Talk:Demigod

"Greeks had no such category, however, which consequently introduces unnecessary confusion."
This perfectly sensible sentence, which makes a necessary point here, correcting past confusion in this article (see Article history), was deleted by User:Alterego, who has not made any previous contributions to this article, with the pert Edit Summary: "remove unnecessary sentence". I restored it of course and received the following little note: "Please read the official Wikipedia policy regarding article ownership." I merely lay this all out publicly, for I see no reason to be bullied in private. There will be nothing further from me on this subject. --Wetman 6 July 2005 05:16 (UTC)


 * "since We already provide a link to the greek concept, this sentence is redundant. additionally, it is distinctly POV" (Edit summary of User:Alterego, reverting again) (The reader may judge whether this assertion reflects a neutral&mdash;or even an informed&mdash; point-of-view.)

Demigod of mythological context.
Demigod--half man, half god... 50% god and 50% man.

The Greeks have their Heroes and Titans, born of heaven and earth. The Hebrews have their Nephilim, born of women and the sons of god.

The distinguishing aspect of these demigods is their enormous strength and stature, and influence on ancient civilization--due to their supernatural birth. --71.215.154.31 23:30, 1 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Titans were gods I'm afaid. ;-) An older generation of gods than the Olympians (Zeus & co.).


 * The attitude to divinities also effects the way demigods (if we can call the nephilim that...demiangels would be more like it) are viewed in Greek and Hebrew culture: for the Hebrews there was only one god, so the offspring of angels and humans were blasphemous and viewed as evil (though superhuman). The Greeks had no such compunctions about deities and interbreeding however, so demigods are viewed as heroes, and often play the role of culture heroes (heroic figures who establish traditions, found cities, invent culturally-signifcant things, etc) that mortal Hebrew patriarchs do. 86.174.121.238 (talk) 18:01, 6 May 2009 (UTC)
 * The definition of demigod is "a being with partial or lesser divine status, such as a minor deity, the offspring of a god and a mortal, or a mortal raised to divine rank"
 * There are comma/ors in that definition and Jesus is the offspring of a god and a mortal. 2001:48F8:4078:1A1:B9DC:3023:DC37:3A95 (talk) 18:22, 1 May 2023 (UTC)

A text about alittle more about a "demigod".
Well,a demigod is a half Person and half god. You see there are many gods, but somepeople focus on only say about 7/8. But its a big difference bacause uaslly a demigod is called a half-blood. ok so a demigod can speak ancient greek or greek or they learn by tring to look on wepons they get then slowy they amerge to the language —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.209.242.103 (talk) 03:42, 23 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Nooo...in mythology demigods are born like normal humans and learn Greek/Roman/etc culture just like everyone else does. They aren't born as fully-formed adults, only gods can be created like that. 86.174.121.238 (talk) 17:56, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Demi-gods of India
Can anyone recast the following, apparently well-intentioned insertion with some source, and a little context? (Wetman (talk) 00:40, 9 May 2008 (UTC))
 * "Often people with an enlightened soul are given a demi-god like stature and they witnessed by say members of the family or some friends."

Posibility of mixing seed
the seed of the two fathers is mixed in her womb (not a modern biological possibility, but one that was firmly established in Antiquity).

I am not a biologist but is it not theoretically possible that child have 2 fathers? I.e. dizigotic chimera? Uzytkownik (talk) 23:48, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Jesus
Wouldn't Jesus be a demigod as well? With God being his father, and Mary, a human, his mother? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.163.79.83 (talk) 03:20, 10 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes. But I think you are going to have a hard time getting any mention of Jesus on this page past the Christian Wikipedians.--Editor2020 (talk) 00:46, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Jesus should be mentioned but requires a special note since while being "half-god" is also in a way, a third of a god but then also being God at the same time... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.254.79.182 (talk) 11:00, 11 July 2009 (UTC)


 * The traditional interpretation of Jesus is closer to the Hindu idea of an avatar than the Greek idea of a demi-god, in that he is generally considered as God incarnated in human form rather than a human-god hybrid. Of course, there were early sects (later deamed heretical) that different interpretation of Jesus, some of which a demi-god interpretation could have worked. --50.149.180.189 (talk) 16:51, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
 * God / Father is Spirit so his "seed" is intangible.
 * Mary was human so her seed was tangible.
 * Why can't Jesus / Rabbi Yeshua be a "demi - God" 2001:5B0:2B0E:2388:C1A8:242F:4C6:DAF8 (talk) 06:48, 15 March 2023 (UTC)

POSSIBILITY OF MIXING SEED It is possible and has happened in a modern case involving a prostitute. There are times where two sperm will enter and egg and simply not create faternal twins rather create only one. Dont have time to explain it but if you look it up online you will definatly find it. (google it) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.198.3.193 (talk) 06:04, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

"Jesus is not a good example of a demigod, and that's not simply a subjective religious opinion of Christians. Jesus simply does not fit the definition of a demigod, according to this page's own criterion: that of being half god, and half human. According to every major Christian demonimation, Jesus is fully god AND fully human."

