This is a thoughtfully written and thought-provoking volume. Bringing together a colourful selection of chapters by leading scholars in the field, the book addresses a range of different ways in which Herodotus deals with myth, and in which myth may be connected with truth or explicate several aspects of Herodotus' narrative technique.
A detailed introduction helpfully sets out the background, discussing: scholarly approaches to Herodotean mythical material from the nineteenth century onwards; aspects of the definition of ‘myth’ and the distinction between mythical and historical time in the Histories; Herodotus' stance towards mythical material; myth's importance in Herodotus' contemporary historical context and its persuasive potential in the Histories; and the influence of predecessors and contemporaries on Herodotus' handling of myth. The introduction seeks to bring together the diverse chapters by fully contextualising all that is to follow and explaining the division of the book into two parts: ‘From Myth to Historical Method’ and ‘Myth and History’. At the start of each part, a brief introductory section summarises the ensuing chapters.
Dewald's chapter on myth and legend in Histories 1 opens up Part 1. Myths and legends feature as mythological genealogies, background information to the narrative, and miraculous events, or as traditional and folkloric patterns to which the thoughts and speeches of many characters conform. In all these different forms, myths and legends are essential for the coherence of the work, for shaping the ideology of Herodotus and his characters, and for the readers' understanding of the work. They make the narrative more palpable for Herodotus' Greek audience, who are invited to consider their capability to influence historical actions and decisions.
The ‘myth’ of the Trojan War is Saïd's subject. For Herodotus, the Trojan War was part of the ancient but still historical past, which explains his rationalisation of the Trojan War stories. These stories are also employed by characters in rhetorical argument. Here an interesting distinction is drawn as Herodotus abstains from expressing an opinion about such arguments unless they are voiced by Persians. The Trojan War serves as a paradigm for events of the recent past to further their understanding by the audience.
In d.B.'s stimulating reading of Proteus, the demythologised Egyptian king emerges as a moral example for the quarrelling Greeks and a methodological example for Herodotus: his enquiry reflects the historian's painstaking methodology in carrying out his research, and this enhances the authority and convincingness of the historian's activity. This latter meta-historical dimension is further emphasised by the mythological figure of Proteus, the man who was able to take many shapes, which still lies under Herodotus' representation of Proteus. Proteus thus symbolises Herodotus' battle in his search for the truth and his inventiveness in constructing a persuasive story out of the results of his search. De Jong's thorough analysis of the Helen logos follows. The story displays patterns familiar from other Herodotean stories as well as common Herodotean narrative habits, which reinforce the argument that the story as it stands is the product of Herodotus rather than that of the Egyptian priests. By attributing the story to the priests, Herodotus presents it as an eyewitness report and thus increases its authority.
Vandiver's sensitive discussion of the Homeric concept of xenia in the Croesus and Helen logoi concludes that the Homeric tone stresses the authority and importance of these stories, and makes them conform to the Histories' overarching pattern whereby the transgressions of Asian rulers attract divine retribution.
Gray's chapter focuses on the seer Melampus. Melampus' story of bargaining for his kingship in Argos serves as an example for the story of the seer Tisamenus at Plataea, who bargains for citizenship in Sparta. It thus emphasises the current crisis and improves the reader's understanding of Tisamenus' story as well as of the significance of the battle at Plataea for Sparta. Moreover, Melampus' incomplete knowledge of the rites of Dionysus, which he introduces to Greece from Egypt, may reveal Herodotus' stance towards knowledge: Herodotus' recognition that knowledge can be imperfect increases his authority on those things of which he has perfect knowledge.
Part 2 starts with Munson's stimulating piece on Herodotus' treatment of Minos. Munson contends that, especially in the celebrated passage 3.122.2 where Herodotus signals the division between the heroic age of Minos and the historical age of Polycrates, the historian rejects the use of myth in political discourse (that linked Minos with Athenian fifth-century thalassocracy) and indicates his preference for the example of the historical Polycrates as a parallel for Athens (this is recent, hence better documented and therefore more useful).
The fusion of myth and truth in the Cyrus logos is dealt with by Chiasson. Mythical story patterns facilitate the Greeks' understanding of foreign history, increase the significance of human deeds by making them look heroic, enhance the pathos of Cyrus' fall, and buttress the authority of the events narrated and, consequently, of Herodotus himself. For Chiasson, in the hands of Herodotus myth becomes an eloquent and inventive means to convey historical truth. Thomas' chapter reveals a unique combination of Greek and Near Eastern elements in the stories of Deioces and Pythius, which Herodotus has further and suitably altered to fit his narrative patterns and historiographical purposes. Vannicelli looks at mythical traditions about the origins of the Medes and especially the Persians. Athens and Sparta exploited mythical traditions that linked the origins of the Medes and the Persians with Greek regions that medised during the Persian Wars (Thessaly and Argos respectively) to highlight their own achievement in the Persian Wars and offset associations between themselves and the Persians.
Bowie and B. focus on the use of mythical stories as commentaries on recent events of the Persian Wars. Bowie argues that mythological stories incorporated in Xerxes' march underline the importance of his expedition and his arrogance, and indicate divine displeasure. On the Greek side, and especially in the later books, mythical examples are employed in forensic debate in self-interested and deceptive ways, thus pointing out the difficulty of creating unity among the Greeks. Myths and stories about seers further flesh out the picture of Greek disunity. B.'s intelligently thought-out chapter furnishes the volume with a very fine closure. The chapter deals with the power of myth to shape recent history. From the local myth of Helen and Theseus which puts forward unity between Sparta and Athens, B. moves on to Mardonius' use of the panhellenic myth of the Trojan War. The (self)mythicising tendency that distinguishes Mardonius' rhetoric and his presentation in the narrative offers insight into his complex motivation, psychology and characterisation in the Histories, sharpens the impact of the events narrated, and multiplies possibilities of interpretation. These effects are reinforced by intertextual interaction between Mardonius' heroisation of himself and the mythic past of the Trojan War as treated in epic and tragedy.
The chapters offer innovative readings and fresh perspectives on more or less discussed passages. A work which tackles head-on such a topic as myth, which lies at the heart of the Histories, was desperately needed and the present book not only fills the gap successfully but does an excellent job in both encouraging further research based on close textual and intertextual readings, and stirring the readers' imagination as to the possible layers of meaning. Many contributions bring out compellingly the rhetorical and persuasive force of myth. The most important ideas that this volume communicates are: that myth is integral to Herodotus' work of history; that myth's authority enhances Herodotus' authority; that myth's flexibility and multiformity convey Herodotus' skilfulness in successfully managing his material and contribute to the Histories' dialogic nature as they invite a rich variety of interpretations. This book will become a reference point for all students and scholars interested in Herodotus, historiography and myth.
