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The term "demigod", meaning "half-god", is used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human. Demi-gods include the Celtic hero Cúchulainn
Cúchulainn

C?chulainn is an Irish mythology hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish folklore and Isle of Man folklore....
, Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh also known as Bilgames in the earliest text , was the son of Lugalbanda and the fifth king of Uruk , ruling circa 2700 BC, according to the Sumerian king list....
, and Heracles
Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
.

of the dual nature of Greek heroes that gave rise to the modern "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.






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The term "demigod", meaning "half-god", is used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human. Demi-gods include the Celtic hero Cúchulainn
Cúchulainn

C?chulainn is an Irish mythology hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish folklore and Isle of Man folklore....
, Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh also known as Bilgames in the earliest text , was the son of Lugalbanda and the fifth king of Uruk , ruling circa 2700 BC, according to the Sumerian king list....
, and Heracles
Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
.

Greek demi-gods


Part of the dual nature of Greek heroes that gave rise to the modern "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 of Theseus
Theseus

For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra , and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night....
) or to be visited secretly by the god (Danaë
Danaë

File:Danae gold shower Louvre CA925.jpgIn Greek mythology, Dana? was a daughter of King Acrisius of Argos and Eurydice of Argos . She was the mother of Perseus by Zeus....
, mother of Perseus
Perseus

Perseus , the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Mycenae there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths in the cult of the Twelve Olympians....
), and the seed of the two fathers is mixed in her womb. Thus the heroes have liminal 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.

Zeus
Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
 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 of chthonic
Chthonic

Chthonic designates, or pertains to, deities or spirits of the underworld, especially in relation to Ancient Greek religion.Greek khthon is one of several words for "earth"; it typically refers to the interior of the soil, rather than the living surface of the Landscape or the land as territory ....
 rites in the religion of Greece. Such "demigods" were usually mortal, but were pre-eminent among humans, and some had unusual powers. An exception was Heracles
Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
, who was accepted in the passage of time among the Twelve Olympians
Twelve Olympians

The Twelve Olympians or younger gods, also known as the Dodekatheon , in Greek mythology, were the principal Greek Godss of the Greek pantheon , residing atop Mount Olympus, having supplanted the Titan or older gods in the greek mythogical narrative....
.

Structurally, mythic narratives of such heroic figures falls into the genre
Genre

A genre is a loose set of criteria for a category of composition; the term is often used to categorize literature and speech, but is also used for any other Art#Art forms or utterance....
 of Romance
Romance (genre)

As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic prose and Verse narrative that was particularly current in aristocratic literature of Middle Ages and Early Modern Europe, that narrated fantastic stories about the marvellous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight, often of super-human ab...
, as Northrop Frye
Northrop Frye

Herman Northrop Frye, Order of Canada, Royal Society of Canada , a Canada, was one of the most distinguished literary critics and literary theorists of the twentieth century....
 defined and described it. Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III of Macedon was an ancient Greeks King of Macedon . He was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle....
 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.

Demi-gods and -goddesses have been portrayed in such novels as the Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Percy Jackson & The Olympians is a series of adventure and fantasy books by Rick Riordan. Set in the contemporary United States, the series is based prominently on Greek mythology and Roman mythology, although some creative license is taken....
 series, by Rick Riordan.

Demi-gods in numismatics

Demi-gods have been the main motive for many collector coins and medals, the most recent one is the famous silver coin 20 euro Baroque coin
Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Austria)

Euro gold and silver commemorative coins are special euro coins Mint and issued by member states of the Eurozone. They are minted mainly in gold and silver, although other precious metals are also used on rare occasions....
 issued on September 11 2002. The obverse side of the coin shows the Grand Staircase in the town palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy

Fran?ois-Eug?ne, Prince of Savoy-Carignan , was one of the most prominent and successful military commanders in European history. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of Louis XIV of France....
 in Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
, currently the Austrian Ministry of Finance. Gods and demi-gods hold its flights, while Hercules
Hercules

Hercules is the Ancient Rome name for the mythical Ancient Greece hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italian shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength....
 stands at the turn of the stairs.

See also

  • List of demigods
    List of demigods

    This is a list of those deemed demigods. See Demigod for elaboration. As the term is Greek it will mostly focus on that, but similar concepts exist in other mythologies so will be mentioned....