Who were the Demigods?

Who were the Demigods? Definition of Demigods: Demigods were the offspring of a
deity and mortal, half-gods, who were invariably renown for their courage and great
strength. Many of the ancient gods, like​ ​Zeus​, had children as a result of their romantic
involvement with mortals. Demigods, being part god and part mortal, had great powers
and abilities and often featured in the mythology of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.
The Demigods were fabulous famous heroes such as Achilles, Hercules, Theseus and
Perseus.

Achilles Achilles was one of the demigods and the son of Thetis, a minor
sea-goddess and Peleus, the king of Myrmidons

Aeacus Aeacus was one of the demigods and the son of a son of Zeus and
Aegina who was the daughter of a river god. He was the father of
Telamon and Peleus and grandfather of Ajax and Achilles

Aeneas Aeneas was one of the demigods and the son of the goddess
Aphrodite and Prince Anchises

Amphion Amphion was one of the demigods and a son of Zeus and Antiope

Arcas Arcas was one of the demigods and a son of Zeus and Callisto a
nymph and minor goddess associated with Aphrodite

Clymene Clymene was one of the demigods and the daughter of the Titan
gods Oceanus and Tethys

Dardanus Dardanus was a demigod and a son of Zeus and Electra who was
the daughter of Atlas

Epaphus Epaphus was one of the demigods and a son of Zeus and Io, a
priestess of the goddess Hera

Harmonia Harmonia was one of the demigods and a daughter of Zeus and
Electra

Helen of Troy Helen of Troy was one of the demigods and a daughter of Zeus and
Leda who was queen of Sparta

Hercules Hercules (Heracles in Greek) was a demigod and a son of Zeus

(Roman equivalent Jupiter) and the mortal Alcmene

Iasus Iasus was a demigod and a son of Zeus and Electra (one of the
seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione). He was the brother of
 Dardanus

Memnon Memnon was one of the demigods and the son of Tithonus and Eos,
aka​ ​Aurora​, who was a Titan goddess of the dawn

Orion Orion was one of the demigods and a son of the sea god Poseidon
and Euryale

Orpheus Orpheus was one of the demigods and a son of Calliope and the god
Apollo

Perseus Perseus was one of the demigods and a son of Zeus and Danae

Pollux Pollux was one of the demigods and a son of Zeus and the mortal
Leda. He was the twin brother of Castor

Theseus Theseus was one of the demigods and a son of Poseidon and
Aethra

Tityos Tityos was one of the demigods and a son of Zeus and Elara

Zethes Zethes was one of the demigods and a son of Boreas (the Greek
god of the cold north wind and the bringer of winter) and Oreithyia,
daughter of King Erechtheus of Athens. His brother was Calais

Legends of Famous Demigods

There are many myths and legends surrounding the Greek demigods, some of the most
famous stories about demigods were documented in the Iliad and the Odyssey by the
Greek writer Homer. The most famous of the demigods were Achilles, Hercules,
Theseus, Perseus and Helen of Troy. A short summary of the mythology surrounding
these famous Greek demigods are detailed below.
Myths of Famous Demigods - Achilles
There are many myths and legend surrounding the Greek Demigod Achilles. According
to Greek mythology Achilles was a demigod and the son of Thetis, a minor sea-goddess
and Peleus, the king of Myrmidons, an ancient tribe of Greece. He is famous for being
the stongest and the bravest of all the Greeks who fought in the Trojan War. His mother,
Thetis, dipped Achilles into the River Styx when he was a baby and he was made
invulnerable, except at the heel by which she held him.
During the Trojan war Achilles quarrelled with Agamemnon and he refused to take part
in further battles. Achilles allowed his much loved cousin Patroclus to fight in his armor
and Patroclus was killed by the Trojan warrior Hector. Achilles, in a terrible rage,
returned to battle and killed Hector dragging his body around the walls of Troy. Paris
killed then killed Achilles with an arrow guided by Apollo to the heel of Achilles.
Myths of Famous Demigods - Perseus
Perseus was a demigod and a son of Zeus and the Danae. His adventures play an
important part in Greek Mythology. Perseus was sent on an impossible quest by King
Polydectes, who hoped that Perseus would killed. He sent the demigod Perseus to
fetch the head of the Gorgon Medusa, thinking that Perseus would die in the attempt.
The Greek gods intervened and gave Perseus some magical weapons. The greek god
Hermes gave him a curved sword and winged sandals, the Greek goddess Athena gave
Perseus a mirror-like shield, and the god Hades gave Perseus a helmet that made him
invisible. Perseus had to consult the Graeae (the Gray Witches) to find out the
whereabouts of the Gorgon Medusa. The Graeae were three perpetually old women,
who had to share one eye and one tooth among them. The demigod Perseus tricked the
old women by taking their eye forcing them to tell him where he could find the gorgons,
their sisters. Perseus slew Medusa and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster and
married her. Perseus gave the Medusa head to the goddess Athena.

Myths of Famous Demigods - Theseus

There are many famous myths surrounding the Greek Demigod Theseus. Theseus was
a demigod and a son of Poseidon and Aethra. Theseus slew many legendary villains,
including Sinis, Sciron, and Procrustes. But his greatest triumph was in killing the
Minotaur that was owned by King Minos of Crete and kept in a labyrinth at Knossos.
The minotaur was a fierce monster, half man and half bull. Theseus was imprisoned in
Hades until Hercules rescued him. The demigod Theseus was treacherously murdered
by King Lycomedes.

Female Demigods - Helen of Troy, Harmonia and Clymene

Three famous female demigods (demigoddesses) are Clymene, Harmonia and,
surprisingly to some, Helen of Troy.
Clymene was a demigod and the daughter of the Titan gods Oceanus and Tethys and
the mother of Atlas and Prometheus.
Harmonia was the daughter of Zeus and Electra and was the wife of Cadmus. The gods
turned Harmonia into a serpent.

Female Demigods - Helen of Troy

The beautiful Helen was the daughter of the Greek god Zeus and Leda who was the
wife of wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta. According to Greek mythology Leda was
seduced by Zeus, who visited her in the form of a swan. Helen was the sister of Castor
and Pollux. Helen married Menelaus the, king of Sparta, the younger brother of
Agamemnon. Prince Paris of Troy abducted Helen and took her to Troy, which started
the nine year Trojan War. The participants of the Trojan War included included heroes
such as Hector, Achilles, Odysseus, and Ajax. The Greeks built a large hollow wooden
horse in which a small group of warriors were concealed. The Trojans took the horse
within the city walls. At night the Greeks crept out of the horse and opened the city
gates, and Troy was destroyed. The Greek gods took great interest in the war.
Poseidon, Hera, and Athena helped the Greeks, whilst Aphrodite and Ares helped the
Trojans. Zeus and Apollo remained impartial. The legend of the demigods involved in
the Trojan War were documented in the the Iliad and Odyssey. Helen of Troy was
reconciled with Menelaus after the war, and returned to Sparta.

retrieved from ​http://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/greek-gods-mythology/demigods.htm

on April 25, 2013