batch.motif.greek-plato-phaedrus-jowett-gutenberg-l2323-l2387
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-plato-phaedrus-jowett-gutenberg-l2323-l2387
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 2323-2387
start: '2323'
end: '2387'
translation: Phaedrus
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage describes souls cycling through periods of thousands of years,
receiving judgment after a life, being punished under the earth or borne to heaven
according to justice, choosing later lives by lot, and moving between human and
animal forms. The philosopher or philosophical lover recollects the vision of
truth and true beauty, grows wings sooner, is initiated into perfect mysteries,
and is viewed by others as mad or inspired. Souls once followed gods, beheld beauty
and blessed visions in pure light, and are now imprisoned in the body, described
as a living tomb or shell.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Each soul normally must wait ten thousand years before returning to its place
of origin because wings cannot grow sooner.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The soul of a philosopher, or of a lover not devoid of philosophy, may acquire
wings in the third recurring thousand-year period.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Souls other than the philosopher receive judgment after completing their first
life.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: After judgment, some souls go to correction houses under the earth and are
punished, while others are borne by justice to a place in heaven.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: At the end of the first thousand years, good and evil souls draw lots and
choose a second life.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: A human soul may pass into the life of a beast, and from beast return into
human form.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The philosopher's mind has wings because it recollects things in which God
abides.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The person who rightly uses these memories is described as being initiated
into perfect mysteries and becoming truly perfect.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: When someone sees earthly beauty and recollects true beauty, he wants to fly
away but cannot, and is compared to a bird fluttering and looking upward.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: All human souls have by nature beheld true being, but not all easily recall
the other world.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: Few souls retain adequate remembrance and are amazed when beholding an earthly
image of the other world.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: The passage states that philosophers once followed in the train of Zeus, while
others followed other gods, and beheld a blessed vision.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: The earlier vision is described as a mystery, seen in innocence, with apparitions
shining in pure light.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: The embodied state is described as being enshrined in a living tomb and imprisoned
in the body like an oyster in its shell.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: soul
description: The soul undergoes cycles of return, judgment, punishment or heavenly
reward, choice of lives, and possible passage between human and animal forms.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: philosopher
description: The philosopher retains recollection of truth, has wings, is not subject
to judgment, and is described as initiated into perfect mysteries.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: lover not devoid of philosophy
description: The lover associated with philosophy may acquire wings in the third
recurring thousand-year period and is transported by recollection of true beauty.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: justice
description: Justice bears some judged souls lightly to a place in heaven.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: God
description: God is associated with the things recollected by the philosopher and
with true being.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Zeus
description: Philosophers are described as having once followed in the train of
Zeus.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: other gods
description: Other souls are described as having followed in company with other
gods.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: vulgar
description: The vulgar deem the inspired philosopher mad and rebuke him.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: cycle-traversing soul
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The soul passes through periods, judgment, places of correction or heaven,
and later life choices.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: recollecting initiate
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The philosopher recollects divine realities, has wings, and is initiated
into perfect mysteries.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: beauty-struck lover
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The lover sees earthly beauty, recollects true beauty, and longs to fly upward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: post-judgment conveyor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Justice bears some souls to a heavenly place after judgment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: divine locus of truth
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: God is named as the one with whom the soul once saw truth and in whom the
recollected things abide.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: divine leader or companion
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: Souls are described as having followed Zeus or other gods in a former blessed
vision.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: misrecognizing onlookers
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The vulgar interpret the philosopher's divine rapture as madness and rebuke
him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wings
literal_form: wings of the soul or mind
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: under-earth correction houses
literal_form: houses of correction under the earth
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: heavenly place
literal_form: place in heaven
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: lots for lives
literal_form: drawing lots and choosing a second life
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: bird looking upward
literal_form: bird fluttering and looking upward
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: pure light
literal_form: apparitions shining in pure light
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: living tomb
literal_form: body described as a living tomb
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:8
label: oyster shell
literal_form: body compared to an oyster shell
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: soul-cycle and return by wings
summary: Souls normally require ten thousand years to return to their origin, while
philosophical souls may grow wings sooner after repeated periods.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: judgment and destinations after life
summary: After a first life, souls receive judgment and are sent either to punishment
under the earth or to a heavenly place by justice.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: lot-choice and transmigration
summary: After a thousand years, good and evil souls draw lots, choose second lives,
and may move between human and animal forms.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: philosophical recollection and initiation
summary: The philosopher recollects divine realities, has wings, and through these
memories is initiated into perfect mysteries, though others judge him mad.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
- id: scene:5
label: lover's recollection of true beauty
summary: The lover beholds earthly beauty, recollects true beauty, longs to fly
away, and is likened to a bird fluttering upward.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: former blessed vision with gods
summary: Souls once followed Zeus or other gods, beheld beauty and a blessed mystery,
and saw calm apparitions shining in pure light before embodiment.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: embodiment as imprisonment
summary: The present embodied condition is described as imprisonment in a body,
a living tomb, and an oyster shell.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: afterlife judgment and allotted destinations
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- afterlife_journey_map
basis: Souls are judged after life and sent to under-earth punishment or heavenly
reward, then later return to choose new lives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is philosophical mythic discourse rather than a narrative
of a single dead person's journey.
