Meanings
- alternativeAlternative form of Euhemerus.
The Church Father Athenagoras, in the manner of Euhemeros, conceives many demons as the postmortal souls of important deceased men, like heroes and kings.
1985, Marie-Louise von Franz, translated by Open Court Publishing, Reflections of the Soul: Projection and Re-collection in Jungian Psychology, page 1133 more examples
Are we, with the Greek Euhemeros, to find it in certain human beings of bygone days who were wiser and stronger than their contemporaries, and on this account, and in consequence of the benefits which they conferred upon the race, were exalted into the position of gods, and woshipped as such by succeeding generations?
1871, The Christian Observer, volume 71, page 129Whereas Euhemeros was content to claim that the gods had once been great men, it now seems to be generally held that such a thing as a purely mythical character has never existed.
1956, FitzRoy Richard Somerset, The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama, page 70He has fallen into a common misconception of Euhemerism; for Euhemeros did not say that the first gods were dead kings: he said that they were living kings.
1966, Joseph Fontenrose, The Ritual Theory of Myth, published 1971, page 21
Origin
- Ancient GreekΕὐήμερος
- Ancient GreekΕὐήμερος
- EnglishEuhemeros
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Euhemeros. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Euhemeros
“Euhemeros.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Euhemeros. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Euhemeros,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Euhemeros.
Source: Euhemeros on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.