Mythology, Religion & Legend — Power Ranking TOP 100
I wrote a book ranking the most powerful gods, monsters, and heroes from world mythology, religion, and legend! The ranking is heavily influenced by my own perspective, but every placement is grounded in the actual lore and episodes from each mythology, so I think it makes for a satisfying read.
In this post, I’d like to introduce some of the characters featured in the ranking. There are many more beyond the ones mentioned here, so if you’re interested in mythology, religion, or legend, I think you’ll enjoy it!
Rank 90: Diomedes (Greek Mythology)
Overview
Diomedes is one of the heroes of Greek mythology, known as one of the most ferocious warriors in the Trojan War. What makes Diomedes stand out is that he was powerful enough to wound even the gods.
During the Trojan War, under Athena’s blessing, he displayed combat ability far beyond that of ordinary heroes, slaying countless Trojan warriors. And in the midst of that battle, he wounded both the god of war Ares and the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite.
Against Ares in particular, he thrust his spear into his abdomen, wounding him severely and driving him from the field. He also fought Apollo, but Apollo deflected all of Diomedes’ attacks and gave him a sharp rebuke: “Know your place, mortal” (paraphrased).
As this illustrates, even within the Greek pantheon there is a considerable gap in rank between Ares and Apollo. An important point for evaluating Diomedes is that this ranking uses “peak condition” as the standard.
Therefore, the evaluation is based on Diomedes in a state empowered by Athena’s blessing.
Some might argue that this is Athena’s power, not Diomedes’ own — but I don’t believe Athena’s blessing is all-powerful, and I consider Diomedes’ ability to draw out that much of her blessing to be part of his own strength.
Why This Ranking
Diomedes is unquestionably one of the strongest heroes of the Trojan War. The feat of a mere human wounding gods qualifies him as a warrior approaching the level of a war god.
The fact that under Athena’s blessing a human could wound Ares with a spear is indeed extraordinary.
However, he lacks the near-immortality of fellow human hero Achilles, and Apollo’s attacks didn’t work on him at all — which makes it clear he would have virtually no chance against genuine war gods (Ares? Who’s that?).
Looking at the full picture, he possesses strength that can overwhelm ordinary heroes and mythological monsters, but against war-god-tier deities he faces clear disadvantages. I placed him at this position in the ranking accordingly.
