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Nephilim as Demigods
Origins | Nephilim as Demigods
The mythology of the Nephilim grew out of a pivotal moment in the history of civilisation. Many people know the apocryphal story of the Nephilim as the giant offspring of angels and human women. In this narrative, the Nephilim represent the corruption of the human race prior to and during the days of Noah, and the primary purpose of the flood was supposedly to destroy them.
But there is a political backstory around the Nephilim and the Israelites invasion of Canaan that warrants exploring. The Old Testament includes few direct references to the Nephilim (Gen. 6:4;Num. 13:33; possibly Ezek. 32:27), though they have been generally linked with giant pre-conquest inhabitants of Canaan, particularly Anakites and Rephaim. Religious scholars have speculated that ahead of Israel’s invasion of Canaan, the majority of spies’ who were sent to report (Num. 13:25-33) actually wanted to persuade the Israelites not to enter Canaan. They needed to exaggerate the report with something more than the presence of Anakite giants, whose stature alone would not have been a sufficient disincentive to the Israelites. So they embellished the reports with the threat of facing demigods, the Nephilim, the “heroes of old”.
The divine-human origin of the Nephilim and their reputation as warriors, in contrast merely to their antiquity, added a much more credible explanation of the fear caused by their mention in Numbers 13:33.
This was, of course, all a false narrative but it served a purpose at the time. There is no archaeological or historical evidence that supports an actual conquest of Canaan. The story is a fictional construct, most likely implemented under King Josiah as a way to boost morale in the face of struggles against Assyrian and Egyptian forces.
Micheal Heisler, in The Unseen Realm, says “Israel is Yahweh’s elect portion of humanity, and the land of Canaan is the geography that Yahweh, as owner, specifically allotted to his people. In the view of the Biblical writers, Israel is at war with enemies spawned by rival divine beings. The Nephilim bloodlines were not like the peoples of the disinherited nations ... the target of kherem (annihilation) was the Anakim.” The “cleansing” of the Anakim in Canaan, however, does not cleanse the Anakim/Nephilim from other lands, only from the chosen land of Yahweh’s chosen people. The fact that the Nephilim were still on the earth many generations after the Flood of Noah seems to prove that they played no part in the corruption of mankind.
While the people of Ugarit/Canaan wanted a connection with the ancient ancestors of their land, the Israelites wanted to distance themselves from these traditions to form their own distinct identity and national narrative (despite archaeological evidence pointing to Israelite culture overlapping and being derived from Canaanite culture). So the Rephaim and Nephilim became races of strangers and enemies.
The Nephilim myth aligns more closely to demigod mythos of other cultures - offspring of deities and mortals. Most prevalent in Greek mythology, demigods appear worldwide in myths from Africa, the Philippines, Rome, Egypt, Scandinavia and Celtic regions of Germany and Austria. Gilgamesh is the best known demigod from Sumeria. King of Uruk, he is passionate and restless, with a massive physical stature and an aggressive (bullying) nature. His exploits and challenges are well detailed in the Epic of Gilgamesh. After seeing his companion Enkidu put to a slow death ordered by the gods, Gilgamesh seeks immortality from one who survived the deluge - Utana Pishti, but even after many challenges he is denied the immortality he seeks (he still has it though, he lives through his legacy and deeds).
Likewise, in Greek mythology, Herakles, or Hercules as the Romans called him, Son of Zeus and a mortal woman, was a legendary hero who faced many trials and tribulations. Zeus’s wife sent snakes to kill him as an infant, and as a young adult she bespelled him into murdering his wife and two children. He had to complete 12 labors to be absolved from this crime, which was clearly not his fault, but he still had to atone for his deeds.
The 12th labor of Herakles: kidnapping Cerberus,
the fearsome hound of hell
Egypt did not adopt the concept of demigods, although pharaohs were considered living gods. But similar to the Biblical label for Nephilim as “the mighty men of old, men of renown”, there was one in Egypt who was worshiped as a demigod and son of Ptah - Imhotep. An architect to the pharaoh, chief physician, and high priest to the sun god Ra, Imhotep was considered the Egyptian father of medicine. His cult following were intellectuals - philosophers and scribes, mathematicians and healers.
Memnon is another incredible demigod worth mentioning. The son of a prince of Troy and Eos, goddess of the dawn, Memnon was a King of Aethiopia, who conquered the east as far as the ancient city of Susa, which is now Shush in modern Iran. When all hope seemed lost for Troy in the Trojan War, Memnon supposedly arrived wearing armor created by Hephaestus - the god of the forge, fire and masonry. He killed Antilochus, the son of Nestor, which resulted in him fighting Achilles in single combat. He was equal in strength to Achilles, but sadly he died in the fight.
The children of the sons of God were originally viewed as heroes and mighty warriors, as opposed to demonized giants. These heroes were seen as larger than life, which symbolized strength or status and their divinity. To me, the demigods epitomise the Nephilim - semi-divine warriors, leaders, healers and scribes. Each has a challenge to overcome, a mission they must succeed at or die trying. They attract a cult of followers, they provoke envy in their enemies, they are unapologetic. It is no wonder people feared them and worshiped them in equal measure.
We are all beings of light, and although we may not face the same challenges as Gilgamesh or Memon, we have our own mission and challenges to overcome. This is what makes the Nephilim so accessible, so relatable.