Greek mythology enthusiasts needed

[Jabrosky]

Allow me to describe my latest brain fart, which involves the ancient Greek myth of Perseus:

Spoiler: Jabrosky's Mythological Brain Fart

The story opens with the Ethiopian princess Andromeda about to be sacrificed to Cetus, a sea monster belonging to Poseidon. Perseus intervenes by using his demigod abilities to slay Cetus and rescue Andromeda. Poseidon perceives this to be an act of hubris, since he had sent Cetus to punish the Ethiopians for their queen's vanity, so he reduces Perseus to mortality. Now Andromeda has to find a way to restore Perseus back to his original demigod status at the risk of incurring more of the Olympian gods' wrath.

Did the ancient Greeks ever believe there was a way for a total mortal to become a demigod? The closest I can think of is Heracles undergoing his twelve labors in order to graduate to a fully fledged god, but he was already part divine to begin with.

 

[Graylorne]

Perseus was half divine too, being a son of Zeus himself. I don't know how his father would react if Poseidon tried a trick like that.

Actually, every demigod was the son of either a god or a goddess and a mortal. Herakles was a son of Zeus with another woman. So Poseidon couldn't take that away, but on the other hand you need to be a godly b..st.rd to become a demigod. And mortal they were already, in the sense of not being immortal.

 

[Jabrosky]

Perseus was half divine too, being a son of Zeus himself. I don't know how his father would react if Poseidon tried a trick like that.

Actually, every demigod was the son of either a god or a goddess and a mortal. Herakles was a son of Zeus with another woman. So Poseidon couldn't take that away, but on the other hand you need to be a godly b..st.rd to become a demigod. And mortal they were already, in the sense of not being immortal.

I know all that, but what I mean is Poseidon turning Perseus from a demigod with some godlike abilities into a complete mortal without said abilities.

 

[Graylorne]

That's what I tried to say, I don't think he can.

 

[Fluffypoodel]

I don't think that its possible, at least form a traditional Greek standpoint. Movies on the other hand are great at showing us that it is possible. Hercules was mentioned and i feel like the Disney version of that myth is perpetually stuck in our minds. in the movie he is turned back into a god but in the actual myth he dies from hydra poison and is burned on a pyre in which his immortal half rises to join the gods. In the movie Immortals, which I did not like, the main character, I think it was Theseus, is influenced by Zeus to become a great warrior. Later he dies and Zeus takes him up to Olympus to become a god so that he can battle the Titans. Although this does show us an example of a mortal becoming a god the movie does little justice to the actuality of Greek mythology. In any event I think you can bend the rules to fit whatever story you are writing.

 

[writeshiek33]

some thought ambrosia was food of the godsAmbrosia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Jabrosky]

For some strange reason I have obsessed over the myth of Perseus and Andromeda over the past two days, right to the point of drawing my interpretation of Andromeda twice (see my gallery here at Mythic Scribes). I normally don't think that much about Greek mythology, but this one is almost becoming my favorite Greek myth. Why?

 

[gavintonks]

considering it is a genetic trait, most were cast out, the only one I can think of is Achilles whose mother bathed him in a river, but he was not an immortal. Most of the destruction is not ability but immortality and mortality, and the ability to die.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/

 

[icewindel]

Achilles' mother was actually the minor sea goddess Thetis, so in turn, Achilles was part divine. Yes, she bathed him in the river Styx, but all it did was make him impervious to blades.

 

[Alex97]

All the demigods are the sons or daughters of a god or goddess. In all the Greek myths I've read I've nnever come across one where a total mortal becomes a demigod which is because demigods need to be half god. Most of the Greek heroes are usualy demigods however there are a few exceptions such as Odysseus however his lineage has links with Hermes and Zeus.

Don't let this restrict whatever you are witing; it will work fine so long as it is justified.

 

[Arreth]

Demigods, so the definition goes, needed at least one divine parent. But whether or not they became heroes depended upon the help they received from the gods (usually their divine parent). Zeus used to like helping out his progeny but Heracles was special (he spent a long time in the act of making him). The poets perhaps used divine origins to explain greatness (and good luck) but there were exceptions. As Alex97 said, Odysseus was the grandchild of a son of Hermes but not a demigod. He was celebrated because of his clever speech, wisdom and fortitude. In the Iliad, all the heroes represent some aspect of the Greek notion of 'arete' ('excellence'). So an excellent dude might find him- or herself a divine patron and rock the world, no matter who his parents were.

 

[ThinkerX]

Might be a oddball way for a mortal to become a deity from a magical perspective.

More common in the middle eastern / egyptian tradition than the greek, but with all the cross cultural borrowing going on...it would be phausible.

Essentually, the character would have to gain control of a 'spirit' (demon, ghost, petty godling) by learning its 'true name'. This was a major goal of magicians throughout the region. Depending on the 'spirit' snared, said 'spirit' could 'fill' the magician, making him more than mortal. (And yes, christianity basically stole the concept from the pagans.)

The more usual goal, though was to command the spirit to perform wondrous feats for the magician.

Of course, this whole course might *really* tick off the greek gods, as this could be construed as 'stealing divine power' - depending on the nature of the 'spirit'.

 

[cris2507]

As far as I am aware it was the watchfulness of the divine or semi-divine parent in Greek myth that fostered the divine attributes in their offspring. Not only in myth, this is reflected in film treatments as well. In the original Clash of the Titans the armour in the amphitheatre is provided by the direct command of the immortals (comparable with the provision of Achilles' armour in Greek myth).
My guess would be that a character would probably need a divine or semi divine parent to fight their corner or promote their cause for that character to achieve full or partial divinity thelmseves.
Chris

 

[lunaphoenix06]

some thought ambrosia was food of the godsAmbrosia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Though this is originally a Roman myth but has been adapted hundreds of times to suit children's Greek mythology books, in the tale Eros (Cupid) and Psyche, Psyche was a mortal princess who eventually became an immortal herself. Psyche had died after opening Persephone's (Proserpina) box of beauty. Eros, who was madly in love with her, saved her. He took her to Mt Olympus where he beseeched Zeus (Jupiter) Taking pity on the lovers, Zeus gave Psyche a cup of ambrosia which revived her and turned her immortal.

