Motif

An identity-bearing recurring narrative unit — a theme, leitmotif, symbol, running gag, tale type, or trope ('Melisande's Game', 'the Cassiline vow'). NOT a folksonomy string: a motif carries aliases (names module Appellations), a kind, frame-scoped claims, and occurrences riding the narration seam (gmeow:motifOccursIngmeow:narratedIn, narration seam — inheriting the flat-by-default efficiency discipline). Motif-hood is itself interpretive: one vantage's tag is another's motif, and both readings coexist (Principle 9). Cross-work identity goes through gmeow:counterpartOf or a shared registry anchor (Thompson Motif Index, ATU — alignment window), NEVER string equality. The tags module remains the right home for uncurated labels; the promotion heuristic (tag → motif when recurrence and identity emerge, recorded as an Activity with provenance) lives in docs.

Structure

Subclass of: gmeow:SocialObject

Practical Pattern

Use gmeow:Motif as a specialized kind of gmeow:SocialObject. Add statement metadata or a standpoint when the assertion needs provenance, confidence, or vantage.

Common Companion Terms

gmeow:SocialObject