Euhemerism is the ancient practice of interpreting gods as historical kings and inventors

Named after the Greek philosopher Euhemerus, who lived around 320 BCE, this school of thought suggests that myths are actually distorted historical records. Euhemerus argued that the gods of Olympus were originally powerful mortal rulers who were deified by their subjects. For example, the myth of Prometheus stealing fire was interpreted by early rationalists like Herodotus as a veiled memory of a king who taught his people how to harness wind navigation and metallurgy.