Representations of Incestuous Violence in the Story of the Daughter of Mycerinus in Herodotus, Histories II, 131-132 and Possible Parallels in Folklore: Proposals for a Comparative Reading

Abstract

This article explores the implications of Lloyd and Luraghi’s hypothesis that the story of the daughter of Mycerinus, who committed suicide after being raped by her father, was conceived to explain the origin of a monument. Following Lloyd’s suggestion to cross-reference the story with incest in folklore, I provide an illustration of how this Herodotean passage anticipates recurrent narrative patterns in modern folktales, proposing an alternative reading in relation to the macro-theme of foundation sacrifice.