Myth and history in Herodotus’ Histories

Abstract

This article discusses Herodotus’ treatment of myth in the Histories. Taking as a starting point Robert Fowler’s argument about the controversial relationship between mythos and logos, I suggest that Herodotus presents a coherent and systematic approach of myth in his narrative. To this end, I propose a definition of myth and analyze mythical genealogies in the Histories by looking at focalization (the author’s or his sources’) in their reciting.