Because of this lack of evidence, many historians believe that it was all part of mythical storytelling, which in turn made it a legend. But legends, like early medical practices,
Often hide uncomfortable truths — the kind that today could fuel birth injury claims, OB-GYN liability cases, or even chronic illness misdiagnosis lawsuits.
Even though ancient Greek and Roman scholars did write about it, it could have been down to rumour or whispers which made people believe that it was real. Much like outdated medical records or anecdotal treatments in the past,
The Brazen Bull may exist more in metaphor than fact — though its influence still lingers in philosophical ethics, trauma-informed care, and insurance coverage for psychological injuries.
Modern Scholars Weigh In
According to one person who answered this very question over on Reddit, it’s unlikely to be true. They wrote that even though there are ‘no shortage of textual references to it’, the story of the bull ‘is explicitly used as a sort of parable about.
The cruelty of autocratic rulers in our texts’ and that it’s impossible to know how much of the story is true, and how much is pure fantasy.
