batch.motif.greek-roman-berens-myths-legends-gutenberg-l10201-l10297
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-roman-berens-myths-legends-gutenberg-l10201-l10297
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
passage_locator:
label: ALCMAEON AND THE NECKLACE. / THE HERACLIDAE. / THE SIEGE OF TROY. / RETURN
OF THE GREEKS FROM TROY.; lines 10201-10297
start: '10201'
end: '10297'
translation: Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: Odysseus nevertheless obeyed the command of the goddess...
summary: Odysseus leaves Circe after a year, journeys to the entrance of Hades to
consult Tiresias, encounters shades of the dead, escapes the crowding spirits,
passes the Sirens by using wax and bonds, loses six men to Scylla, and reaches
Helios' island where his crew insists on landing despite warnings not to touch
the sacred herds.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Odysseus remains with Circe for a whole year before his friends persuade him
to leave.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Circe warns Odysseus of future dangers and tells him to consult Tiresias in
Hades.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Odysseus sails to the Cimmerian land beyond Oceanus and lands near the mingling
waters of Acheron and Cocytus at the entrance to the lower world.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Odysseus digs a trench and sacrifices a black ram and ewe to the powers of
darkness.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Shades rise from a gulf and gather around the sacrificial blood, which can
temporarily restore their mental vigour.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Odysseus prevents the shades from approaching until Tiresias appears and drinks
from the sacrifice.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Tiresias tells Odysseus hidden details of his future fate and warns him of
dangers on his voyage and return to Ithaca.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Odysseus recognizes and speaks with several dead figures, including his mother
Anticlea and former Greek warriors.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Odysseus becomes afraid when many shades swarm around him and flees back to
his ship.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Circe has warned Odysseus that anyone who listens to the Sirens' songs will
desire to leap overboard and join them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Odysseus blocks his crew's ears with melted wax and has himself lashed to
the mast so he may hear the Sirens without being released.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: The Sirens sit on their island and sing; Odysseus begs to be released, but
his crew obeys his prior command and keeps him bound until the island is out of
sight.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: Scylla seizes six men from Odysseus' ship as it passes beneath the great rock.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:14
text: At Trinacria, Odysseus remembers Tiresias' warning to avoid Helios' sacred
island, but his crew insists on landing.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:15
text: Before allowing his men ashore on Helios' island, Odysseus makes them swear
not to touch the sacred herds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Odysseus
description: A Greek hero returning home who leaves Circe, visits the realm of shades,
hears prophecy, survives the Sirens, passes Scylla, and reaches Helios' island.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Circe
description: A goddess and enchantress who detains Odysseus for a year, then warns
him and directs him to consult Tiresias.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Odysseus' companions / crew
description: Odysseus' shipmates who urge him to leave Circe, sail with him, keep
him bound near the Sirens, lose six men to Scylla, and insist on landing at Trinacria.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Tiresias
description: A blind old seer in Hades who drinks the sacrifice and tells Odysseus
his future dangers and fate.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Shades of the dead
description: Spirits in the lower world who rise from the gulf and gather to drink
sacrificial blood.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Anticlea
description: Odysseus' mother, encountered among the shades; she has died of grief
at his long absence.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Agamemnon, Patroclus, Achilles, and Ajax
description: Dead Greek warriors encountered by Odysseus among the shades; Achilles
laments the underworld, and Ajax refuses to speak with Odysseus.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Sirens
description: Treacherous nymphs whose seductive songs lure hearers toward death
by sea or at their hands.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Scylla
description: A danger near a great rock who swoops down and seizes six of Odysseus'
crew.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Helios
description: The sun-god who pastures sacred flocks and herds on Trinacria.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: homeward voyaging hero
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Odysseus repeatedly resumes his homeward voyage and seeks knowledge about
his return to Ithaca.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: underworld visitor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Odysseus travels to the entrance of the lower world and interacts with Tiresias
and other shades.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: enchantress and guide
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Circe first detains Odysseus, then gives warnings, directions, and provisions
for the next stage of the voyage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: companions and sailors
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They travel with Odysseus, execute his orders at the Sirens, and later insist
on landing at Trinacria.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: role:5
label: prophetic seer of the dead realm
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Tiresias appears in Hades, drinks the sacrifice, and reveals future dangers
to Odysseus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: shade of the dead
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: These figures are described as spirits or dead persons in the realm of shades.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: dead mother
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Anticlea is identified as Odysseus' mother and has died during his absence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: dead former companions or Greek warriors
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Odysseus converses with Agamemnon, Patroclus, and Achilles; Ajax refuses
conversation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: seductive deadly singers
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The Sirens' melodies cause hearers to desire to leap overboard and join them,
leading to death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: maritime monster or danger
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Scylla attacks from a rock and seizes six crewmen from the ship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:11
label: divine owner of sacred herds
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Helios is the sun-god whose flocks and herds are pastured on Trinacria and
are not to be touched.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sacrificial blood for the shades
literal_form: blood of black ram and ewe offered in a trench
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: entrance waters of the lower world
literal_form: Acheron and Cocytus mingling near the entrance to the lower world
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: golden staff of Tiresias
literal_form: golden staff carried by Tiresias
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: wax-stopped ears
literal_form: melted wax placed in the crew's ears
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: hero bound to mast
literal_form: Odysseus lashed to the mast of his ship
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: Sirens' song
literal_form: sweet and alluring strains heard from the Sirens' island
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: sacred herds of Helios
literal_form: flocks and herds pastured by the sun-god on Trinacria
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Departure from Circe
summary: After a year with Circe, Odysseus is persuaded by his companions to leave;
Circe warns him of danger, directs him to consult Tiresias in Hades, provisions
the ship, and says farewell.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Approach to the realm of shades
summary: Odysseus sails to the distant Cimmerian land beyond Oceanus and reaches
the place where Acheron and Cocytus meet at the entrance to the lower world.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Sacrifice and consultation of Tiresias
summary: Odysseus sacrifices black animals in a trench, holds back the shades, and
allows Tiresias to drink and reveal future dangers.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Meetings with the dead
summary: After Tiresias, other shades drink and speak with Odysseus, including Anticlea
and dead Greek warriors; Ajax refuses to converse.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Flight from the shades
summary: When too many shades swarm around him, Odysseus becomes afraid and returns
to his ship.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Passing the Sirens
summary: Odysseus protects his crew with wax and has himself tied to the mast; the
Sirens sing, he begs release, and the crew keeps him bound until the island disappears.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:7
label: Scylla and Trinacria
summary: The ship passes Scylla, who takes six crewmen, then arrives at Trinacria;
despite Odysseus' warning, the crew insists on landing, and he makes them swear
not to touch Helios' herds.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: hero consults the dead for knowledge of the future
taxonomy_refs:
- afterlife_journey_map
- hero_descent
- wisdom
basis: Odysseus travels to the lower-world entrance, performs sacrifice, and receives
prophetic instruction from Tiresias among the dead.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage describes an approach to the realm of Hades and interaction
with shades; it does not describe a full descent through the entire underworld.
