GakuseiDon

Why? I'm not sure what you are aiming for here, I'm afraid. Is there something in doubt on this topic that requires evidence one way or the other?

Malachi151

Its not a matter of doubt, I just have not been able to find this information.

I don't know this information and I can't find a source for it. I'd like to see what evidence we have and don't have for a variety of ancient figures, both "real ones" and "mythological ones".

jgibson000

You should try exploring the data on Heracles set out in Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth (Johns Hopkins Press).

And BTW, Tertullian was hardly the only one in the ancient world to think that Heracles was translated from mortal to immortal. In fact that's a traditional story of what happened at his murder/ death from Homer onward. It is an essential element in the plays by Sophocles and Euripides in which Heracles plays a part.

Jeffrey

Roger Pearse

Certainly some of the fathers (e.g. Eusebius) considered that most of the deities were originally men who were awarded divine honours after their deaths. This may be back-projection from the hellenistic customs of the imperial period; or not.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

gurugeorge

I think you are referring to the "hero" tradition? (Maybe not! )

From my reading of Peter Kingsley I understand that this was an authentic Near Eastern and Mediterranean tradition going as far back into the past as can be ascertained. A notable person, someone who had surpassed themselves and drawn on inspiration from the gods to commit heroic deeds - of mind, body or spirit - would have a shrine erected to them, and they would have been considered to have joined the company of the deathless gods - not just in terms of the fact that their memories would now be "deathless", but in terms of the fact that the intimate communion with the "eternities" that gave them the gumption to overcome their obstacles, would have induced in them, over time, a state of union with the gods, in the sense of them discovering that in themselves which is like the gods in their very essence. I think there was a distinction between being a god and being "deathless" (immortal) like the gods. Being "deathless" I think should be construed as a kind of mystical non-dual understanding of the universe. (For example, Parmenides raised a hero shrine to his Pythagorean teacher Ameinias - who Parmenides claimed taught him "silence" - for this cf. Kingsley's books, which also put forward recent archaeological findings showing that Parmenides was a priest of Apollo at Elea, in a tradition of healer/philosophers.)

Over time, their exploits would be retold as more and more miraculous, until they seemed indeed to have performed "Herculean" tasks in their lifetime, and literally become gods themselves. Sort of like ancient superheroes. (In fact, I think it's a good idea to construe ancient myth as somewhat like comic books - serving a similarly edifying and nourishing function to developing, questioning intellects, so to speak.)