“Not even powerful Herakles escaped death

even though he was loved most by Kronos’ son, lord Zeus”

οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ βίη Ἡρακλῆος φύγε κῆρα,

ὅς περ φίλτατος ἔσκε Διὶ Κρονίωνι ἄνακτι:

So Achilles says to his mother after the death of Patroclus. Does this mean that Herakles wasn’t a god?

Or, perhaps, merely that he had to die to become one….