Demigod - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term "demigod", meaning "half-god," is a modern distinction, often misapplied inGreek mythology. "Demigod" is meant to identify a person whose one parent was agod and whose other parent washuman, such as theheroes ofGreek mythology. ThebiblicalNephilim, descendants offallen angels andmortal women, could be considered demigods.Nineteenth-century popularizers of classical mythology likeThomas Bulfinch used the term "demigod" freely, and its definition has passed into popular dictionaries[1]. For the Greek concept, seeHero.
Part of the dual nature of Greek heroes, that gave rise to the "demigod" conception of them, a repeated theme in the story of their birth, is a double paternity: one father is a "king" of some kind, and another is a god. The hero‘s mother manages to lie with king and god in the same night (mother ofTheseus) or to be visited secretly by the god (Danaë, mother ofPerseus), and the seed of the two fathers is mixed in her womb (not a modern biological possibility, but one that was firmly established in Antiquity). Thus the heroes haveliminal qualities that enable them to have great strength, to cross the threshold between the worlds of the living and the dead yet return safely, and to mediate long after their death between human and divine. (Ruck and Staples 1984, part 3; Kerenyi 1959).
Zeus became the father of many heroes as a result of his dalliances, and after death they were accorded honors, especially among those Greeks who claimed to be their descendants and, through them, to have claims on the protection and patronage of a god. The veneration of heroes was part ofchthonic rites in the religion of Greece. An exception wasHeracles, who was accepted in the passage of time among theTwelve Olympians. Such "demigods" were usually mortal, but were pre-eminent among humans, and some had unusual powers.
Structurally, mythic narratives of such heroic figures falls into thegenre ofRomance, asNorthrop Frye defined and described it.Alexander the Great encouraged the mythmakers in his retinue to spread the legend of his "secret" Olympian paternity. His legend survived the end of Antiquity; a cycle of medieval romances developed around his legend.
In thelist of demigods there are figures ranging from deified historic figures, to culture-heroes and city founders, to minor primeval chthonic deities. This illustrates the limitations of "demigod" applied toGreek mythology, and to an extent elsewhere.
[edit] Modern Western usage
In modern western usage the word "demigod" often denotes a person who is simply highly honored or revered.