The fascinating video above masterfully introduces many to an unexpected gem from antiquity: Lucian of Samosata’s “A True Story”. While modern audiences are often accustomed to the genre of science fiction as a relatively recent invention, primarily emerging with writers like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, the reality is a little more complex. The common perception is that space operas, alien encounters, and futuristic warfare are products of recent centuries. However, this perspective overlooks profound historical antecedents, leading to an incomplete understanding of literary evolution. This groundbreaking work from the 2nd century A.D. challenges such narrow definitions, revealing that the roots of science fiction stretch back far further than typically presumed. It is believed to be the earliest known work of ancient science fiction, a fantastical journey that defies the boundaries of its time.
This article will delve deeper into the layers of Lucian’s incredible narrative, exploring the historical context that shaped his satirical genius and examining why “A True Story” stands as a monumental, albeit often unread, piece of early imaginative literature. The intricate blend of satire, philosophical commentary, and pure imaginative storytelling makes this 2nd-century space opera a truly unique literary experience.
1. Lucian of Samosata: The Ancient Satirist Behind the Sci-Fi
Lucian of Samosata, an Assyrian rhetorician and satirist, operated within the vibrant intellectual landscape of the 2nd century A.D. His extensive body of work, over eighty pieces of which have survived, was largely intended to entertain and provoke the educated upper class of Greece. These audiences were accustomed to sophisticated literary forms and appreciated sharp wit directed at the follies of their society. Lucian’s humor, steeped in the cultural nuances and philosophical debates of his era, can often feel obscure to a modern reader, almost 2000 years removed from its original context. Yet, the core of his satirical intent remains strikingly relevant.
In “A True Story,” Lucian masterfully lampooned two prevalent literary genres of his time: the travelog and the philosophical debate. Travelogs, which were part guidebooks and part personal journals, had devolved into sensationalist narratives, with authors frequently fabricating outlandish tales to captivate readers. This practice was, from Lucian’s viewpoint, a corruption of factual reporting, an early form of “fake news” designed for commercial gain. Debates, on the other hand, were often perceived by Lucian as overly verbose and pedantic, with public figures engaging in endless bickering over inconsequential matters. Such intellectual grandstanding, in his estimation, served little purpose beyond showcasing the disputants’ rhetorical prowess.
Imagine if today’s popular internet clickbait articles and drawn-out political punditry were combined into a single, epic satirical novel. This is somewhat akin to what Lucian achieved. His genius lay in identifying the excesses and hypocrisies of his cultural moment and then exaggerating them to an absurd degree, all while pretending to deliver a “true” account. The preface to “A True Story” is a testament to this, where Lucian famously declares, “I confidently pronounce that truthfully, I lie.” This meta-commentary on the nature of truth and fiction was revolutionary, openly admitting the falsehoods within his narrative as a critique of others who presented similar fabrications as fact.
2. The “True Story” Plot: A Journey Beyond Earthly Bounds
The narrative of Lucian’s “A True Story” begins with the protagonist, Lucian himself, embarking on a voyage of exploration with a crew of fifty men. Setting sail from the Pillars of Hercules (modern-day Strait of Gibraltar), they are swept up in an extraordinary tempest. This storm, which reportedly raged for 79 days, catapults their wooden ship not merely across oceans but literally into outer space. This astonishing leap from mundane nautical adventure to cosmic journey is the first clear signal of the work’s science fiction credentials.
Upon reaching the Moon after eight days of space travel, the crew encounters its inhabitants: the Hippogypenes, or Vulture Dragoons, human-like figures riding massive birds who serve as a lunar police force. Here, they are brought before King Endymion, a human monarch who speaks Greek and warmly welcomes them. It is revealed that the Moon Kingdom is embroiled in an interplanetary conflict with the Sun Kingdom over the colonization of Venus. Lucian and his men are subsequently conscripted into this celestial war, joining Endymion’s forces.
The Interstellar Conflict: A Battle of Absurdity
The description of the interplanetary battle is a highlight of Lucian’s satirical imagination. A vast alliance of lunar forces, numbering a hundred thousand Moon soldiers and nearly a million galactic allies, faces off against the Sun army. The combatants are fantastical: the Moonites employ Grassplumes (birds with lettuce wings), Vulture Dragoons, and archers riding elephant-sized fleas. Giant island-sized spiders are even commissioned to weave a colossal web in space to serve as a battlefield. One such spider, Owlett, Son of Fairweather, is named, a detail that likely serves as an inside joke or a jab at a contemporary author, as the video highlights.
The Sun army is equally bizarre, featuring Dragoons atop 200-foot-long ants, enormous mosquitoes, soldiers flinging poison radishes, men wielding asparagus spears and mushroom shields, and “Puppy Corns” – representatives from the dog star who fight on winged acorns. Lucian’s detailed account of the Sun army’s poor management, including late-arriving Slingers from the Milky Way and Cloud Centaurs, is a pointed satire on the often-convoluted and irrelevant details found in conventional travelogs, which were included to lend an air of authenticity. The battle culminates in a “glorious victory” for the Moon Kingdom, with clouds dyed red by the “blood” of the slain, a vivid, hyperbolic image.
Lunar Life and Peculiar Customs
Following their capture by the tardy Cloud Centaurs and subsequent journey to the Sun, Lucian and two companions meet King Phaeton. After a brief imprisonment and a two-day deliberation, a peace treaty is negotiated, stipulating that the Moonites will leave the stars unconquered, and both kingdoms will share a joint colony on Venus. Notably, a tribute of 10,000 gallons of dew is to be paid annually by Endymion to Phaeton, an amusing detail reflecting geopolitical tributes of the era.
