ATHENS DIALOGUES :

Female Revenge Stories in Herodotus’ Histories

BY Niki Karapanagioti

An analysis of the story of Tomyris in Herodotus’ Histories reveals a unique female revenge motif.

 


Herodotus’ Histories features accounts of women who punish men who transgress moral boundaries and act against nomos.  A close study of one of these stories, Tomyris, the queen of the Massagetae and her vengeance against Cyrus, the Persian King, shows that Herodotus’ account stands out in ancient Greek literature in its depiction of a woman w... View Full Summary