A "demigod", a "half-god," is a modern distinction, often misapplied in Greek mythology. A "demigod" is meant to identify a person whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human, such as the heroes of Greek mythology. Nineteenth-century popularizers of classical mythology like Thomas Bulfinch used the term "demigod" freely, and its definition has passed into popular dictionaries . For the Greek concept, see Hero.

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 of

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. An exception was Heracles, who was accepted in the passage of time among the Twelve Olympians. Such "demigods"

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.

Demigods are not just confined to Greek mythology however, perhaps the most famous example of a Demigod is the historical figure of Jesus, seen by Christians as the son of God. Though according to Biblical scholars, and accounts from the Bible itself, Jesus played a much larger role than simply as a "half man/half God." Jesus' true nature is one of much debate, but it is widely agreed that Jesus was fully man while being fully God. The role played by the the ancient Greeks in the early development of Christian Theology and the nescessity for the authors of the Gospels to make Christianity an acceptable form of worship in Hellenistic Greece may have heavily influenced Biblical accounts of Jesus' life

In the list 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 to Greek mythology.(And to an extent elsewhere)

References

• Burkert, Walter, Greek Religion 1984
• Kerenyi, Karl, The Heroes of the Greeks 1959

Applied to Hinduism and Buddhism

The term "demigod" is sometimes used to refer to minor gods, and devas in Hinduism, though this is not the proper definition of the term here either.

"Demigod" is sometimes used to translate the term asura in the context of Buddhism and devas in Hinduism. Semidiós Pusdievis (graikų mitologija) Halfgod 半神