Greek god of wine Dionysus. Myths and Legends * Dionysus. Siesta in Greece

How was the god Dionysus born? In Greek mythology, Dionysus is the god of viticulture and winemaking. The story of its origin is as follows. Zeus had a secret love affair with the Theban princess Semele, taking on the appearance of a mortal. Overcome by jealousy, Hera, the wife of the Thunderer, turned into

DIONYSUS AND HIS CULT

Dionysian cult, as well as the image of Dionysus himself, for for a long time their existence evolved greatly, the functions of the deity changed,

There is no consensus in science regarding the origin of the Dionysian cult. According to the point of view,
dating back to the ancient tradition (Hdt.II.49; Eur. Bacchae.14-15; Strabo. X.III.16; Ovid.Metam.IV.69), it was borrowed by the Greeks from Thrace or Phrygia.

In Euripides’ tragedy “The Bacchae,” God talks about himself (hereinafter in the excellent translation by Lev Annensky):

"I left the rich plain of Lydia

And Phrygia and Persia fields,

Burnt by the midday showers,

And the walls of Bactria and the Medes

Having experienced the winter cold, I am the Arabs

I visited and walked around the happy ones

All of Asia, along the sea coast

Salty prostrated: in the cities

The wall towers rise beautifully,

And there the Greek and the barbarian live together.

I introduced holidays and dances in Asia

And from people, like God, he is respected everywhere.”

The cult of Dionysus had much in common with the cult of Sabazius, a Thracian-Phrygian deity who, like
was considered to contribute to the fertility of fields and the fertility of bulls (Diod. IV.3,4), and was also the patron of winemaking and the focus
vitality. His incarnations were the bull and the goat, and his symbol was the phallus. This typological similarity gave reason to look for the roots of the Dionysian cult in Asia Minor. However, many scientists believe that it was originally Greek.

In any case, it is obvious that this cult retained features going back to deep, perhaps pre-agricultural
antiquity, it can reveal a chthonic (associated with fertility and growth) aspect, as well as elements of totemism, shamanism, hunting magic
etc. The Dionysian cult reflected folk mythological ideas, and it probably opposed the official Olympic
worship of God. It is also possible that the cult of Dionysus dates back to the pre-Greek population of Hellas - this may explain the later inclusion of Dionysus in the Olympic host, as well as the nature of the cult of Dionysus, so different from the veneration of the Olympian gods). Later he absorbed
various local agrarian cults, and Dionysus began to be revered as a fertility deity. Already in the archaic era, the Dionysian cult with extraordinary speed
spread to the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor, the islands of the Aegean Sea and Magna Graecia.

The Dionysian cult retained its most archaic features in Crete, where it merged with the cult of the Cretan Zeus (the last
sometimes considered the pan-Hellenic proto-Dionysus). This cult was closely associated with the veneration of Zagreus (the Great Hunter/Trapper) - a very ancient Cretan
deities. The result of all these mergers, layers and borrowings were different mythological versions of the origin of Dionysus.

Most common in ancient times(and later, especially among popularizers) there was a myth according to which Dionysus-Bacchus
was the son of Zeus and the Theban princess Semele, daughter of the Phoenician Cadmus (Hesiod. Theog.240-243; Eur. Bacchae.14-14; Hymn.hom.XXVI; Ovid. Metam.305-315). According to the myth, jealous Hera taught Semele, who was pregnant at the time, to beg Zeus to appear to her in his true form. And so as not to
He later abandoned his promise to take an oath from him by the waters of the Styx, which even the gods could not break.

Zeus really had to fulfill a rash oath and appear in the form of a dazzling, all-scorching lightning. From
Flashes of this lightning started a fire in which Semele died, but Zeus managed to save the child and sewed him up in his thigh. At the appointed time the babies appeared on
light, and began to be called twice-born.

In Euripides, Dionysus says about himself:

“Son of Zeus, Dionysus, I am with the Thebans.

Here once Semele, daughter of Cadmus

She brought me into the world untimely,

She was struck by the fire of Zeus' thunderstorm.

Along with this, there was a more archaic version of the myth, according to which Dionysus-Zagreus was born as a result of incest
between Zeus and his daughter Cora-Persephone. According to one version, Zeus kidnapped Cora, according to another, he simply raped him, but after birth the baby grew up in deep
secret. However, Hera found out about this too and sent monstrous titans to kill Zagreus. After a long struggle with them, during which Zagres changed his appearance many times,
turning into a dragon, a goat and, finally, a bull, the baby Zagreus
was torn to pieces and devoured by the titans.

The scattered parts of Zagreus were collected by Zeus, by whose grace (or Apollo) he was reborn under the name of Dionysus - the god with
bull horns (Firmic. Matern.VI.P.15; Diod.V.75,4; Nonn.VI.155-210; Hymn.orph.XXX.39; Athaenag.20). Further
Dionysus was often depicted with bull horns, and one of his epithets was Horned.

Thus Zagreus was very
an ancient chthonic deity, as evidenced by his connection with Persephone,
also a chthonic goddess - the goddess of fertility, and only later was he identified
with Dionysus. However, some elements of the ancient and bloody myth have been preserved in
Dionysian cult much later.

