batch.motif.greek-roman-berens-myths-legends-gutenberg-l8919-l8977
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-roman-berens-myths-legends-gutenberg-l8919-l8977
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
passage_locator:
label: BELLEROPHON. / THESEUS. / OEDIPUS. / THE SEVEN AGAINST THEBES.; lines 8919-8977
start: '8919'
end: '8977'
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: ''
summary: The passage recounts Menoeceus sacrificing himself for Thebes, the battle
between Thebes and the Argives, the fatal duel between Eteocles and Polynices,
Creon's prohibition of burial for Polynices and the Argive dead, Antigone's defiance
and entombment, the suicides of Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice, and Theseus' later
intervention to secure burial rites for the fallen Argives.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Menoeceus rejects Creon's request that he leave Thebes for Delphi and instead
kills himself on the city walls in view of the opposing armies.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Adrastus orders his troops to storm Thebes; after heavy losses, the Argives
are routed.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Eteocles proposes single combat with Polynices to decide the campaign, and
both brothers die from wounds in the duel.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Thebans ultimately win the renewed battle; Adrastus survives because of
the speed of his horse Arion.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Creon becomes king again after the brothers' deaths and forbids burial of
Polynices and his allies.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Antigone disobeys Creon's order and attempts to bury Polynices.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Creon condemns Antigone to be sealed alive in a subterranean vault.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Haemon enters the vault, finds Antigone dead by hanging, curses his father,
and kills himself beside her body.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Eurydice kills herself after hearing of Haemon's death, leaving Creon widowed
and childless.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: Adrastus takes refuge at Athens and persuades Theseus to compel the Thebans
to return the Argive dead for funeral rites.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Creon
description: Ruler of Thebes who tries to send Menoeceus away, later becomes king
again, forbids burial of Polynices and the Argive allies, and condemns Antigone.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Menoeceus
description: Creon's favourite son and youngest scion of the royal house, who sacrifices
his life for his country.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Adrastus
description: Leader associated with the Argive attack, survivor of the Theban defeat,
and later petitioner to Theseus at Athens.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Eteocles
description: Brother of Polynices who proposes single combat and dies in the duel
outside the city walls.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Polynices
description: Brother of Eteocles who accepts single combat, dies in the duel, and
is denied burial by Creon.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Antigone
description: Sister of Polynices who disobeys Creon to bury him, is entombed alive,
and hangs herself with her veil.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Haemon
description: Creon's son and Antigone's betrothed, who enters the vault and kills
himself beside Antigone.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Eurydice
description: Creon's wife, who kills herself after hearing of Haemon's death.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Theseus
description: Leader from Athens who is persuaded by Adrastus to force the Thebans
to restore the Argive dead for burial.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Argive warriors
description: The fallen warriors whose bodies are restored to their friends for
funeral rites.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Theban ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Creon becomes king of Thebes again after the deaths of Eteocles and Polynices.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: self-sacrificing youth
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Menoeceus chooses to die for the benefit of his country.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: rival brothers in single combat
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: Eteocles and Polynices decide the campaign by duel and both die.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: sibling linked to contested burial
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: Polynices is denied burial, and Antigone acts to bury her brother.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: forbidder of burial
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Creon forbids anyone to bury Polynices or his allies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: defeated military leader
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Adrastus leads troops against Thebes and later escapes the defeat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: betrothed pair separated by death
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: Haemon is betrothed to Antigone and dies beside her after finding her dead.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: suicide after kin or beloved's death
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: Haemon kills himself after Antigone's death; Eurydice kills herself after
Haemon's death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: restorer or enforcer of funeral rites
assigned_to:
- fig:9
- fig:3
basis: Adrastus persuades Theseus to compel return of the dead for funeral rites.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: unburied fallen warriors
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The Argive fallen require restoration to their friends for proper funeral
rites.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: city walls
literal_form: The walls of Thebes from which Menoeceus kills himself and outside
which the duel later occurs.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: dagger
literal_form: The dagger Menoeceus plunges into his heart.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: unburied remains
literal_form: The remains of Polynices, his allies, and the fallen Argive warriors
whose burial is forbidden or delayed.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: subterranean vault