Then perhaps the page definition needs addressing? Demigod was never so precisely defined and Dionysus whilst having both human and divine parents was fully divine, unlike for instance Hercules who had to earn his divinity. Most mainline Christians would agree that Jesus has fully divine and human natures, excepting the non-chalcedonian (monophysite)Oriental Orthodox confessions. The monophysite Jesus, being fully divine and not human by his nature, may escape the accusation of being a demigod as he is more of a theophany or full incarnation of God. The Gnostic Jesus of the Valentinus is absolutely divine, passing through Mary as water through a pipe and therefore not a demigod. Also the Jesus of the Monarchians for similar reasons.

Jesus is not a good example of a demigod, and that's not simply a subjective religious opinion of Christians. Jesus simply does not fit the definition of a demigod, according to this page's own criterion: that of being half god, and half human. According to every major Christian demonimation, Jesus is fully god AND fully human.

This is explicitly stated in very broadly accepted Christian creeds such as the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed. (For example, the latter creed states that "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man, God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of his mother...Perfect God and perfect man...Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.") The other figures listed on this page, such as Heracles, are listed because they were believed by the Greeks to be half god and half man. By the same standard, you must only list Jesus if he is believed by his followers to be half god and half man. And, demonstrably, he is not. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alg0207 (talk • contribs) 05:38, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

Jesus is a perfect example of a demigod and the very idea was of course lifted from Greek tradition. It is hardly relevant that the Christians who wrote the Nicene Creed (a document drafted three centuries too late to be anything but legalistic conjecture) or any other tract appear to disagree with Christ as demigod because of a point of semantics. The basic facts are: Jesus was born of a woman who was impregnated by a god. Christians will argue until the next religion comes along about whether he was, a god, a man, or both. The objective fact is that was a demigod. The Christian thought police don't want to recognize this fact because it reveals that the Christian story is strongly influenced by the myths of the middle east and Greece.

206.125.70.58 (talk) 02:56, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

Demigods are generally considered to be mythical, Jesus is generally considered to be historical. Paul August &#9742; 01:15, 6 April 2012 (UTC)

Not quite. Nearly all Biblical scholars generally consider that Jesus, the demigod turned of god Roman myth (just like Hercules), is based on an ordinary historical man.Kcornwall (talk) 02:58, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

The historicity of Jesus is debatable. However, the Jesus god-claim is definitely mythical. Jesus is a demi-god. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.89.148.177 (talk) 01:04, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Jesus is arguably a demi-god. In fact, the Christian church argued about that until writing the oft-quoted creeds mentioned above. However, the conclusion of "fully god, fully human" was not merely semantics. That distinction makes a very real and highly important difference in the Christian faith. As such, it is universally acknowledged among all branches of Christian faith and those who disagree (but might still claim the title Christian) must perforce qualify that they differ from normal Christianity in this regard. Since the preservation of the Jesus story has been historically carried out by Christian church, it is reasonable and academically sound to accept the Christian definition. (e.g. One could argue that a particular teaching of any religion was nonsensical but it still remains the teaching of that religion.) In other words, Jesus should not be listed as a demi-god even though he may seem to fit that description. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.236.183.144 (talk) 19:32, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

If Thor and Hercules had known you guys were going to have this argument, they would have said that they were both god and man, too. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.27.27.100 (talk) 21:19, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

I call for adding a Jesus section. To me all of the arguments here in favor are reasonable. All of the arguments against are couched in esoteric apologetics (a.k.a. obfuscation). Here's my take on it.

Jesus was a demigod for these reasons. Latter-day revisionism notwithstanding, he was fashioned directly after other demigods of the time, sharing many of the same attributes and stories (i.e. Zarathustra, Hercules, Horus, Attis, Glycol - these most of these guys are also missing, BTW).

Definition: "Demigod - 1) a person in mythology 2) who has some of the powers of a god, 3) who is  part god and part human."

1) Jesus is a person in Christian mythology (despite possibly being based on an historical person). His feats and tales are collected in various writings in the New Testaments and other apocryphal texts.

