Myths in Herodotus

Herodotus is a signifcant person who is still valued nowadays. There is a reason why he is referred to
as the "father of history" after all. It is caused by his contributions to historical theory and
understanding of ancient cultures, and his influence on literature. Scholars and readers continue to
examine and value his work. 
Herodotus was a Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus (484-425 BC). He was born into an
wealthy family and had the opportunity to travel extensively across the ancient world. He journeyed
to Egypt, Persia, and other countries to learn about their habits, traditions, and history. He was
especially fascinated with the conflicts between the Greeks and the Persians, and his work The
Histories is devoted to these events. He is most known for creating this work, which is regarded as
one of the oldest works of historical literature. 
Herodotus effect on historical research methods, his contributions to our understanding of ancient
cultures, and his literary achievements all contribute to his significance today. The idea of objectivity
in historical writing was first introduced by him. He attempted to provide a realistic picture of the
situation, taking into consideration many points of view. This method of writing history has had a
lasting impression on the field and continues to influence how historians approach their job today. 
His writings are a great source of knowledge about the antiquity. An insight into the culture and
civilization of the period is provided through his descriptions of the habits, beliefs, and practices of
the people he encountered. This has been extremely helpful to anthropologists, historians, and
archaeologists in their quest to understand the past. The writings of Herodotus have also had a big
influence on literature. In "The Histories," he used narrative, dialogue, and characterization in a way
that has influenced how the novel has evolved as a literary form. Writers throughout history have
drawn inspiration from his work. 
The first book of Herodotus' “The Histories”, commonly referred to as "Clio," is a description of the
conflict between Europe and Asia, or more precisely, between Greece and the Persian Empire. Then,
the times of King Croesus of Lydia were presented, as well as Cyrus' expedition. Earlier, the book
opens with mythical stories related to Eurasia.
Herodotus describes the mythological abductions claims that these are the explanation of the
conflict, in order to begin thinking about the origins of the Greco-Persian wars. These myths are
mentioned by Herodotus since his audience would have been familiar with them.

His book one has an interesting combination of history and mythology. They play numerous functions
in this book. Well first of all, they make the story more entertaining for the reader by adding an
enjoyable component. Second, because many of the stories are founded on the religious and cultural
practices of the ancient Greeks, they shed light on their beliefs and values. These myths will be
presented by me in the order that Herodotus listed them.

First, Herodotus mentions Io, in the first chapter, which ran off to Egypt. "Io and others were seized
and thrown into the ship, which then sailed away for Egypt". She used to be a priestess of the
goddess Hera at the temple of Argos. The story claims that Zeus, the ruler of the gods, was fascinated
by Io and tried to seduce her. She was changed into a white heifer by Zeus in order to hide his
romance from Hera. But, Hera was suspicious and demanded the heifer from Zeus as a sacrifice. He
was forced to agree, and Hera then appointed a guard to keep an eye on Io. Argus, a being with a
hundred eyes who could never asleep all at  was Hera's keeper. Zeus nonetheless ordered his
messenger Hermes to set Io free. Hermes was successful in slaying Argus after trying to lure him to
sleep with his music. Io was then chased by a gadfly sent by Hera, which tortured her mercilessly. She
wandered the globe until she arrived in Egypt, when Zeus gave her back her human form. Io finally
gave birth to a son named Epaphus, who went on to rule Egypt in mythology.

Whereas in the second chapter he mentions Europa. “Next, according to their story, some Greeks
(they cannot say who) landed at Tyre in Phoenicia and carried off the king's daughter Europa”. Zeus,
the leader of the gods, abducted Europa, a Phoenician princess, and took her to Crete, where he
showed himself to her and charmed her. Europa  gave birth to three sons, among them Minos, who
grew up to control Crete and was famous for his skillful leadership. The tale of Europa's kidnapping
by Zeus became a well-liked topic in Greek literature and art, and it was frequently portrayed in
sculpture, pottery, and other types of art. According to some versions of the legend, Zeus fooled
Europa by appearing to her as a bull and persuading her to get on his back before dragging her away.
The name Europa has been connected to the continent of Europe since the ancient Greeks named it
after her in honor of their belief that she was the mother of all European kings. The tale of her
abduction has also been seen as a representation of the links between Greece and the Near East in
terms of trade and culture.

Moreover, there is a mention to Medea and the Argonauts journey in the same chapter: “They sailed
in a long ship to Aea, a city of the Colchians, and to the river Phasis: and when they had done the
business for which they came, they carried off the king's daughter Medea.” Greek mythology's The
Cruise of the Argonauts is a well-known tale about an adventure of heroes who go off to find the
Golden Fleece under the leadership of Jason. The legend holds that Jason's father, Aeson, had lost
the throne of Iolcus to King Pelias. Jason was given the mission of obtaining the Golden Fleece from
Colchis in order to reclaim his rightful throne. Kingship's sign, the Golden Fleece, was protected by a
vicious dragon. Jason organized the Argonauts, a band of heroes, to carry out this mission, and they
sailed out aboard the Argo. Famous mythical characters including Hercules, Orpheus, and Castor and
Pollux were among them. The Argonauts had numerous difficulties on their expedition, including
fighting sea monsters, crossing deadly seas, and coming across unfriendly people. The sorceress
Medea, who fell in love with Jason and assisted him in slaying the monster and gaining the Golden
Fleece, was another character they met. The Argonauts returned to Iolcus after successfully locating
the Golden Fleece, where Jason used it to restore his rightful throne.

