"If they did have children, the kids would probably pass for normal mortals, since the godly powers get diluted with each generation. Rick Riordan's FAQ corroborates my suspicions: It is unlikely such a further reduction is necessary or desirable when referring to the offspring of divine beings unless there is a further reduction of their extraordinary capacity in which case there is already a word for them: mortal. In Riordan's work, a demigod is strictly defined as an individual born of one human and one divine parent. John Milton states in Paradise Lost that angels are demigods.ĭemigods are important figures in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, where many of the characters, including Percy Jackson himself are demigods. Since then, it has frequently been applied figuratively to people of extraordinary ability. The term demigod first appeared in English in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century when it was used to render the Greek and Roman concepts of semideus and daemon. Their physical prowess, skill at arms, superhuman intelligence could achieve godhood and thus become through apotheosis, a demigod.Īnyone who is the scion of a god, may be called a demigod, but upon their death would achieve their godhood status unless revoked by a higher authority. The term has been used in various ways at different times and can refer to a figure who has attained divine status after death, a minor deity, or a mortal who is the offspring of a god and a human. Anything less than that is likely to be mortal.)Ī demigod (or demi-god) is a divine or supernatural being in classical mythology. (Unless you are referring to the writer of the Percy Jackson novels, then that is EXACTLY what he means. Both of these are shown as rare powers, so I decided to think up a few for other cabins. Leo is shown as harnessing the power of Hephaestus to control and be invulnerable to fire. Rationale: The word demigod does not mean what is currently the supposition of a being who is "half" god and "half" man. In tLH, Piper is introduced as using charmspeak, using Aphrodites power to convince people to do what she wants.