batch.motif.greek-odyssey-butler-gutenberg-l6374-l6464
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-odyssey-butler-gutenberg-l6374-l6464
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK XIII / ULYSSES LEAVES SCHERIA AND RETURNS TO ITHACA. / BOOK XIV / ULYSSES
IN THE HUT WITH EUMAEUS.; lines 6374-6464
start: '6374'
end: '6464'
translation: The Odyssey
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: In Eumaeus' hut, Ulysses tells a story of betrayal, bondage, escape by
sea, and divine aid. Eumaeus doubts reports about Ulysses' return but promises
hospitality out of reverence for Jove. Ulysses proposes an oath-bound wager on
the master's return, and Eumaeus refuses any violence against a guest. The swineherds
return, and Eumaeus sacrifices a pig, prays for Ulysses' homecoming, apportions
meat to gods and men, and honors the stranger with a choice portion.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The stranger says men plotted to sell him as a slave, stripped him, gave him
rags, bound him on a ship, and went ashore.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The stranger says the gods undid his bonds, after which he entered the sea,
swam ashore, hid in a thick wood, and was brought to a good man's door.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Eumaeus says he finds the stranger's misfortunes interesting but does not
believe the claim about Ulysses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Eumaeus states that his master has been absent and that storm winds have carried
him away to an unknown place.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Eumaeus says he will treat the stranger kindly out of respect for Jove as
god of hospitality, and from fear and pity.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: 'Ulysses proposes a bargain witnessed by all the gods: if the master returns,
Eumaeus should give him clothing and send him to Dulichium; if not, Eumaeus''
men may throw him from a precipice.'
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Eumaeus rejects the idea of killing a man whom he has received into his hut
and shown hospitality.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The swineherds drive pigs into their sties for the night, and Eumaeus orders
the best pig brought in for sacrifice for the stranger.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Eumaeus cuts bristles from the pig's face, throws them into the fire, and
prays to all the gods for Ulysses' return.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The pig is stunned, slaughtered, singed, cut up, sprinkled with barley meal,
roasted, and divided.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Eumaeus makes seven portions, sets one apart for Mercury and the nymphs, distributes
the others to the men, and gives Ulysses an especially honorable portion.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: Eumaeus says that God grants and withholds according to his will.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ulysses / the stranger
description: The speaker called Ulysses in the narration and treated by Eumaeus
as an unfortunate old stranger or outcast.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Eumaeus
description: The swineherd who receives the stranger, doubts reports about Ulysses,
invokes hospitality, and organizes the sacrifice and meal.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Jove
description: Named as the god of hospitality whom Eumaeus respects and fears.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: the gods
description: Divine powers credited in the stranger's story with undoing bonds and
hiding him, and later invoked as witnesses or recipients of prayer.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: swineherds / Eumaeus' men
description: Men who return with the pigs, help shut them in, and assist with preparing
the sacrificial meal.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Mercury son of Maia and the nymphs
description: Divine recipients of a set-apart portion from the meal.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Penelope
description: Named by Eumaeus as the one who sends for him when news about Ulysses
arrives.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
label: suffering wanderer and storyteller
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He recounts betrayal, enslavement-threat, stripping, binding, sea escape,
concealment, and arrival at a good man's door.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: oath-making claimant of the master's return
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He proposes a bargain before the gods based on whether the master comes home.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: hospitable host
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He says he will treat the stranger kindly out of reverence for Jove and refuses
to kill a received guest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: loyal servant awaiting absent master
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He speaks of his absent master Ulysses, rejects false reports, and prays
for Ulysses' return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: divine authority or recipient
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:6
basis: Divine beings are invoked as helpers, witnesses, patrons of hospitality,
and recipients of offerings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: household helpers in ritual meal
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They bring pigs in, assist with slaughtering, singeing, and cooking.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sea escape
literal_form: sea entered from a ship; swimming ashore
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: strong rope bonds
literal_form: strong rope fastening the stranger in the ship
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: rags and desired clothing
literal_form: tattered clouts, cloak, and shirt
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: hut as hospitality space
literal_form: Eumaeus' hut and door receiving the stranger
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: precipice punishment
literal_form: yonder precipice from which the liar could be thrown
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: sacrificial fire
literal_form: fire and embers used for bristles, offerings, and roasting
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: sacrificial pig
literal_form: fine fat five-year-old boar pig brought to the altar, slaughtered,
and shared
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: seven portions
literal_form: seven portions of meat, one for Mercury and the nymphs and the rest
for the men
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: stranger's tale of betrayal and escape
summary: The stranger recounts being plotted against, stripped, bound on a ship,
freed by divine action, and escaping through the sea to concealment near a wood
and then to a good man's door.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Eumaeus doubts news of Ulysses
summary: Eumaeus responds that he does not believe the report about Ulysses and
describes his master's uncertain absence and the effects of news at home.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: hospitality and oath-bound bargain
summary: Eumaeus grounds his kindness to the stranger in reverence for Jove; Ulysses
proposes a divine-witnessed bargain, and Eumaeus refuses any killing of a guest.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: sacrifice and shared meal
summary: The swineherds bring in pigs; Eumaeus orders a sacrifice, prays for Ulysses'
return, slaughters and cooks the pig with his men, sets apart a divine portion,
distributes the meal, and honors the stranger.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: return of the absent master
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: Eumaeus discusses the absent master Ulysses, rejects reports, and later prays
for Ulysses to return home.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage treats the return as expected or doubted in speech and prayer,
not as an accomplished event within this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: guest protected by sacred hospitality
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Eumaeus treats the stranger kindly out of respect for Jove as god of hospitality
and refuses to kill a received guest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage specifically concerns hospitality
rather than a formal exchange contract.