Upon returning to the Moon, Lucian is offered the hand of King Endymion’s son in marriage, leading to Lucian’s emphatic declaration, “There are no women on the moon.” This statement then transitions into a detailed, and highly satirical, description of Moonite physiology and customs:
- Moonites are not born of women but men.
- Up to the age of twenty-five, each is a wife, and thereafter a husband.
- Pregnancy occurs in the calf of the leg, not the belly.
- They possess flying frogs, are single-toed, and have honey instead of snot.
- Their sweat is milk, bellies serve as pockets, and clothes are made of glass.
- Eyes are removable, and ears are made of leaves.
Another intriguing piece of Moonite technology is a vast plane of glass suspended over a shallow well, through which events on Earth can be viewed. This early form of telescopic surveillance or “teleportation viewing” allows Lucian to spy on his family. His blunt comment, “If you think that I am lying, go there yourself, and you will see that I am telling the truth,” is a direct parody of the sensationalist claims made by travelog authors of his day.
3. Further Absurdities: Whales, Cheese Islands, and the Afterlife
After leaving the Moon, Lucian’s journey continues through increasingly bizarre locales. His ship sails through Lamp-town, a city inhabited by sentient, floating lamps, each bearing the name of an Earth human and tasked with reporting on their assigned individual to a magistrate. This whimsical concept offers a humorous commentary on divine surveillance or fate.
Upon returning to Earth, the ship is swallowed whole by a whale an astounding 187 and a half miles long. Inside this gargantuan creature, an entire world exists: forests, animals, and even warring civilizations of fish people. Lucian and his crew survive here for almost two years, eventually escaping by setting the internal forests ablaze, causing the whale’s demise. This segment can be seen as a parody of popular adventure stories featuring monstrous sea creatures, pushed to an utterly fantastical extreme.
The adventures continue, seemingly without end. The crew endures a 30-day ordeal on frozen ice, hunts on a desert island, traverses a Sea of Milk, and discovers an island made entirely of cheese. They encounter the “Cork Feet,” who possess the ability to walk on water, and visit the “Island of the Blessed.” This afterlife kingdom, featuring a city of gold and emerald walls, allows Lucian to interact with figures from history and mythology, including veterans of the Trojan War, Pythagoras, and Homer. He even overhears gossip about Socrates and Diogenes, and notes, with characteristic satirical bite, that “Plato was not there. It was said that he was living in an imaginary city under the constitution and laws that he himself wrote.” This quip is a brilliant, layered dig at Plato’s philosophical ideals and his vision of the ideal state.
After six months on the Island of the Blessed, a rebellion stemming from an extramarital affair forces Lucian’s party to depart. The demigod Rhadamanthus assures Lucian of a future return and points out six distant islands, prophesying further adventures before he reaches his homeland. The narrative concludes abruptly mid-journey, with Lucian promising a sequel that, to the chagrin of at least one ancient scholar, was never written.
4. Why “A True Story” Qualifies as Early Science Fiction
While Lucian’s primary intent was satire, the methods and imaginative constructs he employed align remarkably with what we now define as science fiction. Several key elements contribute to its classification as the earliest known ancient science fiction:
- Space Travel and Exploration: The journey from Earth to the Moon and Sun, propelled by a whirlwind, is unequivocal space travel. The concept of voyaging to other celestial bodies, regardless of the fantastical mechanics, is a hallmark of the genre.
- Extraterrestrial Life Forms: The Hippogypenes, Ant Dragoons, Grassplumes, and Puppy Corns are clearly alien species with unique biological and technological characteristics. Their existence on other planets or celestial bodies is central to the narrative.
- Interplanetary Warfare: The conflict between the Moon Kingdom and the Sun Kingdom over Venus is a fully fledged space war, complete with alliances, unique weaponry, and strategic maneuvers. This anticipates countless future sci-fi narratives of galactic empires and cosmic battles.
- Advanced Technology (for its time): While ancient by our standards, the giant spider-web battlefield, the transparent “telescope” on the Moon, and the flying mechanisms of the Moon and Sun armies represent imaginative technological extrapolations beyond Lucian’s contemporary world.
- Speculative Biology and Sociology: The detailed descriptions of Moonite reproduction, physical traits, and societal norms (like men being wives until 25) represent speculative biology and sociology, a core component of world-building in science fiction.
- Meta-Narrative on Truth and Fiction: Lucian’s open admission of “lying truthfully” and his critique of sensationalism prefigure the intellectual engagement often found in speculative fiction, where authors use fantastical scenarios to comment on reality.
Ultimately, Lucian’s “A True Story” remains a testament to the enduring human capacity for imagination and the timeless power of satire. It is a work that, despite its ancient origins, continues to resonate, reminding us that the desire to explore the unknown, encounter the alien, and question our reality through speculative narratives is far from a modern invention. This 2nd-century space opera stands as a foundational text in the long and winding history of ancient science fiction.
Questions on the Absurd 2nd-Century Saga
What is “A True Story”?
“A True Story” is an ancient book by Lucian of Samosata, considered by many to be the earliest known work of science fiction. It’s a satirical tale featuring fantastical journeys to space and beyond.
Who wrote “A True Story”?
The author of “A True Story” was Lucian of Samosata, an Assyrian rhetorician and satirist who lived in the 2nd century A.D.
When was “A True Story” written?
This groundbreaking work was written in the 2nd century A.D., placing its imaginative concepts far earlier than most commonly recognized science fiction.
Why is “A True Story” considered early science fiction?
It’s considered early science fiction because it includes elements like space travel to the Moon and Sun, encounters with extraterrestrial life forms, and even interplanetary warfare.
What kinds of strange things happen in “A True Story”?
The story features a ship being catapulted into outer space, battles between Moon and Sun armies, bizarre creatures like Vulture Dragoons and giant ants, and visits to planets with unique customs like men giving birth from their legs.