Demigod
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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.[1] Demi-gods include the Celtic hero Cúchulainn, Gilgamesh, and Heracles.
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[edit] Greek demi-gods
The definition given above would make Theseus a demi-god, demonstrating that the category, which applies in some sense to Heracles alone, is not a functioning category in ancient Greek religion.[clarify]
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) or to be visited secretly by the god (Danaë, mother of Perseus), 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.[2]
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 of chthonic 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, who was accepted in the passage of time among the Twelve Olympians.
Structurally, mythic narratives of such heroic figures falls into the genre of Romance, as Northrop 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.
Demi-gods and -goddesses have been portrayed in such novels as the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, by Rick Riordan.
[edit] 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 issued in September 11, 2002. The obverse side of the coin shows the Grand Staircase in the town palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy in Vienna, currently the Austrian Ministry of Finance. Gods and demi-gods hold its flights, while Hercules stands at the turn of the stairs.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Burkert,Walter (1984) Greek Religion.
- Kerenyi, Karl (1959) The Heroes of the Greeks.
- Dictionary.com
