Flying snakes, camel-killing ants, and other tall tales from the ancient Greek historian, Herodotus

One of the most famous stories from Herodotus's Histories is that of the flying snakes. According to Herodotus, in the land of Arabia there were snakes that could fly.

These snakes would wrap themselves around tree branches, then let go and glide through the air, as if they were flying. Herodotus claimed that the Arabians would collect these snakes and sell them to the Egyptians for use in their temples.

While it's easy to dismiss this story as pure myth, there may be some truth to it. There are species of snakes, such as the paradise tree snake, that are able to glide through the air by flattening their bodies and using their scales to create lift.

So while it's unlikely that the snakes Herodotus wrote about were literally flying, it's possible that they were able to glide short distances.

Another famous story from Herodotus's Histories is that of the camel-killing ants. According to Herodotus, in the land of India there were ants that were as big as foxes, and would attack and kill camels.

Herodotus claimed that these ants would dig tunnels in the sand and create traps for the camels, then swarm them and kill them with their powerful jaws.

As with the flying snakes, it's easy to dismiss this story as pure myth. There are no known species of ants that are large enough to kill a camel, and it's unlikely that such a species ever existed.

However, it's possible that Herodotus was describing a different kind of animal altogether. There are species of antlion, for example, that are known for creating pits in the sand and using them to trap prey.

According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Xerxes I, the king of Persia, whipped the sea as punishment for a storm that destroyed a bridge his army was building across the Hellespont (modern-day Dardanelles) in 480 BCE.

Xerxes had ordered his soldiers to build a bridge of boats across the Hellespont to allow his army to cross from Asia into Europe for the purpose of invading Greece.

However, a storm destroyed the bridge, causing Xerxes to fly into a rage. He ordered his soldiers to punish the Hellespont by whipping it three hundred times and throwing a pair of shackles into the water as a symbolic gesture of enslaving the unruly sea. The incident is often cited as an example of Xerxes' arrogance and lack of understanding of the power of nature.

The story of Xerxes whipping the sea has been debated by historians, with some suggesting that it may have been a fictional invention by Herodotus. However, it is generally accepted as an accurate account of Xerxes' behavior, and the story has become a famous example of human arrogance and the futility of trying to control nature.

Herodotus wrote about many exotic animals in his work, including the hippopotamus. However, his description of the hippo was quite different from what we know about the animal today. Herodotus described the hippo as having a horse-like mane, cloven hooves, and a back that sloped downward towards the hindquarters.

There are several reasons why Herodotus may have gotten the description of the hippo wrong. One possibility is that he never actually saw a live hippopotamus himself, but instead relied on descriptions from other people or secondhand sources.

Another possibility is that he was simply mistaken or confused, as he was writing about animals that were unfamiliar to him and his readers.

It's also important to note that Herodotus was writing in a time before modern scientific understanding of animals and their anatomy. The ancient Greeks did not have access to the same level of scientific knowledge and understanding that we do today, and so their descriptions of animals were often based on observations and perceptions that were not always accurate.

Herodotus is often referred to as the "father of history" for his pioneering work in recording and analyzing historical events. He wrote The Histories, a comprehensive account of the Greco-Persian Wars and their aftermath, which is considered to be the first work of history in Western literature.

Herodotus was the first historian to systematically investigate and record events, conduct interviews with eyewitnesses, and attempt to verify facts through cross-checking and corroboration.

However, Herodotus was also criticized by some of his contemporaries for being overly credulous and accepting of hearsay and rumors. In fact, one of his famous nicknames was "the father of lies," a moniker that was likely given to him by his detractors who accused him of embellishing or fabricating some of the stories in his work.

Despite these criticisms, Herodotus' contributions to the field of history cannot be denied. He set a standard for rigorous investigation and documentation of historical events that has influenced historians for centuries.

While some of his accounts may be inaccurate or biased, his work remains an important source of information about the ancient world and continues to inspire historians and writers today.