Euhemerism

Euhemerism is a noun that refers to the interpretation of myths as traditional accounts of historical persons and events.

Today’s word of the day comes from an ancient Greek mythographer Euhemerus. The process of taking mythological events and weaving them into history is named after him. Here’s an example of it.

I get the feeling that stories of my dad walking twenty miles to school every day in the snow are the product of euhemerism. Let’s face it, memories often have a way of merging with legend.