It was this dark and cruel version of the origin of Dionysus that was reflected in some of the holidays dedicated to him and
rituals. Thus, in Crete, every two years a festival was held in honor of Dionysus-Zagreus, during which a bull was sacrificed to the god (one of the incarnations
Zagreus in the fight against the Titans), who, after appropriate rituals, was torn into pieces by believers and eaten (imitating the death of Dionysus-Zagreus), and then staged a performance on the theme of the “passion of Dionysus.” In Euripides' tragedy "The Bacchae" the shepherd
tells how he and his comrades barely escaped from the servants of Dionysus:

“We barely escaped the bacchantes by running;

Otherwise they would have torn it apart. There are herds there

We grazed with bare hands

The maenads rushed at them. cow

With swollen udders and dragging the mooing one.

Other heifers are torn to pieces. There's a side

Look, it's been torn out. There's a pair of front legs

thrown to the ground and hanging from the branches

Pine meat, and oozing blood.

Bulls are offenders, what happened when they were furious

They used their horns, they lie defeated:

Thousands of them fell into the hands of maidens” (Euripides. The Bacchae).

(This is a poetic exaggeration, but the Bacchantes really terrified the population. Armed with sword and spear
a man can easily put several women to flight, but when there are hundreds of these women - not thousands, as Euripides says - and they have long heavy poles in their hands
human-sized thyrsi, which they wield like spears, then not only peasants and shepherds, but also warriors took flight).

These liturgical performances became the prototype of ancient Greek tragedy. Perhaps in ancient times
the sacrifice was made not of a bull, but of a person: it is known that on the islands of Chios and Tenedos human sacrifices were made to Dionysus for a long time
by tearing them apart; Porphyry (Roman Neoplatonist philosopher of Phoenician origin, who lived in the 4th century AD) wrote,
that sometimes it happens that a young man is sacrificed to Bacchus on Chios, torn to pieces, the same happens on Tenedos (Porph. De abstr. II.7). The plot of tearing to pieces and eating a person who refused to honor God, or an animal, is extremely common in the myths about Dionysus: such is the tearing apart
Lycurgus, Pentheus, Orpheus, cows, bulls and goats as bacchantes thirsty for blood in myths and poetic works - Eur.Bacchae.437-448, 1100-1150; Hom.Il.VI.130-140; Ovid. Metam.XI.1-10).

Pentheus, king of Thebes, was an opponent of the new cult of Dionysus-Bacchus, whose cult he considers unbridled and violent,
particularly negatively affecting women.

The latter, having become adherents of the cult of Dionysus, run away from their homes, abandoning their looms:

“He’s rushing up the mountain, and there’s a crowd of women

Waiting for him there - he won’t wait.

Dionysus repulsed them from the machines:

They only rave about Bacchus” (Euripides. The Bacchae).

It must be said that Pentheus had serious reasons to be dissatisfied with the spread of the Dionysian cult. In his diatribe, Pentheus
indicates the immoral behavior of women devoted to Dionysus:

“An unexpected misfortune befell us:

The Thebans abandoned their children at home;

In bacchanalian madness they

They wander in the mountains covered with forests,

And the god Dionysus - what a god,

I don’t know - they consider it a dance.

Among their swarms full of wine

There are craters, and the bacchantes are ours

Secretly, alone, in the thicket of the forest

They run to share a bed with a man.

Looks like maenads in service,

But Aphrodite is dearer to them than Bacchus.

I have already caught some: having tied their hands,

People are now guarding them in prison.”

As punishment for refusing to honor the “new god,” Pentheus was torn to pieces by the Bacchae. The latter did the same with the godlike Orpheus, the singer and
a musician who made mountains move with his singing. He grieved for his dead wife and did not want to participate in Bacchic riots, for which he
paid with his life at the hands of the maenads.

In Delphi, where, according to myth, there was the cradle of the torn Dionysus-Lyknites (from the Greek - cradle, in
where the divine baby lay), during the winter holiday celebrated every two years, the servants of God (fiada) with torches in their hands went to
mountains in search of the torn Dionysus, staging ecstatic dances and orgies in his honor.

After this, the rite of lycnophoria was performed - the basket, rocking like a cradle, was carried around the altar of Dionysus (Pausan.X.6.4). Since the basis of any ritual is an archetype or sacred model, then in this kind of holidays (veneration of dead and resurrected gods)
the “passion of Dionysus” is reproduced. Many scientists interpret the suffering and death of Dionysus-Zagreus as characteristic
a feature of many cults of dying and resurrecting deities. However, such rituals may also be an echo of totemistic rituals in which Dionysus once
acted in the form of a totem of a tribe or group (a bull or a goat).