However the third chapter mentions the Troyan War and the abduction of Helen: “Then (they say), in
the second generation after this, Alexandrus, son of Priam, who had heard this tale, decided to get
himself a wife from Hellas by capture. He was confident that he would not suffer punishment. So he
carried off Helen.” He is additionally named Paris and his influence to the beginnings of the Trojan
War is well documented. The goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite competed in a beauty contest,
and Alexandrus was invited to decide the winner. He accepted the reward provided by Aphrodite, the
most beautiful lady in the world, above the rewards offered by the other goddesses. Unfortunately
girl named Helen was married to the spartan king Menelaus. Traveling to Sparta, Paris persuaded
Helen and brought her back to Troy. Because of this incident, Menelaus and the Greeks decided to
invade Troy in order to recapture Helen. While he was fighting, Alexandrus, ultimately shot in the
heel Achilles, killing him. Greek mythology frequently criticizes Paris for his acts since they led to the
obliteration of Troy and the deaths of numerous people.

In seventh chapter we can find Heracleidaes - the sons and descendants of the Greek Heracles.
Nevertheless, the term is also used in a more specific meaning to refer to the hero's ancestors who,
along with the Dorians, invaded and conquered the Peloponnese. According to Herodotus the
Heracleidae were “descendants of Heracles and a and a female slave of Iardanus, received the
sovereignty from these and held it, because of an oracle and they ruled for twenty-two generations,
or five hundred and five years, son succeeding father, down to Candaules son of Myrsus”.

However in the chapter 14 we can see Midas:“This Gyges then was the first foreigner whom we
know who placed offerings at Delphi after the king of Phrygia, Midas son of Gordias.”. He was the
founder of the Phrygian dynasty and gained the ability to convert whatever he touched into gold as a
result of his meeting with the deity Dionysus, for which he is well known. According to legend,
several Phrygian villagers once discovered the drunken satyr Silenus and delivered him to their king.
Midas welcomed him and treated him kindly, providing him with care for 10 days and nights.
Dionysus promised to give Midas a wish as a thank you for being so gracious to him. Midas made the
selfish wish that everything he touched would turn to gold, not knowing that this would prevent him
from being able to touch,  without injuring his own daughter, eat, or even drink. He  quickly became
aware of the negative sides of his request and begged to Dionysus to remove it. As he followed
Dionysus's advice and washed his hands in the Pactolus river, the curse on Midas's touch was gone
and the river's sands turned gold. Midas continued to be a great and rich king despite this failure. He
was well famous for his taste in richness.

Herodotus further devotes quite a bit of emphasis to the history of Arion in chapter 23 and 24. He
was a well-known poet and musician who, according to Greek myth, was saved by a dolphin. He was
born in Methymne on the island of Lesbos, and before making his way to Sicily and Italy, he spent a
considerable amount of time at the court of Periander, the tyrant of Corinth. He was admired by him,
who treated him kindly and even with affection. Arion traveled around the towns of Sicily and Italy
during his trip, which made him famous and wealthy. According to the legend, he was being
transported by sea from Corinth to Sicily when the crew decided to steal and murder him. He begged
for his life, and was allowed to play his lyre once more. The sailors agreed, but only under the
condition that Arion dove into the water. He requested if he might do so while wearing his most
priceless clothing and carrying his lyre so that he could sing his misfortune to death. A bunch of
dolphins came alongside the ship and started to follow it as Arion was playing his music. The beauty
of his song drew one of the dolphins, who swam up to the ship and let him to board its back. Arion
was able to escape the sailors and resume his musical career when the dolphin transported him
safely to land in Italy. When he visits his good friend Periander after leaving,  believes that he is mad
and locks him up after hearing the dolphin story. Tyrant is skeptical, though. He hides Arion's arrival.
As the sailors arrive at the harbour, Periander approaches them and asks questions about any
updates on Arion. They calm him by telling him that he makes a living from his work and that he is
satisfied. They are revealed, punished, and Arion is set free. The tale is frequently used as a
metaphor for the ability of music to bridge gaps and unite individuals.

Worth mentioning is a term hermaphrodite that we can see in chapter 105 refers to a being that has
both male and female sexual organs: “But the Scythians who pillaged the temple, and all their
descendants after them, were afflicted by the goddess with the “female” sickness: and so the
Scythians say that they are afflicted as a consequence of this and also that those who visit Scythian
territory see among them the condition of those whom the Scythians call “Hermaphrodites”. Greek
mythology's most well-known legend about it is Hermaphroditus. According to myth, he was the
child of Hermes and Aphrodite. Hermaphroditus developed into a lovely and graceful young man as
he got older, catching the eye of the water nymph Salmacis. She begged the gods to allow her and
Hermaphroditus to live happily ever after since she was obsessed with him. Her desire came true,
and they were merged together creating Hermaphroditus, a creature that possessed both male and
female traits. From that moment forward, Hermaphroditus was worshipped in some regions of
Greece as a deity of union and fertility.
As we can see, Herodotus' work blends mythology and history together. The tale of Io, the abduction
of Europe, Medea, the Trojan War, Heraclidaes, king Midas, Hermaphrodite, and Arion were only a
few examples he mentioned. The Histories is a significant work that offers insightful knowledge into
the ancient world despite its limitations. As contrast to attributing historical occurrences to the deeds
of gods and divine intervention, Herodotus took a fresh method by attempting to explain them in
terms of human behavior. This strategy served as the foundation for the growth of the history field.

Bibliography:

Herodotus, translated by Godley A. D., “The Histories”, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1920

Antoniades B. “Dictionary of Greek mythology”, Kafkas, Athens, 2011

Graves R. “The Greek Myths”, Penguin Books, London, 1955

The Collector, “Why is Herodotus called the father of history?”

Claus P. “The Greek Historian Herodotus, Known as “The Father of History”, Greek Reporter, 2022

Mark J. J. “Herodotus”, World History, 2022