''The Lover of Lies'', also known as ''The Doubter'' or ''Philopseudes'' ( el, Φιλοψευδὴς ἢ Ἀπιστῶν), is a
frame story written by the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
satirist
Lucian of Samosata
Lucian of Samosata, '; la, Lucianus Samosatensis ( 125 – after 180) was a Hellenized Syrian satirist, rhetorician and pamphleteer who is best known for his characteristic tongue-in-cheek style, with which he frequently ridiculed superstiti ...
. It is written in the
Attic dialect
Attic Greek is the Greek dialect of the ancient region of Attica, including the ''polis'' of Athens. Often called classical Greek, it was the prestige dialect of the Greek world for centuries and remains the standard form of the language that is ...
of
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
. It is primarily a work of
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
making fun of people who believe in the
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
. The book contains the earliest known version of the story of "
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (german: "Der Zauberlehrling", link=no, italic=no) is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas.
Story
The poem begins as an old magician (fantasy), sorcerer departs his ...
".
[George Luck "Witches and Sorcerers in Classical Literature", p. 141, ''Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: Ancient Greece And Rome'' edited by Bengt Ankarloo and Stuart Clark ]
Summary
The dialogue begins with a young man named Tychiades asking his friend Philokles why most people are so fond of lies. After a brief discussion, Tychiades goes on to narrate an occasion when he went to visit an elderly friend named Eukrates hoping to meet his other friend Leontichos. At Eukrates's house, he encounters a large group of guests who have recently gathered together due to Eukrates suddenly falling ill. When Tychiades remarks that the
folk remedies
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
the other guests are suggesting to help Eukrates get better will not work, they all laugh at him. They then try to persuade him to believe in various superstitions by telling him stories, which grow increasingly ridiculous as the conversation goes on.
See also
* ''
A True Story
''A True Story'' ( grc, Ἀληθῆ διηγήματα, ''Alēthē diēgēmata''; or ), also translated as True History, is a long novella or short novel written in the second century AD by the Greek author Lucian of Samosata. The novel is a sa ...
''
References
External links
''The Lover of Lies'' English translation by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler
''A Concise History of Ghosts and Famous Accounts in Literature'' Lucian of Samosata is referenced in this article on ghost stories and famous accounts in literature
2nd-century novels
Ancient Greek novels
Frame stories
Satirical works
Works by Lucian
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