Dionysus was undoubtedly initially associated with the solar cult, which is clear from the plot outline of the myth. The fact itself
birth of Dionysus by Zeus of Crete, as well as the fact that the name of Zeus is associated with the daytime sky and the Sun (an ancient Indo-European root), indicates an indissoluble
the connection of Dionysus with the supreme deity of Heaven, with the Sun and Light. It was as the Light that Dionysus was sometimes revered,
especially in the teachings of the Orphics (followers of the mystical movement that arose in the 6th century BC, they believed in the immortality of the soul, posthumous reward, separation
of a human being into good and evil principles, etc.), which were considered as the First Fire, the First Light (Phanet). In some Orphic hymns he was famous
like the primordial fire or light - heavenly fire.
In the classical era (VI – V centuries BC) Dionysus was revered as the deity of the fruit-bearing forces of the earth and vegetation, having direct
attitude towards the “death” and “rebirth” of nature. At the heart of many myths about Dionysus, as has already been said, was the plot of his death and rebirth. which, like the motive for his search, became the most important feature of many Dionysian holidays, and was also reflected in those dedicated to Dionysus
poetic works (including Orphic hymns). Subsequently, Dionysus was increasingly perceived as a chthonic deity of dying and resurrecting nature. In this capacity, he reveals features that make him similar to the goddess Demeter -
the oldest chthonic deity and patroness of agriculture, whose cult was very popular in Crete, where, according to myth, she married

local god Iasion, gave birth to Plutos, the deity of wealth and abundance, who became the companion of Dionysus (Hesiod. Theog.969-974).

During some Dionysian festivals, starting from the archaic era, tragic events were played out (on the theme
death of Dionysus) and comic (about his resurrection) performances - necessarily new, not performed before. These performances marked the beginning of ancient Greek theater.

In the month of Gamelion (December-January according to the Gregorian calendar) in Attica, Lenaea was celebrated, which arose no later than the 6th century. BC. - the oldest holiday of chthonic Dionysus. Sometimes the name of the holiday is associated with the word - grape
press. But many rightly object to this interpretation, pointing out that in winter the grapes have been harvested for a long time and a press is not needed, deriving the name from - possessed,
or obsessed<женщины>, based on the exclusive role of women in the Dionysian cult in general and in this holiday in
in particular.

The servants of Dionysus-Bacchus - bacchantes, they are also maenads (mad, frenzied), were his most zealous
admirers. They wore unbreds - animal skins, sometimes girded with snakes, and let their hair down, which in normal times was considered the height of indecency. IN
in their hands they held thyrsi: long, human-sized poles entwined with greenery:

“Old women, young wives and girls...

First, the curls are loosened over the shoulders,

And whose unbridled hair has blossomed,

They are in a hurry to tie up the motley deer

Again, gird the serpent's cover.

And the snakes lick their cheeks.

They picked up the wolf cub, the suckling

From the doe and they were applied to the breasts

Swollen. Apparently the mothers of the children

Newborns were abandoned. Wreaths

From ivy, from oak or yew foliage

The blossoming one was decorated later.

Here thyrsus takes one and strikes

They're about a rock. From there is a clean key

Water flows. Thyrsus stuck into the ground

The other is the god of wine who gave the source” (Euripides. The Bacchae),

During the main rite, which took place at night, the servants and, mainly, the servants of Dionysus with
with torches in their hands they looked for God and called on the people to pray to the sleeping Dionysus-Bacchus (the son of Zeus and Semele) to awaken and return fertility to the fields. Necessary
An element of the holiday was the ecstatic dancing of the bacchantes and especially the bacchantes/maenads and the glorification of Dionysus as the Bull-Liberator (Elefthera, Lyaeus). Lenaea also included dressing up and phallic processions and had a pronounced orgiastic character. The processions began at Leneion, the sanctuary of Dionysus, located near the Acropolis of Athens, and ended at the Temple of Dionysus-Eleftheros. From the 5th century BC. During Lenya, they also began to perform first comic and then tragic performances. Many archaic features made Lenea similar to
celebrations in honor of Dionysus-Zagreus. The frenzy of the bacchantes was intended to awaken the sleeping deity and join him; tearing apart and eating an animal,
replacing and embodying the deity served the same purpose, as did drinking large quantities of undiluted wine (which in normal times was considered
indecent and shameful), which performed a ritual function here and was an obligatory element of the holiday. In ancient Greece, excessive consumption of wine
was severely condemned, but during the Dionysian holidays the ban was not only lifted: excessive wine drinking became mandatory. In Lenei preserved
also features of cleansing magic associated with the cult of fire - torchlight processions.

Another Dionysian holiday - Anthesteria, (first described in the 5th century BC) was celebrated in Athens in the month of Anfsterion (February March) and was associated with
the awakening of nature and the maturation of new wine, as well as the cult of ancestors. They lasted three days and retained the features of an agrarian holiday and at the same time
national holiday-carnival. On the first day, vessels with new wine were opened, all taboos on its use were lifted, and the carnival element came into its own. Libations to Dionysus were made at home altars (slaves also took part in them), vessels with wine were the first to be decorated
flowers, after which they had a sumptuous meal. On the second day, at the signal sound of a horn, competitions for the speed of drinking wine began: the winner
crowned with a leafy crown and a vine. Carnival processions took place throughout the city, imitating the entry of Dionysus into Athens. In his retinue
there were mummers - satyrs, silenes, and also Plutos.

Its participants entered private houses, the owners of which were obliged to drink wine in a race with the guests. There was no way to refuse: this
was an insult to God, who gave wine to people:
“He invented a drink from grapes

And he gave to mortals the delight of all sorrows.

