Britannica Sources used in this answer

Did Herodotus believe every story that he included in History?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Herodotus Herodotus, detail of a Roman herm probably copied from a Greek original of the first half of the 4th century bce; in the National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

No, Herodotus did not believe every story he included in his History.

Although he developed a reputation for credulity and was known for his love of a good story, he did not endorse everything he reported. Herodotus believed that his duty as a historian was to record the traditions and accounts of various peoples, regardless of how dubious they might seem.12

He was capable of critical judgment; for instance, he explicitly dismissed a story the Greeks told about the mythical hero Heracles as a "silly fable," noting that it reflected poorly on the Greeks' own critical sense. Ultimately, he combined his narrative artistry with a conscientious effort to question witnesses and discern the causes of events, even while preserving traditions he did not necessarily accept as factual.1