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Login or Register. Save Word. Definition of demigod. First Known Use of demigod , in the meaning defined at sense 1. Keep scrolling for more.

Learn More about demigod. The Vaishnavites who often translate deva as "demigod" cite various verses that speak of the devas' subordinate status.

For example, the Rig Veda 1. Similarly, in the Vishnu Sahasranama, the concluding verses, read, "The Rishis [great sages], the ancestors, the devas, the great elements, in fact, all things moving and unmoving constituting this universe, have originated from Narayana," i.

Thus the Devas are stated to be subordinate to Vishnu, or God. In an effort to emphasize their subservience, Prabhupada uses the word "demigod" as a translation of deva.

However, there are at least three occurrences in the eleventh chapter of Bhagavad-Gita where the word deva, used in reference to Lord Krishna , is translated as "Lord".

The word deva can be used to refer to the Supreme Lord, celestial beings, and saintly souls depending on the context. This is similar to the word Bhagavan , which is translated according to different contexts.

One prominent Chinese "demigod" is Erlang Shen. In the Journey to the West , the Jade Emperor 's younger sister is mentioned to have descended to the mortal realm and given birth to a child named Yang Jian.

He would eventually grow up to become a deity himself known as Erlang Shen. In the indigenous religions originating from the Philippines , collectively called Anitism , demigods abound in various ethnic stories.

Many of these demigods equal major gods and goddesses in power and influence. Notable examples include Mayari, the Tagalog moon goddess who governs the world every night, [16] [17] Tala, the Tagalog star goddess, [18] Hanan, the Tagalog morning goddess, [19] Apo Anno, a Kankanaey demigod hero, [20] Oryol, a Bicolano half-snake demi-goddess who brought peace to the land after defeating all beasts in Ibalon, [21] Laon, a Hiligaynon demigod who can talk to animals and defeated the mad dragon at Mount Kanlaon, [22] Ovug, an Ifugao thunder and lightning demigod who has separate animations in both the upper and earth worlds, [23] Takyayen, a Tinguian demigod and son of the star goddess Gagayoma, [24] and the three Suludnon demigod sons of Alunsina, namely Labaw Dongon, Humadapnon, and Dumalapdap.

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.

In Disney's Hercules: The Animated Series , based on the film , while the title character was only referred to as a mortal in the film, he was referred to as a demigod in the series.

He also had cousins appear in the series, like Triton, the son of Poseidon. Demigods are important figures in Rick Riordan 's Percy Jackson books, in which many of the characters, including Percy Jackson himself, are demigods.

In Riordan's work, a demigod is defined as an individual born of one human and one divine parent. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A minor deity, the offspring of a god and a human, or a figure who has attained divine status after death. For other uses, see Demigod disambiguation.

Not to be confused with Demagogue. Main article: Philippine mythology. Itämerensuomalaisten mytologia. Finnish Literature Society.

Retrieved 29 July UK: Oxford University Press. Divus Julius Reprinted ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

January 1, Journal of Biblical Literature. New York: Oxford University Press. Greek Mythology and Poetics.

Cornell University Press. Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte. A Greek—English Lexicon 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.