When unhappy with grape juice

Fed up, oblivion and sleep

The worries of the day are lifted from the soul,

And there is no better cure for suffering” (Euripides. The Bacchae).

The procession ended at Bukoleion (the ancient royal residence), where, as the culmination of this day, a
the sacred marriage of the priestess of Dionysus (the wife of the archon) with the god. The name of the residence indicates its original connection with the cult of the bull, and the sacred marriage was considered
as a sacred union of Dionysus with all the women of the city, ensuring their fertility, as well as the fertility of the earth. The day ended with a libation of wine
to the graves of our ancestors. The third day of the holiday, called pots, sharply contrasted in nature with
the first two and was closely associated with the cult of the dead. On this day, many apotropaic (protective) and cleansing rites were performed:
they surrounded them with ropes (to protect against evil spirits and the spirits of the dead) and closed all the temples (except Lenaion); mummers in masks and goat skins doused those they met
water. Boiled beans and porridge made from various grains () were brought to the graves of their ancestors in pots, which they themselves
participants in the sacrifice were not allowed to try. At the same time, sacrifices were made - water and grain - to the underground Hermes (driver of souls) and Dionysus
soil Perhaps this day was originally a separate holiday associated with the cult of ancestors and chthonic deities (Hermes and Dionysus), later
merging with the holiday in honor of Dionysus, the patron saint of vegetation and wine.

Later, in the month of Alafebolion (March-April), the Great Dionysia was celebrated in Attica, which lasted several days and during
which held competitions between tragic and comic choirs. They began with celebrations in honor of Asclepius, the healing god (healing is also one of the functions of Dionysus); On holidays, prisoners were released on bail and the payment of debts was deferred. The culmination of the Great Dionysia was the magnificent
a festive procession, in front of which a wooden statue of Dionysus the Liberator was carried from Lenaion to the temple of Elefthera and back. Here
echoes of the connection between the cult of Dionysus and the cult of trees have been preserved. Pine, spruce and oak were his sacred trees, and one of his many epithets was
Woody. (most popular in cities of Asia Minor). In general, in the cities of Asia Minor, where Dionysian festivals were often accompanied by phallic and
orgiastic rituals, even in the Roman era, the features of the cult of Tree Dionysus were preserved: in festive processions they carried a wooden statue of the god and
wooden phallus.

At the end of field work in the month of Poseidonion (November-December), the Small (rural) Dionysia was celebrated in Attica, associated with the beginning of a new
solar year, the completion of the next agricultural cycle and preserving elements of agrarian magic and grateful magnification of the deity, as well as
numerous features of the holiday-carnival. They have been known since the end of the 6th century. BC. Each deme and city held their own Small Dionysia. Them
preceded by a festival in honor of Apollo, ending with a feast during which hymns were sung in honor of Dionysus. The main component of the Lesser Dionysia is
phallic procession, whose participants prayed to God to grant fertility to the earth and livestock. Initially, porridge and cakes were sacrificed to Dionysus, later also
wine. At the front of the procession they carried an amphora with wine for a libation to Dionysus, as well as a basket of figs, porridge, cakes,
pine branches. In addition to the Phallic processions, the holiday included processions of mummers, at the head of which, as it was believed, Dionysus himself walked. All kinds of
competitions and games, including ascholia - a dance on an oiled fur with wine, as well as hearty meals, during which performances were performed on
theme of the myths about Dionysus. (Theophr. Char.3). Slaves also took part in the celebration. Thus, rural Dionysia
were associated not so much with Dionysus, the patron of winemaking (the god acquired this status relatively late), but with Dionysus, the giver of fertility, and
originally were not a celebration of wine, but a “stimulation” of the forces of nature and the praise of God.

A festival in honor of Dionysus-Bacchus had a similar, although more ecstatic, character in his “homeland” in
Boeotia": which for a long time retained the features of agricultural rituals. Here, as nowhere else, the role of women - maenads, embraced by the sacred - was exceptionally great
the madness of the servants of God, who at night staged a torchlight procession in the mountains in search of Dionysus, increasingly falling into a state of bacchanalian frenzy. Not
Having found him, they announced that he was with the muses, and returned to the city, where lavish meals were held with copious amounts of wine.

Sacred madness was akin to the gift of prophecy and divination. They said about Dionysus-Bacchus:

“He’s also a broadcaster. Power is hidden in the frenzy of Bacchus of the prophetic spirit.”

This madness, by the will of God, can develop into panic horror:

“Suddenly, having become a victim of fear, he runs away.

Without a fight, an army is the spell of Bacchus.”

The holiday - Argionia - in the Boeotian city of Orkhomenes retained even more archaic features: a priest of Dionysus with a drawn sword pursued a girl who, like
was considered to belong to the mythical royal family of Minias (whose members once refused to honor the deity) and, if overtaken, had the right to kill, which
sometimes it happened (Plut. De quaest.graec.33).