- id: motif:3
label: divine release from bonds and escape by water
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: In the stranger's story, the gods undo his bonds, allowing him to escape
the ship by sliding into the sea and swimming ashore.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a reported story within the dialogue, not independently confirmed
by the passage narration.
- id: motif:4
label: oath or wager before the gods
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Ulysses proposes a bargain about the master's return and calls all the gods
in heaven to witness it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The proposed bargain is spoken but not accepted as a completed agreement
in this excerpt.
- id: motif:5
label: animal sacrifice preceding communal meal
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Eumaeus orders a pig sacrificed for the stranger, offers bristles and portions
to divine recipients, prays, and distributes roasted meat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives ritual details but no extended theological explanation
beyond prayers and divine portions.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage supports comparison to a broad 'return' motif pattern through
repeated speech and prayer concerning the absent master's homecoming.
claim_level: same_motif
target: motif_family:return
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The return is anticipated and debated here, not narrated as completed
in this passage.
- id: claim:2
claim: The hospitable treatment of a vulnerable stranger can be compared by function
to a sacred hospitality or protected-guest pattern.
claim_level: same_function
target: motif_family:sacred_exchange
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The available taxonomy does not include a specific hospitality motif;
'sacred_exchange' is an approximate functional category.
- id: claim:3
claim: The slaughter and apportionment of the pig supports comparison to the broad
sacrifice motif family.
claim_level: same_motif
target: motif_family:sacrifice
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The claim is limited to ritual animal sacrifice and communal distribution
within this passage.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 6374-6390
quote_or_summary: The stranger says conspirators meant to sell him as a slave, stripped
him, dressed him in rags, bound him on the ship, and that the gods freed his bonds
so he escaped by sea and hid near a wood before reaching a good man's door.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 6391-6410
quote_or_summary: Eumaeus says he doubts the stranger's claims about Ulysses, describes
Ulysses as absent and carried away by storm winds, and notes that Penelope calls
him when news about Ulysses arrives.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 6411-6421
quote_or_summary: Eumaeus says he will treat the stranger kindly only "out of respect
for Jove the god of hospitality" and from fear and pity.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 6422-6430
quote_or_summary: 'Ulysses proposes that all the gods witness a bargain: if the
master comes home, he receives clothing and passage; if not, Eumaeus'' men may
throw him from a precipice as a warning to lying tramps.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 6431-6436
quote_or_summary: Eumaeus says he would be disgraced if he killed the stranger after
receiving him into his hut and showing him hospitality.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 6437-6451
quote_or_summary: The swineherds bring in pigs for the night; Eumaeus orders the
best pig sacrificed for the stranger, cuts firewood, has a five-year-old boar
brought to the altar, throws facial bristles into the fire, and prays for Ulysses'
return.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 6451-6461
quote_or_summary: The pig is stunned, slaughtered, singed, cut up, prepared with
fat and barley meal, roasted, divided into seven portions, with one set apart
for Mercury and the nymphs, and Ulysses receives an honored loin portion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 6462-6464
quote_or_summary: Eumaeus invites the stranger to eat and says that God grants and
withholds as he chooses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/odyssey-butler.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Some motif taxonomy assignments are
broad approximations because the available taxonomy has no specific hospitality
or oath-wager category.
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 supplied passage and metadata. Comparisons are limited to available motif families and passage-supported functions.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-odyssey-butler-gutenberg__l6374-l6464
passage_sha256=4da6b6dd62ef6e65941e50144b1c8f382f9ea661130379a7ed5f6d5f79b05a07