batch.motif.greek-plato-phaedrus-jowett-gutenberg-l2246-l2321
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-plato-phaedrus-jowett-gutenberg-l2246-l2321
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
passage_locator:
label: PHAEDRUS / INTRODUCTION. / ON THE DECLINE OF GREEK LITERATURE. / PHAEDRUS;
lines 2246-2321
start: '2246'
end: '2321'
translation: Phaedrus
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: The wing is the corporeal element which is most akin to the divine...
summary: The passage describes the soul’s winged ascent toward the divine realm,
the procession of Zeus and the gods through heaven, the vision of truth beyond
heaven, and the differing fates of souls according to their ability to behold
truth and follow divine order.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The wing is described as a bodily element akin to the divine, able to lift
what tends downward into the upper region.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The wing of the soul is nourished by beauty, wisdom, goodness, and similar
qualities, but wastes away when fed by evil and foulness.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Zeus holds the reins of a winged chariot, leads the way in heaven, and orders
and cares for all.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Gods and demi-gods follow Zeus in ordered bands, while Hestia remains at home
in the house of heaven.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: At banquet and festival the gods move up a steep path to the top of the vault
of heaven, and the immortals stand outside heaven and behold what lies beyond.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Beyond heaven is described as the place of true being, pure knowledge, truth,
and realities visible only to mind.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: After beholding true existences, the divine soul returns home, and the charioteer
gives the horses ambrosia and nectar.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Other souls attempt to follow God, but are troubled by their steeds; some
rise and fall, some fail to see, and many are lamed or have wings broken through
poor driving.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The plain of truth contains pasture suited to the highest part of the soul
and nourishing to the soul’s wing.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: A law of Destiny preserves souls that behold truth with a god, while souls
that fail sink under forgetfulness and vice, lose their wings, drop to the ground,
and receive human births of different kinds.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The passage states that the resulting human lives are states of probation
in which righteous conduct improves one’s lot and unrighteous conduct worsens
it.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Zeus
description: Mighty lord who holds the reins of a winged chariot, leads the way
in heaven, and orders and cares for all.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Gods and demi-gods
description: An array following Zeus in eleven bands; they pass through heaven,
attend banquet and festival, and behold things beyond heaven.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Hestia
description: The one among the heavenly company who remains at home in the house
of heaven.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: The soul as charioteer
description: The soul is depicted through a charioteer whose horses may obey or
resist, enabling or hindering vision of true being.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Steeds of the soul
description: Horses associated with the charioteer; unruly or vicious steeds weigh
down or trouble the soul’s ascent.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: heavenly leader and orderer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Zeus leads the way in heaven while ordering and caring for all.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: divine procession and beholders beyond heaven
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The gods and demi-gods follow Zeus, ascend to the vault of heaven, and behold
things beyond.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: heavenly house-abider
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Hestia alone remains at home in the house of heaven.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: soul striving for vision of truth
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The soul attempts to follow God and behold true being, succeeding or failing
according to its condition and guidance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: obedient or obstructing powers of motion
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The steeds may obey the rein or, when vicious and unruly, weigh down and
trouble the charioteer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wing of the soul
literal_form: wing
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: winged chariot and reins
literal_form: winged chariot with reins
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: upper region and vault of heaven
literal_form: upper region, steep path, top of the vault of heaven, outside of heaven
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: plain of truth and pasture
literal_form: plain of truth containing pasture
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: ambrosia and nectar
literal_form: ambrosia to eat and nectar to drink
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: forgetfulness and vice as a double load
literal_form: double load of forgetfulness and vice
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Nourishment and wasting of the soul’s wing
summary: The passage explains that the soul’s wing grows through divine qualities
and withers through evil and foulness.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Zeus leads the heavenly procession
summary: Zeus drives a winged chariot through heaven, followed by gods and demi-gods
in ordered bands, while Hestia stays at home.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Ascent to the outside of heaven
summary: At festival the divine chariots ascend to the top of heaven; the immortals
stand outside heaven and behold what lies beyond.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Vision of true being and return home
summary: The soul beholds truth, justice, temperance, and absolute knowledge, then
returns home, where the charioteer feeds the horses ambrosia and nectar.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Struggle and fall of other souls
summary: Less capable souls strive to follow the gods but are hindered by unruly
steeds, confusion, broken wings, and failure to attain true being.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Destiny assigns human births and probation
summary: Souls that behold truth are preserved, while those that fail fall to earth
and enter different human lives according to the degree of truth they have seen;
these lives are described as probationary states.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: ascent to the divine upper realm
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: The passage repeatedly describes upward movement by wings and chariots toward
the upper region, the vault of heaven, and the realm beyond heaven.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The ascent is philosophical and cosmological rather than an adventure
narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: wisdom and truth as nourishment of the soul
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Beauty, wisdom, goodness, pure knowledge, truth, and the plain of truth nourish
or replenish the soul and its wing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames nourishment metaphorically within a philosophical psychology.
- id: motif:3
label: mystical quest for vision of true being
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: Souls long to behold the upper world and true being, undergo great effort,
and succeed or fail in attaining the mysteries of true being.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The text does not present a single questing hero; it describes classes
of souls.
- id: motif:4
label: fall from heavenly vision into embodied probation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Souls that cannot follow and fail to behold truth lose their wings, drop
to the ground, and enter human lives described as states of probation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy label exactly matches this fall-and-incarnation
pattern.
- id: motif:5
label: ordered celestial procession
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Zeus leads gods and demi-gods in ordered bands through heaven, with each
doing his own work and moving in appointed order.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: This is a cosmological procession rather than a ritual procession explicitly
performed by humans.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: 2246-2253
quote_or_summary: The wing is described as akin to the divine, tending to soar upward;
it is nourished by beauty, wisdom, and goodness, but wastes when fed by evil and
foulness.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 2253-2260
quote_or_summary: Zeus drives a winged chariot and leads heaven; gods and demi-gods
follow in eleven bands, while Hestia remains at home in heaven.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 2260-2271
quote_or_summary: At banquet and festival, the gods ascend to the top of heaven;
divine chariots move easily, while others struggle, and the immortals stand outside
heaven and behold what is beyond.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 2271-2284
quote_or_summary: 'Beyond heaven abides true being: a colorless, formless, intangible
essence visible only to mind; divine intelligence rejoices in beholding reality
and truth.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 2284-2289
quote_or_summary: After beholding true existences, the soul returns home; the charioteer
stables the horses and gives them ambrosia and nectar.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 2290-2306
quote_or_summary: Other souls follow God with difficulty, rise and fall, struggle
below the surface, tread on one another, and many are lamed or have wings broken
by ill-driving.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 2306-2311
quote_or_summary: Souls eagerly seek the plain of truth because pasture suited to
the highest part of the soul is found there, and it nourishes the wing on which
the soul soars.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 2311-2319
quote_or_summary: The law of Destiny preserves a soul that sees truth with a god;
a soul that fails sinks under forgetfulness and vice, loses its wings, falls to
ground, and enters human birth according to its degree of vision.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: quote
locator: 2319-2321
quote_or_summary: Human lives are described as “states of probation,” where righteous
conduct improves one’s lot and unrighteous conduct worsens it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from public domain text.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is well supported by the passage. Motif labels are candidate
classifications using the supplied taxonomy where clearly supported. No comparison
claims were made because the passage itself does not explicitly compare this material
to another tradition or motif family.
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: |-
Extraction uses only the supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to available motif families and only applied where the passage supports them.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-plato-phaedrus-jowett-gutenberg__l2246-l2321
passage_sha256=7e59df551d05782864c27b935648ec82845121514852ef9494f4ee53b3d6fa64