“And in Orkhomenes, in Boeotia, they did not want to immediately recognize the god Dionysus. When the priest of Dionysus-Bacchus appeared in Orchomen and called
all the girls and women went to the forests and mountains for a merry festival in honor of the god of wine, the three daughters of King Minias did not go to the festival; they did not want to recognize Dionysus as a god.
All the women of Orkhomenes left the city for the shady forests and there they celebrated the great god with singing and dancing. Entwined with ivy, with thyrsus in their hands, they rushed with
with loud cries, like the Maenads, they glorified Dionysus across the mountains. And the daughters of King Orkhomenes sat at home and calmly spun and weaved; they didn't want to hear anything about
god Dionysus. Evening came, the sun set, and the king’s daughters still did not give up their work, hurrying to finish it at all costs. Suddenly a miracle appeared before
through their eyes, the sounds of tympanums and flutes were heard in the palace, threads of yarn turned into vines, and heavy grapes hung on them. The looms turned green:
they were thickly entwined with ivy. The fragrance of myrtle and flowers spread everywhere. The king's daughters looked at this miracle with surprise. Suddenly, throughout the entire palace, already shrouded in
In the evening twilight, the ominous light of torches sparkled. The roar of wild animals was heard. Lions, panthers, lynxes and bears appeared in all the chambers of the palace. WITH
They ran around the palace with a menacing howl and their eyes sparkled furiously. In horror, the king’s daughters tried to hide in the farthest, darkest rooms of the palace,
so as not to see the shine of torches and not hear the roaring of animals. But it’s all in vain, they can’t hide anywhere. The punishment of the god Dionysus did not stop there. Bodies
The princesses began to shrink, became covered with dark mouse fur, instead of arms, wings with a thin membrane grew - they turned into bats" (story by
"Metamorphoses" by Ovid).

Thus, sacred frenzy, like sacred horror, were an integral part of the Dionysian
holidays. Sacred (Bacchic) ​​madness (menia) - a special ecstatic state, was characteristic of the servants of God
(maenads - “mad”, “obsessed”), who could perform acts unthinkable for the ordinary consciousness of a Greek: dress in animal skins,
publicly letting down one's hair, drinking undiluted wine, tearing apart sacrificial animals, etc.

A mandatory attribute of a Bacchante maenad is a thyrsus (long pole), entwined with ivy, greenery,
saffron flowers, a wreath of oak leaves, snakes, deer skins (Eur.Bacchae.724-728) - attributes of the deity himself and his incarnation. Epithets Liey,
Elefther (literally “he who untie”, “he who liberates”) speak of a specific function of God - liberation from
earthly prohibitions and earthly ordered life. Perhaps “sacred madness” contributed to the self-liberation of man and his communication with the deity through
orgiastic rituals, as well as through eating a sacred substitute for a deity. This sacred horror of the deity and his servants;
ecstatic state of the supreme servant (or rather the servant - leader of the maenads), the motive of sexual choice, special frenzy
and the ability to clairvoyance (Eur. Bacchae. 298-300) can be considered as residual phenomena of shamanism.
The carnival-laughter element prevailed in the Dionysian festivities much later. According to myth, Dionysus could also send madness (). He himself, soon after his birth, was overcome by the madness induced on him by Hero (Apollodor.III.51). He punishes those who disobey with madness and death: Pentheus, Lycurgus, etc.

An integral part of Dionysian rituals was also obligatory fun. Precisely for refusing to do this
the order imposed various punishments. The cry of the Bacchantes “Evan, evozh” (Rejoice, rejoice), was thus not just a Bacchanalian call, but a unique one
instructions for action.
During the Hellenistic period, Dionysus was increasingly seen as the patron of viticulture and winemaking. Then he
began to be identified with Iacchus, who was considered either the son of Demeter (Diod.III,64), then her husband (Catull.LXIV,251), or the son of Zeus and Persephone (in the latter case, his image merged with the image of Dionysus-Zagreus (Nonn.Dyon .XXXI, 66-68), then the son of Zeus and the nymph Aura (Nonn.Dyon.XXXI,932).In the Eleusinian mysteries, Iacchus was even directly identified with Dionysus-Zagreus.

These mysteries deserve special mention. Eleusis is a small city 22 km northwest of Athens, associated with
them on the sacred road. The Mysteries were based on the myths of Demeter. Her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades (Hades), the god of the underworld. Demeter,
being the goddess of life and fertility, after the kidnapping of her daughter, she set out on a search. Having learned from Helios about her fate, Demeter retired to Eleusis and gave
an oath that until her daughter is returned to her, not a single sprout will break out of the ground. Worried about the crop failure, Zeus ordered Hades to return Persephone.

After the return of her daughter, Demeter allowed the earth to blossom and, with joy, opened it to King Kelei and the princes
Triptolemus, Eumolpus and Diocles their sacred rites and mysteries. It has already been said above about the most ancient legends,
connecting the origin of Dionysus-Zagreus with Kore-Persephone, which is why rituals in honor of Dionysus became an integral part of the mysteries.

The Eleusinian Mysteries reenacted the return of Persephone from the Underworld, just as every year in the spring
Seeds thrown into the ground in the fall return, being a symbol of the resurrection from the dead.
There were two types of mysteries: Great and Small. The Lesser Mysteries were celebrated in the Anthesterion (February), although the exact date
not installed. The priests purified the candidates for initiation, sacrificed the pig to the emeter, and purified themselves. The Great Mysteries took place in the Voidromion (September) and
lasted nine days.