2) He is described as having limited powers while incarnate (i.e., requiring air, food, water, sleep; organs could be pierced and bleed; cells died and were replaced as he grew.) Like Hercules, not a god until he ascended.

3) According to the plain Christian narrative (not how it is parsed out in theology), he was part god and part human. Reproduction at the time was conceived as the father contributing the genetic material (the form) and the mother the raw material. So just like Hercules, Jesus required a womb to grow in and be born from (and even in the modern cellular view, obviously sperm and egg were necessary to form a zygote for the rest of Jesus' body parts to develop from).Kcornwall (talk) 01:04, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

JESUS IS NOT A DEMIGOD, A DEMI GOD, OR A DEMI-GOD It amazes me how there are some among you so willing to claim that Jesus is not only a demigod but a demigod that is also a myth while at the same time unwilling to consider or even accept what the Church has taught about Jesus because it does not fit your world view and is therefore, unacceptable. 173.86.11.220 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 03:17, 14 October 2018 (UTC)

Demigod vs. Demi-god
What is the proper way to write demigod? Is it demigod or demi-god? Are the two interchangeable? Shouldn't the article be consistent with what they call it? Prplfz9 (talk) 05:39, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

Moved comment on article page just below header to discussion page
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.

Literary/Fictional Reference
I removed the line: "Also, in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy and his friends are mostly demigods, or half bloods." It was at the least out place and uncited, and at the most completely irrelevant. Maybe if someone wants to create a section of artistic depictions of these demigods, it could be included there... Alex8541 (talk) 18:04, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Should the Olympian Series be mentioned at all? It seems almost every wikipedia page on Greek Mythology mentions that series, and almost exclusively which makes it seem more like advertising than trivia. Theyre mentioned in hundreds of currently popular fiction, from Xena to the X-men and yet only Percy Jackson is mentioned and mentioned everywhere. 219.88.182.68 (talk) 08:50, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Ansel
Who the hell is Ansel? I've been searching all over the place online for him and I can't figure out who this is meant to be in reference to.

216.54.22.188 (talk) 23:04, 13 December 2010 (UTC)

Jesus
I just removed Jesus from this list but I have now realized this is an old argument. I am actually uneasy about the very existence of this article. To be clear, this isn't really an ancient pagan concept. Greeks and Romans didn't have a god-demigod-human classification. This is an idea that I suspect was popularized by the Percy Jackson books. Applying it haphazardly to figures who have not been described in this way is original research. --Lo2u (T • C) 17:06, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

The lead
I'm a little confused about the reasons for the reversion of my sourced additions. A few points:
 * Replacing three references to reliable, published sources with a single reference to a self-published source doesn't really seem helpful, particularly when the edit summary includes the phrase "Don't change referenced material".
 * Wikipedia may not be a dictionary but unfortunately dictionaries make up the majority of the limited reference material that actually says what a demigod is. They are a source for many Wikipedia articles.
 * As far as I'm aware, the Greeks never called their heroes "demigods". Pointing out that it is a modern term seems accurate and relevant.
 * The definition of demigod is fluid and inconsistent. Except perhaps in the Percy Jackson books, the term has never meant simply, "one parent is a god; one parent is a mortal" and it was difficult to find sources that give this definition, rather than "part mortal". Virtually every source accepted the "minor deity" definition. The current lead is simply wrong, and I don't understand why sources that showed this were removed.
 * The section entitled "Greek" seems to be a very messy synthesis of mediocre amateur scholarship and unsourced speculation. It makes all sorts of claims that I simply don't believe. The same can be said for many of the comments on this talk page. I agree, it is unsatisfactory that the lead as I wrote didn't quite reflect the rest of the article, but the whole thing actually needs a rewrite. --Lo2u (T • C) 08:56, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Prabhupada's use of the word demigod seems to be inconsistent
Although in the paragraph "Hindus" it's stated that Swami Prabhupada used the word demigod for those who are not Krishna (or his emanations), the same author also uses the word god for Surya, which is not Krishna. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 177.157.184.144 (talk) 22:27, 21 September 2013 (UTC)