- id: motif:2
label: ascent through wings and upward longing
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: Philosophical or loving souls acquire wings, look upward, and desire to fly
away toward the realm recalled through beauty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The ascent is described through soul imagery and recollection, not as
a literal bodily climb.
- id: motif:3
label: transmigration between human and animal lives
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage states that the soul of a man may pass into the life of a beast
and return from beast into human form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly names transmigration.
- id: motif:4
label: mystery initiation through recollection
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
- wisdom
basis: The one who rightly uses memories of divine realities is initiated into perfect
mysteries and becomes truly perfect.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage uses mystery language in a philosophical sense.
- id: motif:5
label: body as tomb or shell imprisoning soul
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage describes souls as imprisoned in the body, enshrined in a living
tomb, and like an oyster in its shell.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly corresponds to body-prison imagery.
- id: motif:6
label: recollection of a lost divine vision
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- mystical_quest
basis: Souls once beheld true being and pure-light visions with the gods, and only
some retain and respond to images of that other world.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The motif is framed as philosophical epistemology as well as mythic recollection.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 2323-2331
quote_or_summary: Souls usually require ten thousand years to return and grow wings;
philosophical souls or philosophical lovers may acquire wings in the third thousand-year
period.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 2331-2339
quote_or_summary: The philosopher is not subject to judgment; others are judged
after a first life and go either to under-earth correction and punishment or to
a heavenly place borne by justice.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 2339-2346
quote_or_summary: After a thousand years good and evil souls draw lots and choose
a second life; a human soul may enter a beast's life or return from beast to human
form.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 2346-2358
quote_or_summary: The philosopher recollects the things the soul saw while following
God; the philosopher's mind has wings and is initiated into perfect mysteries
through these memories.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 2360-2369
quote_or_summary: The fourth kind of madness occurs when seeing earthly beauty recalls
true beauty; the person wants to fly away but cannot and is like a bird fluttering
and looking upward.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 2369-2378
quote_or_summary: Every human soul has beheld true being, but many fail to recall
the other world; few retain remembrance and are amazed by earthly images of it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 2378-2385
quote_or_summary: Philosophers once followed Zeus and others followed other gods;
they saw beauty shining, a blessed mystery, and calm apparitions in pure light
before later evils.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 2385-2387
quote_or_summary: The current embodied state is described as being imprisoned in
the body, a living tomb, and like an oyster in its shell.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 2356-2359
quote_or_summary: Because the philosopher forgets earthly interests and is rapt
in the divine, the vulgar deem him mad and rebuke him, not seeing that he is inspired.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/phaedrus-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: high
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction uses only the supplied public-domain passage. Comparison claims
are omitted because the passage does not itself make an external comparative claim.
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 taxonomy symbol refs were assigned because the available symbol list does not include the passage's main symbols such as wings, lots, tomb, shell, heaven, or under-earth correction houses.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-plato-phaedrus-jowett-gutenberg__l2323-l2387
passage_sha256=dc886e84cd6e8dd46ecca3f72723c89dd340504e91076c8853fba4be852ac775