The first act of the Great Mysteries (14 voidromion) consisted of the transfer of sacred objects from Eleusis to Eleusinion
(temple at the base of the Acropolis in Athens dedicated to Demeter). On the 15th of Voidromion, the hierophants (priests) announced the beginning of the rituals. The ceremonies began in Athens 16
Voidromion, the servants washed themselves in the sea at Phaleron (a natural harbor in Athens) and sacrificed a pig at Eleusinion on the 17th Voidromion. Sacred procession
departed from Ceramics (the Athenian cemetery) on the 19th Voidrimion and moved to Eleusis along the so-called “Sacred Road”. In certain places, participants
shouted obscenities in honor of Yamba (the old maid who, with her funny jokes, amused Demeter when she was mourning the loss of her
daughters), and also shouted out one of the names of Dionysus, Iacchus (according to another myth, Dionysus was considered the son of Demeter or Persephone). Arrival in Eleusis was celebrated with fasting in memory of Demeter’s grief when she grieved over her daughter. The post was interrupted
infusion of barley and mint (kykeon), which Demeter drank in the house of King Kelei instead of red wine.

On the 20th and 21st of Voidrimion, the hierophants entered the great hall of the Telesterion (temple in honor of Demeter), where they saw sacred relics. This part
The mysteries were most hidden from the uninitiated; it was forbidden to tell outsiders about it on pain of death. Regarding the essence of the mysteries there is
several views. Some claim that initiates became convinced of the existence of life after death by contemplating sacred objects. Others say that this is not sufficient to explain the influence and longevity of the Mysteries, arguing that
in addition to external contemplation, initiates could be under the influence of psychotropic drugs.

This hidden part was followed by a feast that lasted all night and was accompanied by dancing and entertainment. Mysteries
23 voidrimions finished. Most of the rituals were never recorded in writing, and therefore much of these mysteries remains
subject to speculation and conjecture. The origin of the Mysteries can be dated back to the Mycenaean era (1,500 BC). They were celebrated annually for two
thousand years. During the time of Pisistratus of Athens, the Eleusinian Mysteries acquired great importance and pilgrims came from all over Greece to participate in them.
A prerequisite for admission to the mysteries was non-involvement in murder and knowledge of the Greek language (not to be a barbarian). Women and
some slaves.

The Roman Emperor Theodosius I the Great, by decree of 392, closed the sanctuary, in the interests of combating paganism and strengthening
Christianity. Some scientists believe that the effect of the Eleusinian Mysteries was based on the exposure of participants to natural psychedelics.
The senses of the initiates were heightened by the preparatory ceremonies, and the psychotropic mixture allowed them to plunge into the deepest mystical states.
Taking the mixture was part of a ceremonial ritual, but its exact composition is not known, since it was never written down, but was passed on orally.

The role of women in the mysteries was very large, and the Corybantes wore long and wide robes that resembled women's ones.

In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Dionysus was perceived as an eternally young god, a symbol of the infinity of earthly existence and
immortality of nature. At the same time there was a merger with the cult of Dionysus-Iacchus, Demeter and other Eleusinian deities, as well as the veneration of Sabazius
(in the temple of Demeter of Eleusis in Arcadia there were statues of Demeter, Dionysus and Persephone (Pausan.VIII.25.3). Dionysus-Iacchus (or Bromius - noisy) became an integral character of the Eleusinian mysteries, increasingly losing the features of chthonic demonism.

The images and symbols of God changed a lot. Initially, he did not have an anthropomorphic appearance, and like others
Greek gods, was identified with the phallus, vine, ivy, hops, etc. He was also identified with a bull or goat, represented with a goat's face
or bull horns (Ovid.Metam. IV.18-20; Eur. Bacchae. 920-922), glorified as an invincible bull. Some of its epithets are characteristic: Ivy, Grape
bunch, Woody, Tyrsonous Green, etc. Those. in Greek mythology and poetry, the appearance of a deity developed, many of whose features go back to totemism and
fetishism. They wrote about the multifunctionality of Dionysus back in antiquity, noting that he has a number of different epithets (Bacchus, Bromius, Lenaeus,
Liaeus, Eleftheros, Iacchus, Nisei, Tyoneus, etc.) (Ovid. Metam.IV.1-17), and also that at that time there were “many Dionis” (Cicero. De div.). His perception as a handsome young man in a wreath of grape leaves developed by the beginning of the Hellenistic era, and this is how he began to be depicted in European
painting, poetry, sculpture.

A special place is occupied by the “female aspect” of the cult and myths about Dionysus. It has already been said about the role of women in his
stump. In a number of cases, he himself also has a feminine appearance, sometimes even a girlish face (Ovid.Metam.IV. 18-20), long curls, and a gentle face.

