Source edition
Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This prose work is a sharp satire on the absurd sacrificial rituals performed by ancient people and their superstitious beliefs that paint the gods as greedy, fickle beings with human weaknesses. The author ironically exposes the contradictions of religious devotion by citing mythological anecdotes about gods like Artemis and Apollo. In the first half, the work enumerates the scandalous and unseemly myths told by poets, humorously depicting the gods in heaven eagerly awaiting smoke and offerings from humans. As the text progresses, it critiques the arbitrary religious practices of building temples and fashioning idols based on human assumptions, as well as the horrific yet laughable sacrificial rites of Greece and neighboring nations, including the strange animal worship of Egypt. Ultimately, the author concludes that these self-righteous and blind acts of devotion are so irrational that they deserve either ridicule or lamentation.