ABSTRACT
The complex relationship between resemblance and reality is reflected in Herodotus’ many tales involving deception and trickery. While scholars have long noted the role deception plays in the Histories,1 few have explored how and why Herodotus uses humor in many of these accounts. Donald Lateiner (1990: 230-1) discusses the Hellenes’ fondness for tales of deception, Herodotus’ admiration for “conspicuous exemplars of human wit,” and vocabulary related to deception and sophie as “keys to a storehouse of Herodotus’s humor and narrative art.” Carolyn Dewald (2006: 154), in her essay on humor and danger in Herodotus, argues that tricksters’ actions invite the audience to reflect on the nature of meaning itself, and thereby demonstrates the common phenomenon of Herodotus’ use of resemblance to encourage his audience to ponder reality. Andrew Hollmann (2005: 310), writing about the manipulation of signs in Herodotus, stresses the sophie tricksters demonstrate when they perform acts of deception. Furthermore, Hollmann argues for a connection between Herodotus’ presentation of the sophie of his tricksters and his own sophie as narrator in recounting these tales.