The appearance of Dionysus, who at the beginning of Euripides’ tragedy “The Bacchae” appears in the form of his own servant, is described as follows:

“above the long, motley chiton, reaching to the very heels, it has a saffron-colored cape, which is pulled together by a wide motley belt; By
the cape hangs from the shoulders of a non-brid - a doe skin; luxurious curls fall from the head from under the soft miter and plush wreath
on the shoulders are delicate, light-golden hair, covering the ears and part of the cheeks. He has the appearance of a pampered handsome man with an effeminate
face; the cheeks are white, with a thick blush (the eyes are glazed); in his right hand he has a thyrsus, a stick the size of a man, entwined with ivy.”

On many antique vases he is depicted in clothing reminiscent of a woman's. Servants of God also wore long
clothes (the motive of dressing in a woman's dress of Pentheus - the hero of the tragedy of Euripides and the sacred "substitute" of the deity). During the Oschophorium festival, held in honor of Athena and Dionysus, a choir of singers was led by a young man dressed in women's clothing. Hierophants (priests) in the Eleusinian mysteries also wore long
old-fashioned colorful robes. The Orphic hymns sometimes mention the bisexuality of Dionysus. The role of hermaphroditism and ritual travesty in the cult
Dionysus is quite significant, although not sufficiently studied.

The cult of Dionysus came to Rome from Magna Graecia, where it was widely popular, especially as a veneration of D. Iacchus.
According to a number of researchers, a fusion of mythological subjects and ritual actions took place here. Back in the 5th century. BC. in
During a severe famine in Rome, festivals were established and temples were built in honor of Liber, the ancient Italian deity of vegetation, who had some
typological similarity with Dionysus.

In honor of Liber, and also in honor of his paredras Libera and Ceres. Celebrations in honor of Liber (liberalia) and included
elements of agrarian, producing and purifying magic: phallic processions, dressing up, sacred ashrology (foul language), pouring water on people they meet,
sacrificing a goat, etc. They existed until the establishment of Christianity. Secondly, the festivals are actually in honor of Dionysus-Bacchus -
bacchanalia spread to Rome also from Magna Graecia in the 2nd century. BC.

Initially, only women participated in them, later - men (including male and female slaves). They
celebrated in sacred groves near Rome and, according to ancient tradition, had a particularly violent and obscene character. In 186 BC. after a noisy
judicial process, bacchanals were prohibited by a special resolution of the Senate, but they continued to be celebrated secretly even during the era of the Empire (such festivals
including obscene scenes, are depicted on the walls of some houses in Pompeii).

The cult of Dionysus and the mysteries dedicated to him also enjoyed considerable popularity among the rich and
educated Romans (about which some idea is given, in particular, by gjvgtqcrbt ahtcrb) /

Images of Dionysus-Bacchus and the circle of characters “close” to him organically entered European art:
painting and sculpture, as well as poetry.

Later, many features of the Dionysian cult had a huge influence on F. Nietzsche and his doctrine of opposition
two principles - Apollonian (equated to the Olympic) and Dionysian (subterranean in relation to the Apollonian), titanic and barbarian.
These ideas later entered the system of ideas close to the ideas German Nazis, however, are rather vague - about the Dionysian beginning as a beginning associated with “blood and soil.”

Under the influence of Nietzsche's ideas, the ideas of Sun were also formed. Ivanov (“Dionysus and Proto-Dionysianism”), who
also, the cult of Dionas as irrational, dark and natural was opposed to the cult of Apollo as a rational, light and orderly phenomenon. In Ivanov’s “tower” festivals like Dionysius were also held, however, according to
eyewitnesses who were completely innocent in nature. Dionysian motifs are also very frequent in his poems:

HEART OF DIONYSUS

Shining with diamond glory,

Snow-topped, two-headed, -

On the chosen day, clear-cut, behind an azure veil

Narrow-banked Amphitrite,

Where the Kharits bathe, -

All wrapped in transparency

And sacred silence, -

You appeared, crowned Parnassus, on the chosen day, before me!

Heart, heart of Dionysus under his holy mound,

The heart of the youth Zagreus, doomed to the Titans,

What, torn out, glowing, trembled in their right hand,

The sacrificial action, you hid in the solar tomb, -

Heart of ancient Zagreus, oh mysterious Parnassus!

And until the day on which Gaia, mother Earth raw, Gaia,

Like the divine Nisa, she will become green and enlightened, -

He hid the heart of the Sun-Dionysus from the violent us.

In general in poetry " silver age» “Dionysian” motifs are found very often. Here, for example, from K. Balmont:

BACCHICAN SONG

Evan, ew! Why did the choirs fall silent?

The delight of the songs fills the chest.

Calls beckon, reproaches languish,

I want to breathe from my fruitless dreams.

Why the torment, the memories?

Evan, ew! Let's hurry to the feast!

The singing will cease, the lamentations will die away

To the ringing of tympani, to the roar of lyres.

Let it splash boldly into our amphorae

Amber juice comes from the squeezed bunches.

Evan, ew! let's raise the cups,

Our anthem is beautiful, our peace is high!

Rattling, tambourines, ringing, strings,

Let us clasp our hands - life is calling us.

While we are strong, while we are young,

Evan, ew! go-go!

But, perhaps, A.S. reflected the spirit of the Dionysian cult much more strongly in many of his poems. Pushkin, deeply and subtly
felt the ancient culture. “Bacchic” motifs are frequent in his position, but here, perhaps, the most Full description bacchanalian holiday:

CELEBRATION OF BACCHUS.