- id: motif:2
label: blood offering restores speech or awareness to the dead
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The shades gather to drink sacrificial blood, which temporarily restores
mental vigour; Tiresias drinks before prophesying.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames the effect as temporary mental vigour, not physical
resurrection.
- id: motif:3
label: dead kin reveal the cost of the hero's absence
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: Anticlea tells Odysseus she died of grief at his absence and that Laertes
suffers while awaiting his return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: This is one episode within a broader return narrative; the passage only
gives a brief report of the family consequences.
- id: motif:4
label: dangerous song resisted by binding and blocked hearing
taxonomy_refs:
- forbidden_knowledge
- initiation
basis: Odysseus hears the Sirens' song while tied to the mast, while his crew's
ears are stopped with wax to prevent them from hearing it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has no specific Siren or perilous-song category;
assigned references are functional approximations.
- id: motif:5
label: voyage home threatened by monsters and divine prohibitions
taxonomy_refs:
- return
- divine_judgment
basis: Tiresias and Circe warn Odysseus of dangers during his homeward voyage; Scylla
kills six men, and Helios' sacred herds are forbidden to the crew.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: Divine judgment is only implicit in the warning and sacred prohibition
in this passage; punishment is not narrated in the supplied excerpt.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The episode of Odysseus seeking Tiresias among the shades functions as an
afterlife-journey or hero-descent pattern in which contact with the dead supplies
knowledge needed for the hero's return.
claim_level: same_function
target: afterlife_journey_map / hero_descent motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage presents a consultation at the entrance to the lower world
rather than a detailed traversal of the underworld.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Sirens episode fits a perilous-threshold pattern in which the hero deliberately
encounters forbidden or dangerous experience under protective restraints.
claim_level: same_function
target: forbidden_knowledge / initiation motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The supplied taxonomy lacks a specific category for lethal song or
Siren enchantment, so the comparison is functional and approximate.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 10201-10218
quote_or_summary: Odysseus stays with Circe for a year; at his companions' urging
he leaves. Circe, unable to detain him after vowing not to use spells, warns him
of dangers, commands him to consult Tiresias in Hades, provisions the ship, and
bids farewell.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 10222-10235
quote_or_summary: Odysseus follows Circe's directions to the Cimmerian land at the
far end of the world beyond Oceanus, landing where Acheron and Cocytus mingle
at the entrance to the lower world.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 10236-10244
quote_or_summary: Odysseus digs a trench, sacrifices a black ram and ewe, and shades
rise from a gulf eager to drink the blood, which can temporarily restore their
mental vigour; he keeps them back with his sword until Tiresias appears.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 10244-10250
quote_or_summary: Tiresias comes with a golden staff, drinks the sacrifice, reveals
Odysseus' future fate, and warns him how to avoid dangers on the voyage and after
returning to Ithaca.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 10251-10265
quote_or_summary: 'Other shades drink and speak: Odysseus recognizes Anticlea, learns
she died of grief and that Laertes longs for his return, converses with Agamemnon,
Patroclus, and Achilles, and is refused by Ajax.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 10266-10269
quote_or_summary: When many shades swarm around him, Odysseus loses courage, flees
to his ship, rejoins his companions, and resumes the homeward voyage.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 10271-10285
quote_or_summary: Circe has warned Odysseus not to listen to the Sirens. To protect
the crew, he fills their ears with wax; to hear the song himself, he has his companions
lash him to the mast and orders them not to release him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 10286-10294
quote_or_summary: The Sirens sit on their island and sing alluringly; Odysseus begs
to be released, but the sailors keep him bound until the island is out of sight,
saving his life.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 10296-10302
quote_or_summary: As Odysseus steers beneath the great rock near Scylla and Charybdis,
Scylla swoops down and seizes six crewmen from the deck.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 10302-10312
quote_or_summary: The ship reaches Trinacria, where Helios pastures sacred flocks
and herds; Odysseus remembers Tiresias' warning to avoid the island, but the mutinous
crew insists on landing, and he makes them swear not to touch the herds.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: low
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Some motif-family assignments
are approximate because the available taxonomy does not include specific categories
for Sirens, shipwreck perils, or sacred cattle.
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: |-
The supplied locator label appears broader or mismatched relative to the actual passage content, which narrates episodes from Odysseus' return voyage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-roman-berens-myths-legends-gutenberg__l10201-l10297
passage_sha256=a3cecdf0f76c5b590f00f10710417976709d784f085ca23d6212e6f85ead0806