Well, Miguel de Cervantes was probably the first (we know of) in Western Culture to write such a story purely for the entertainment value and to be enjoyed as entertainment. In that sense, he did produce the first (successful) prototype of the modern novel. It introduced the idea of reading only for one's own entertainment.

However, you are correct in that the story structures, as pointed out in "The Hero's Journey", existed long before written language even existed. The best person to read on the subject is Joseph Campbell. Before Cervantes, stories were generally told orally, or theatrically. A story told in book form was a novelty when Cervantes wrote "Don Quixote."

Cervantes, despite the success of his book, didn't make much money off of it, as copyright laws did not yet exist, and there were many unauthorized print copies made, as well as many imitators who usurped the characters in stories that were not so well told or entertaining. I believe it was near the end of his life, after some laws were put in place that he added to the original work enlarging the story, and his friends, and their lawyers better protected him and his work.

I often think that the success of "Don Quixote" that spawned so many imitators, was probably what happened when the first story of Jesus appeared. It was a popular story, even if it borrowed heavily from other popular myths of the time, and many others sought to profit from the popularity of the original story back then, which is also what happened in Cervantes time with the story he wrote.

@snytiger6

"Cervantes, despite the success of his book, didn't make much money off of it, as copyright laws did not yet exist, and there were many unauthorized print copies made, as well as many imitators who usurped the characters in stories that were not so well told or entertaining."

Keep in mind this was during the enlightenment period and the movable type printing press was new which made the dissemination of many books cheap and widely available to everyone not just the wealthy elite... If I recall Don Quijote was written in two parts the first in 1605 and second 1615. That was during the 30 years war and a period of great upheaval in all of Europe.

I believe that saying is meant as "If you meet a person who claims to be a messiah, he is actually a con man". At the time and place it was first said, killing was a common punishment for confidence men.

@snytiger6 Same thing, it's also the title of a book by Sheldon Kopp. There is no one true guru, the idea that no meaning outside ourselves is real and we need to recognize our own Buddahood.
Which hardly works for someone like trump or musk.

Religions have evolved in the last 200,000 years and learned how to manipulate to serve their greed and control. Generations have grown up with this conditioning,... old habits die hard.

Though Gods may not go back that far, most stone age societies, even those surviving into modern times, were/are animist, spiritualist etc., especially if they had not been contacted by theist societies. Actual theist type gods, seem to have only really got going with agriculture about ten thousand years ago. At about the time that nation states first appear, with the need to organize things like irrigation and land sharing, so do authoritarian governments, investing that authority in individuals like kings, and guess what, so do personal authoritarian gods.

You have to remember that humans are another kind of animals that evolved with certain survival instincts. Humans evolved as "herd animals" which developed instincts to gathered in groups for safety and survival. Those instincts are still working. Most people feel more safe and secure if they belong to a group or community of some kind. In our modern world, religious institutions provide that sense of belonging and community, which most human crave instinctually. I think it is ironic that it is our evolution which is in large part responsible for religious institutions to continue to exist.

Most people believe that humans are rational creatures, which isn't wholly true. Humans are capable of rational thought, but most people still make decisions based in emotions, not rational thought. Just because we are capable of rational thought does not mean we always think or behave rationally.

Our animal instincts which evolved while we lived out in the bush, are still working as we try to cope in modern societies, and our instincts, which usually manifest as emotions, often cause us to make irrational decisions and behave irrationally.

You have to realize that our instincts evolved for our best survival in the bush, and not to think or behave rationally in our modern society.

There was no paper, there was lambskin or papyrus, playthings of the very very rich and/or government.

@annewimsey500 Yes I know. Pedant.

@annewimsey500

The "Israelites" used papyrus for proof you only need to refer to the Dead Sea Scrolls...