 

[srcroft]

Allow me to describe my latest brain fart, which involves the ancient Greek myth of Perseus:

Spoiler: Jabrosky's Mythological Brain Fart

The story opens with the Ethiopian princess Andromeda about to be sacrificed to Cetus, a sea monster belonging to Poseidon. Perseus intervenes by using his demigod abilities to slay Cetus and rescue Andromeda. Poseidon perceives this to be an act of hubris, since he had sent Cetus to punish the Ethiopians for their queen's vanity, so he reduces Perseus to mortality. Now Andromeda has to find a way to restore Perseus back to his original demigod status at the risk of incurring more of the Olympian gods' wrath.

Did the ancient Greeks ever believe there was a way for a total mortal to become a demigod? The closest I can think of is Heracles undergoing his twelve labors in order to graduate to a fully fledged god, but he was already part divine to begin with.

I've read tons of Greek Mythology (favorite of mine)--to my knowledge its only passed with genetics. Now some have been handed powerful objects that can make them God-like. And some have been offered eternal God-like life (The Odyssey). Roman is the same way, and even the Bible; angels slept with women to make Nephalem (giants). Sometimes Gods would make someone immortal like the Dryad though, but this always came with a cost. Like she was tree, not very active lol.

You could, however, create a character that has demi-god power or develops it--only to explain later that he indeed carries a recessive God gene.

or

Perhaps you can be bold--redefine Greek mythology. Come up with a ruleset. What made the God's, a God. A source of power, prayers, accident? What if this somehow would accidently come in contact or happen again.

 

[srcroft]

considering it is a genetic trait, most were cast out, the only one I can think of is Achilles whose mother bathed him in a river, but he was not an immortal. Most of the destruction is not ability but immortality and mortality, and the ability to die.

Perseus Digital Library

Ya Achilles wasn't a demi-god, he was effected by a tool (the river and magic) of the Gods. A technical bypass. There are many occurring situations of God-like tools making humans stronger. That could be a good direction to go too.

 

[Shockley]

Achilles was a demi-god. His mother was a goddess, so he fits the definition.

Anyway, you have to understand something about the Greeks and their view of the gods. The line between what defined a human and what defined a god was relatively blurry already - it's important to remember that in the myth of Prometheus, Zeus doesn't trust the humans because Prometheus did *too good* a job of making them. He wanted to maintain the fire as the thing that separated humans from the gods. In essence, Prometheus was punished not just for disobeying Zeus but for bridging the gap between the human and the divine.

That said, plenty of gods had major gripes with demi-gods. Perseus had problems with Posiedon, Theseus had problems with Poseidon and Gaia, Hercules had problems with Gaia and Hera (and other demi-gods, at that). Bellerophon was only 1/16th divine, and even he had difficulties with certain divine personages - in his case, Zeus himself.

In all of these cases, the gods move directly against the hero and are (with the notable exception of Bellerophon, who was taken out by a fly of all things - sent by Zeus) thwarted, with the heroes meeting more mundane ends. The gods, clearly, do not have the power to just take away someone's semi-divine status, and this probably goes back to the idea that the Greeks saw everyone as being somewhat divine. All of the Greeks saw themselves as descended from Hellen, so they viewed themselves as sharing in this divine parentage.

You can't strip away someone's blood, simply said.

Even if Poseidon could do that, he'd have to compete with other gods. Note that Poseidon was powerless, for example, to save Medusa from Athena's wrath. Likewise, Athena was able to serve as Perseus' patron without Poseidon being able to do anything directly against Perseus. There was some real rivalry going on here, as the Iliad should exemplify.

 

[Snowpoint]

Most of the Heroes of this era were related to kings. During Shakespeare's time, most heroes are related to kings. That is what qualified them to become heroes.

I can't think of any example of a human becoming a god/demigod. Keep in mind there are many versions of some of these myths. For example, there are two origin stories for the Cretan Minotaur - one with Poseidon, one with Zeus. The one with Poseidon seems to better represent themes present in Greek myths like hubris and ironic punishment.

Also, Poseidon may have been the chief god during the Mycenaean Era. (the time before the Classical Greek period we usually think of.) Zeus and Poseidon take their name from the same root word Deus. And, several myths, like the Cretan Minotaur, used to feature Poseidon before a second version featuring Zeus showed up. Consider the following: Poseidon is associated the the Horse, but he is a ocean god right? Water and Horses don't mix.

Food for thought.

 

[Renos]

The closest I can think of a man that is considered demigod although fathered by mortals is Theseus founder of Athens. His mother slept in the same night with Poseidon and Aegeas so no one knows for sure. Perhaps they duped Poseidon into thinking is his son. Considering Theseus did not ever use supernatural powers but rather outsmarted his oponents you can assume that's one Demigod ascended by his own hand

 

[Fakefaux]

For some strange reason I have obsessed over the myth of Perseus and Andromeda over the past two days, right to the point of drawing my interpretation of Andromeda twice (see my gallery here at Mythic Scribes). I normally don't think that much about Greek mythology, but this one is almost becoming my favorite Greek myth. Why?

Well, it's a good story. You might also be interested to know that it's thought to be a major contributor to the St. George and the Dragon legend.