literal_form: The underground vault where Antigone is entombed alive and where Haemon
finds her dead.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: veil
literal_form: The veil by which Antigone hangs herself.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: sword
literal_form: The sword on which Haemon throws himself.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: horse Arion
literal_form: The fleet horse that enables Adrastus to escape.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Menoeceus' self-sacrifice
summary: After Creon tries to send him away for safety, Menoeceus chooses to die
for Thebes and kills himself on the city walls.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Argive assault and Theban victory
summary: Adrastus orders an assault on Thebes; the battle is renewed after a first
rout, and the Thebans ultimately prevail.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Fatal duel of the brothers
summary: Eteocles and Polynices agree to single combat outside the walls, and both
die from their wounds.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Burial prohibition and Antigone's defiance
summary: Creon forbids burial of Polynices and the Argive allies, while Antigone
disregards the order to give burial to Polynices.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Entombment and family suicides
summary: Antigone is entombed alive and hangs herself; Haemon kills himself beside
her, and Eurydice later kills herself after hearing of Haemon's death.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Restoration of the Argive dead
summary: Adrastus seeks help at Athens, and Theseus successfully compels Thebes
to return the fallen Argives for proper funeral rites.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: self-sacrifice for the safety of the city
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Menoeceus voluntarily dies for the benefit of his country after a seer's
words and Creon's attempt to send him away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not reproduce the seer's full prophecy, so the precise
ritual logic is not stated in this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: mutual death of rival brothers
taxonomy_refs:
- sibling_pair
basis: Eteocles and Polynices, identified as brothers, fight in single combat and
both die.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the fraternal duel but gives limited background on
their earlier conflict.
- id: motif:3
label: denial and restoration of funeral rites
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Creon forbids burial of Polynices and the Argive dead; Antigone attempts
burial, and Theseus later compels return of the bodies for due rites.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly names this funeral-rite pattern.
- id: motif:4
label: entombed beloved followed by suicide
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Antigone is sealed alive in a subterranean vault, hangs herself, and Haemon
kills himself beside her body.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a localized tragic sequence; the passage does not frame it as
a broader mythic type.
- id: motif:5
label: retributive ruin of a ruler's household
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: After Creon's harsh decree and punishment of Antigone, the passage states
that retribution is at hand and narrates the deaths of Haemon and Eurydice, leaving
Creon widowed and childless.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: Although Haemon invokes divine curses, the passage does not explicitly
say the gods directly cause the deaths.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 8919-8927
quote_or_summary: Creon urges Menoeceus to leave for Delphi, but Menoeceus resolves
to sacrifice his life for his country and kills himself with a dagger on the city
walls.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted at length.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 8928-8932
quote_or_summary: Adrastus commands an assault on the city; after a fierce battle
and heavy losses, the Argives are routed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted at length.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 8933-8942
quote_or_summary: Eteocles sends a herald proposing single combat with Polynices;
the duel occurs outside the city walls, and both brothers die on the battlefield.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted at length.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 8943-8948
quote_or_summary: After renewed fighting, the Thebans win; the Argive leaders are
lost except Adrastus, who is saved by the fleetness of Arion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted at length.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 8949-8958
quote_or_summary: Creon becomes king again and forbids burial of Polynices and his
allies; Antigone returns to Thebes and attempts to bury Polynices despite the
order.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted at length.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 8959-8969
quote_or_summary: Creon condemns Antigone to be entombed alive in a subterranean
vault; Haemon enters, finds Antigone hanged by her veil, invokes curses on his
father, and kills himself with his sword beside her.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted at length.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 8970-8973
quote_or_summary: A messenger reports that Eurydice has killed herself after hearing
of Haemon's death, leaving Creon widowed and childless.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted at length.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 8974-8977
quote_or_summary: Adrastus takes refuge at Athens and persuades Theseus to lead
an army to compel the Thebans to restore the Argive dead for proper funeral rites;
the bodies are interred with honours.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek-roman/project-gutenberg/myths-legends-ancient-greece-rome-berens.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized rather than quoted at length.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is based directly on the supplied passage. Motif labels
are cautious and limited to patterns visible in the excerpt; no cross-text comparison
claims are asserted.
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 were added because the passage itself does not make an explicit comparison to another text or tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-roman-berens-myths-legends-gutenberg__l8919-l8977
passage_sha256=55f72daea498df4b0c04edafee6bd96269e12e26566f511896c5ec806a84863a