Heraclitus (paradoxographer) · date uncertain (Roman imperial period, probably)
On Unbelievable Tales
Περὶ ἀπίστωνThirty-nine short chapters, each headed by the name of a mythical figure or episode, which “heal” stories handed down “contrary to nature” by giving a rational account: the Sirens were courtesans, the Centaurs the first horse-riders, Orpheus a civilizer of savages. Like Palaephatus, Heraclitus often appeals to a turn of phrase still current in his own day. The English is a new GreekMythology.com translation of Festa’s Teubner text of 1902; the chapter numbers are Festa’s.
Contents · 2 passages
- 1–20Monsters and marvels, from Medusa to the golden apples1327 words
- 21–39Hades, gods and transformations, from the Underworld to the oxen of Helios1198 words
English translation by GreekMythology.com (2026). Original text: Nicola Festa (ed.), Heracliti Περὶ ἀπίστων, in Mythographi Graeci III.2 (Palaephati Περὶ ἀπίστων, Heracliti Περὶ ἀπίστων, Excerpta Vaticana), Leipzig: Teubner, 1902.
Text layer: Greek text: public domain (Festa, Teubner 1902; our transcription and OCR correction of the Internet Archive scan mythographigrae02olivgoog). English translation © GreekMythology.com.. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.
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