demigod:

( plural: ‘demigods‘; female: ‘demigoddess’)

Hercules, Greek demigod

a man who makes people believe (or believes himself) that he is more like a god than a man;

a person who is considered the living god by many people;
(mostly in Asian countries) a godman — a spiritual leader whom his followers worship as a god;

a person who is highly respected, honoured in a particular field by a certain group of people (nothing to do with any religion),

present day demigod — Julia Assange, Wiki leaks

e.g.

In Hindu scriptures we find numerous demigods and demigoddesses.

There are several types of demigods: ancient demigods in the religious scriptures; modern-day spiritual demigods; political demigods and business demigods!

The latest trend in the present societies is that any person who can attract a number of people towards him/her, either with sweet talk or by showing magic or even by buying them outright with money,  is worshipped as a demigod/demigoddess.

Hanuman — one of many demigods in Hindu mythology

In mythology (in ancient Greek stories & other religious scriptures), demigod means “half-god”, a man whose one parent was a god and the other was a human – mother might be a human and father a god or father might be a human and mother a goddess — a minor god; in the modern usage, however, the title ‘demigod’ is used for someone who has great qualities and extraordinary abilities that save people in general, such as a heart surgeon, a scientist who discovers a cure for a deadly disease, etc. e.g. some football fans consider ‘Pele’ and ‘Maradona’ as football demigods, and in religion, the ‘guru’, ‘swami’, leaders of some cults and other people who, in the name of some religion, belief or sentiment, have absolute control over their numerous followers [usually used with  a negative connotation (in a negative sense)].
For an interesting article about a demigod in India, please click here, for an article on political demigod, please click here and for an item of news that talks about political demigods, please click here. For an item of news that shows us how we come across this word “godman”, please click here.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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