A Message to Orphans & Bastards

Since the beginning of recorded civilization, gods and demigods have filled the earth with bastard children. This happens when a god or demigod breeds with a mortal. These children have existed within society often unnoticed. Some of these children did not become orphans, but were raised by a step-father. In reality most of the children would have been orphaned, killed, or left alone in nature (and act known as exposure). 

Zeus seduces Olympias, which leads to the conception of Alexander. Fresco by Giulio Romano c. 1526-1534, Palazzo del Te, Mantua, Italy.

Consider at the case of Alexander the Great. His mother, Olympias, claimed she was impregnated by a god who was disguised as a snake. Later, Alexander consulted the Oracle of Ammon and claimed the god told him he was his son. Alexander was a special case, he was able to claim he was the heir of the mortal Macedonian King Philip II while simultaneously claiming he was the son of Zeus-Ammon. Most of the children of a god and a mortal woman end up being raised by a single parent, who perhaps later marries, like Mary the mother of Jesus. Perseus was raised by his mortal mother (Fig. 1) and a fisherman step-father who was the brother of the king of the island of Serifos.

Gustav Klimt's Danaë, 1907. The mortal mother of Perseus.

The above illustrations are indicative of the stories we know from mythology. The rarity of such scenarios give one the impression that most orphans and bastards are unrelated to a deity. It is important to realize there are many demi-gods who produce mortal children. who go unmentioned. 

Nymphs are demi-gods who mate with gods and mortals alike, producing children from the many unions. We know of some of these children. Achilles was one of these. His father was a king who married the nymph Thetis – a rare family unit. What about the offspring from the numerous unmentioned transient unions of mortal man and female nymph? In the modern age, we never hear of the children of gods and mortal women. These days, bastards are told that their father is missing or are given the name of man who is not the biological father.

Fig. 2 The sea nymph, Thetis, dips her son, Achilles, into the river

Orphans are even more suspect. Records may indicate one parent, usually the mother. Many times the child is never given the name of either parent. Nymphs, likely the most guilty of creating orphans, are children of gods. The mortal son or daughter of a nymph is a grandchild of a god such as Zeus or Nereus. [Click here for my explanation of nymphs (coming soon)]

Here is my message to bastards and orphans: if you find yourself with one or more super-human abilities, please do not end up abusing your power. Achilles had the knowledge that he was the son of a demi-god. He shined on the battlefield. He was swift, with the highest kill rate of all the other Greeks. He knew he was powerful. His passion was too great for his own good and his rage doomed many of his allies. He was also a cry baby, sobbing on the beach after Agamemnon took his beloved slave girl. He was powerful, passionate, stubborn, deadly, and out of control. Alexander the Great, because of rage and stubbornness, shared a similar persona. Heavy drinking did not help reign in the passions of Alexander - overindulgence and power do not mix.

Demi-gods are capable of much more damage than the average human. Therefore, I have put together some simple rules to follow if you suspect you are an offspring of a god or demi-god.

1.       When you discover your abilities, learn to use them for the greatest good

2.       Control your emotions or they will destroy you.

3.     Overindulgence and power do not mix.

4.       Do not expect the gods to care if you are a related to them. There are many of you.

---

Fig. 3 Thetis, nymph goddess, bringing armor to her son, Achilles, detail. Benjamin West 1806.



Famous Orphans & Bastards

Cyrus the Great: founder of the Persian Empire
Aristotle
Beowulf
Moses

Jesus
Muhammad

Romulus: legendary founder of Rome
Johannes Kepler
Bertrand Russell
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Possible offspring of musically inclined deities

Louis Armstrong
Johann Sebastian Bach
Ray Charles
Ella Fitzgerald
Faith Hill
John Lennon
Tina Turner

Mythological figures born from an immortal and a mortal

Herakles (Lt. Hercules)
Perseus
The Ammon-myth aspects of Alexander the Great
Achilles
Bellerophon
Theseus
Semiramis