Palaephatus the Mythographer (Παλαίφατος ὁ παραδοξογράφος) was a shadowy 4th-century BCE author. Ancient sources conflate him with other figures named Palaephatus, and a traditional identification as a companion of Artaxerxes is likely a later fabrication [1]. Modern scholarship places his work in the late 4th century BCE based on linguistic evidence, though a Hellenistic date is also argued [1][2].

His sole attested work is Peri Apiston (On Unbelievable Tales), a rationalizing treatise surviving in an epitomized form. It systematically offers euhemeristic or naturalistic explanations for myths, arguing they originated from misunderstandings of historical events or language [1][2][3].

Palaephatus is significant for his systematic, rationalizing approach to mythology, representing a critical tradition that includes Hecataeus of Miletus and early Peripatetics [1][2]. The surviving epitome of Peri Apiston was influential in the Byzantine period and later mythographic traditions [1].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/palaephatus/ 2. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-4636 3. Perseus Digital Library: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0620%3Asection%3D1