Constant addition of tags to this article
I am happy to try to help improve the article if there appear to be problems but the following does not seem like the user is really trying to improve the article: --Lo2u (T • C) 12:54, 15 January 2017 (UTC)
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=next&oldid=705225760 - user added 'multiple issues' tag
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=next&oldid=717446221 - user added 'self-published sources' tag
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=735685935&oldid=734491503 - I took this out on the grounds that there were no self-published sources
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&type=revision&diff=743249019&oldid=741330753 user added multiple 'citation needed' tags; expand with modern examples; ISBN needed
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=745708856&oldid=743249019 - I took one unsourced statement out; another statement in the opening was sourced, just not in that sentence
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=745836118&oldid=745708856 - user added ISBNs for arbitrary editions of ancient texts and replaced line numbers with requests for page numbers; he replaced references to very well-known works from before the 1970s with ones to more obscure print-on-demand books, simply so that ISBNs could be supplied
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=745871089&oldid=745850861 - he was partially reverted to restore line numbers and editions actually consulted
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=745892255&oldid=745871877 restored his edit but in a more helpful way
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=745939912&oldid=745893524 bot removed line numbers
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=745981249&oldid=745939912 entire thing was reverted by another user
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=746116889&oldid=745981249 replaced an accurate reference with an inaccurate one simply because the inaccurate one had an ISBN, and for the same reason restored the ref to the print-on-demand book.
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=746117178&oldid=746116889 added more tags requesting page numbers
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&type=revision&diff=746970453&oldid=746129817 I supplied page numbers and removed those tags; restored the correct references
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=747090787&oldid=746970762 added yet another page needed tag
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=748052907&oldid=747104022 added a tag saying the modern usage section was short of examples
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=756378570&oldid=753350953 I supplied the page number and removed the tag requesting more examples (there is nothing obviously missing)
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=756540030&oldid=756378570 tag was immediately put back
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=756542433&oldid=756540086 further requests for a page reference for the OED and alteration of reference to a different Oxford dictionary
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=756714569&oldid=756553241 I removed the request for a modern examples tag, after contacting the user to say he had not said what modern examples were missing and I was not convinced there were any major omissions.
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=759910152&oldid=756714569 I supplied the OED page number and restored the ref to the OED
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=759942033&oldid=759910152 User kept my page number but again changed the reference to refer to a different dictionary with different page numbers so the page number and book didn't match
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=next&oldid=759942033 User added a tag claiming there were too many examples in the 'See also' section. There were 7.
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=next&oldid=760172696 User yet again restored the pointless 'expand' tag.
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=next&oldid=760173318 I removed the expand tag
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=next&oldid=760173972 I reduced the number of see also links and then removed that tag
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=next&oldid=760174445 editor put the links I had removed back and then restored the tag saying the links needed to be reduced
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demigod&diff=next&oldid=760175636 ...and then reverted his own edit

Jesus
Jesus was divine, and very human. Fits the description, but depends on your interpretation of the word "Demigod". I wouldn't say he was 50/50, half god and half human, I would just say he was 100% both and more. Indeed, if you're looking to put a technical definition from secular religious studies to explain the nature of Christ there is a term that is much more suited to that particular job than demigod. Most secular religious scholars tend define Jesus as an "Avatar" a physical/personal manifestation of God himself, in this case Jesus Christ is an Avatar of Yahweh, not a demigod. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.10.147.119 (talk) 23:49, 4 November 2017 (UTC)


 * I'm sorry I would have to disagree. By definition He, a child born from a human and God mix, (last documented) is a Demigod. Was also the last to harness and use magic of the world and science of life. And the Avatar of Yahweh is un likely, cause at bat Jesus knocks the ball out of the park. Since, Jesus calls God “Father” over 165 times, in the Bible. Please give opinions I enjoy good debate 174.247.237.49 (talk) 14:43, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Demideity/Demi-deity
Can Demideity/Demi-deity be used at least as a redirect?

ArchAngelAvenger (talk) 00:58, 9 January 2018 (UTC)

Is this supposed to be considered a Compliment or severe hindrence for Non Believers?
For religious figures, this can be used as a way for someone to get or yield power or to be more full of themselves, or just someone really believing that they are a descended from g*d and have special power or privileges. But what about an ordinary person who for example runs for office? Is this considered blasphemous? What is the first is agnostic or an atheist can he still claim Demigod? The definition provided seems kinda open-ended. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.81.150.168 (talk) 22:17, 12 January 2021 (UTC)

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are considered Demigods
I added this at the end of the introduction... In US History, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are considered demigods. 2601:589:4802:AB0:80F4:8C3:9BBD:C5A (talk) 14:32, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Not by any reasonable source I have seen, and if you want to add it again you will also have to add a reliable source that supports the change. Sjö (talk) 15:09, 10 May 2021 (UTC)

Modern use
There is no mention in the section on 'Modern use' of demigod being a translation of deva in Hinduism. There are many volumes of books using this translation in scores of different languages. Is there any reason it shouldn't be included? Namady (talk) 12:30, 30 March 2024 (UTC)