and separation
summary: The Lion gives no thanks, later refuses the Woodpecker’s request for help,
and the Woodpecker thereafter avoids him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Cautious helper rescues a dangerous animal
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Woodpecker helps the Lion but takes a practical precaution before entering
the predator’s mouth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage emphasizes prudence more
than an explicit abstract doctrine of wisdom.
- id: motif:2
label: Ingratitude after rescue
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Lion benefits from the Woodpecker’s removal of the bone but offers no
thanks and later refuses to help her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference precisely names this fable pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: Avoidance of an untrustworthy beneficiary
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: After the Lion reframes sparing the Woodpecker as a favor and refuses her
request, the Woodpecker keeps away from him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states the avoidance but does not explicitly state a moral
lesson in the supplied text.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 673-677
quote_or_summary: The title is given, and the Lion gets a bone stuck in his throat
while eating, cannot finish dinner, and roars with pain.
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 678-684
quote_or_summary: The Woodpecker lands on a nearby tree branch, asks what ails the
Lion, and says she fears entering his mouth because he might eat her.
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 685-687
quote_or_summary: The Lion tells the Woodpecker not to be afraid, promises not to
eat her, and asks her to save his life if she can.
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 688-695
quote_or_summary: The Woodpecker asks the Lion to open his mouth, decides to be
careful, and places a stick between the Lion’s upper and lower jaws so he cannot
shut his mouth.
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 696-702
quote_or_summary: The Woodpecker enters the Lion’s mouth, strikes the bone with
her beak until it falls out, then exits and knocks out the stick so the Lion can
shut his mouth.
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 703-705
quote_or_summary: The Lion feels much better but says no word of thanks to the Woodpecker.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 706-717
quote_or_summary: Later in the summer the Woodpecker asks the Lion to do something
for her; the Lion refuses and says that letting her go when she was in his mouth
is all she can expect.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/more-jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 718-720
quote_or_summary: The Woodpecker says no more and keeps away from the Lion from
that day on.
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: Literal extraction is straightforward from the supplied passage. Motif taxonomy
mapping is limited because available taxonomy references do not include a precise
fable category for ingratitude after rescue. No comparison claims are made because
the passage itself does not support them.
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 text and metadata. The larger passage label names several tales, but the supplied text for this record contains only “THE WOODPECKER AND THE LION.”
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-more-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg__l673-l720
passage_sha256=ed1039d64d967cadf8c002a2a3e8a268912fc0eae87603aa1db025d1c9e35c70