Lover of Lies

The Lover of Lies, also known as The Doubter or Philopseudes (Greek: Φιλοψευδὴς ἢ Ἀπιστῶν), is a frame story written by the Syrian^[1] satirist Lucian of Samosata. It is written in the Attic dialect of ancient Greek. It is primarily a work of satire making fun of people who believe in the supernatural.^[2] The book contains the earliest known version of the story of The Sorcerer's Apprentice.^[3]

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 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.

References

^ Richter, Daniel S. (2017). "Chapter 21: Lucian of Samosata". In Richter, Daniel S.; Johnson, William A. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the Second Sophistic. Vol. 1. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 328-329. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199837472.013.26. ISBN 978-0-19-983747-2.
^ Harmon, A. M. (January 1921). Lucian, Volume III: The Dead Come to Life or The Fisherman. The Double Indictment or Trials by Jury. On Sacrifices. The Ignorant Book Collector. The Dream or Lucian's Career. The Parasite. The Lover of Lies. The Judgement of the Goddesses. On Salaried Posts in Great Houses. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 319. ISBN 9780674991446.
^ 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 ISBN 0-8122-1705-5