Where does the wonderful noise, frantic clicks come from?

Who and where are they calling both the tambourines and the tympanum?

What do joyful faces mean?

And the songs of the villagers?

There is bright freedom in their circle

I received a festive wreath.

But crowds of people moved...

He is approaching... Here he is, here is a strong god!

Here is Bacchus, peaceful, forever young!

Here he is, here is the hero of India!

O joy! Full of you

The strings are trembling, ready to strike

Not hypocritical praise!....

Evan, hey! Give me the bowls!

Bring on fresh crowns!

Slaves, where are our thyrsi?

Here he is! here is Bacchus! O joyful hour!

The sovereign thyrsus is in his hands;

The grape crown turns yellow

In black curly hair...

It's flowing. His young tigers

They pull with submissive fury;

Eros and games are flying around -

And hymns are sung in his honor.

A goat-footed man is crowding behind him

And a swarm of fauns and satyrs,

Their horns are entangled in ivy;

Running in a confused crowd

Following the fast chariot,

Who with the reed grass,

Who with his faithful mug;

He stumbles and falls

And the velvet carpet of the fields

Pouring crimson wine

With the wild laughter of friends.-

There I see a marvelous move!

Merry timbrels sound;

Young nymphs and sylvans,

Making up a noisy round dance,

They carry the motionless Silenus...

The wine flows, the foam splashes,

And roses are falling all around:

Carrying after a sleeping old man

And thyrsus, a symbol of peaceful victory,

And the cup is heavy and golden,

Crowned with a sapphire cap -

Bacchus' gift is dear.

But the distant shore howls.

Hair spread over the shoulders,

Crowned with a bunch, naked,

The bacchantes are running through the mountains.

The tympanums are sonorous, circling between their fingers,

They rushed, they flew, they twisted their arms,

They trample the meadow with a magical dance,

And youth ardent in crowds

Flocks around.

The frantic maidens sing;

Their voluptuous melodies

The heat of love is poured into the hearts;

Their breasts breathe with lust;

Their eyes, full of madness and languor,

They said: catch happiness!

Their inspired movements

First they show us

The shyness of sweet confusion,

Timid desire - and there

Delight and audacity of pleasure.

But then they scattered - over the hills and fields;

Waving thyrses rush;

Already from afar their cries are heard,

And the hum echoes through the forests:

Evan, hey! Give me the bowls!

Bring on fresh crowns!

Slaves, where are our thyrsi?

Let's run to a peaceful battle, brave fighters!

Friends, this day is blessed

Let's throw vanity into oblivion!

Techi, wine, stream of foam

In honor of Bacchus, muses and beauty!

Evan, hey! Give me the bowls!

Bring on fresh crowns!

Slaves, where are our thyrsi?

Let's run to a peaceful battle, brave fighters!

Literature: Bogaevsky B.L. Agricultural religion of Athens.

Part 1. Pg., 1916;
Nietzsche F. The Birth of Tragedy, or Hellenism and Pessimism // Op. T.1. M., 1991.
Losev A.F. Ancient mythology in its historical development; Taho-Godi A. Iakh //
Myths of the peoples of the world. T.2. M., 1988; Nosenko E.E., Sadokova A.R. Dionysus and Ta-no
kami (experience of typological analysis) // Ethnographic Review. 1992b
N 6; Farnell J.R. The Cult of Greek State. Vol.5. Oxford, 1909; Jeanmaire H.
Dionyssos. Hisioire du culte de Bacchus. P., 1951; Nilsson M. Yhe Dionysiae
Mysteriws in the Hellenic and Roman Age. Lund, 1957; Bruhl A. Liber Pater.
Origines et expansiones du culte dionysiaque a Rome et ddans le monde romain.
P., 1953; Blum R., Blum E. The Dangerous Hour. The Lore of Crisis and Mystery
in Rural Greece. N.Y., 1970.

The ancient Greeks worshiped many gods, their religion as a reflection of character: sensual, unbridled, like nature itself with its elements. Dionysus is one of the favorite gods of the Hellenes, direct proof that pleasure occupied an exceptional and paramount place in their lives.

Who is Dionysus?

Dionysus, the god of wine, burst into the measured life of the Greeks with his characteristic fun, frenzy and madness. The Junior Olympian is of Thracian origin. Also known by other names:

• Bacchus;
• Bacchus;
• Elder Dionysus;
• Zagreus;
• Liber;
• Dithyramb;
• Orthos;
• Trochee.

Dionysus had the following functions and powers:

• was responsible for the revival of vegetation in the spring;
• patronized farmers;
• taught people the craft of growing grapes and winemaking;
• sent madness to those who did not want to join him;
• considered the “father” of the theatrical genre of tragedy.

The parents of the god of wine and the vine are considered to be Zeus and Semele. The myth of the birth of Dionysus is shrouded in passion. The jealous wife of the thunderer Hera, having learned that Semele was pregnant, took the form of her nurse, and persuaded her to beg Zeus to appear in divine guise. Semele, when meeting with God, asked if he was ready to fulfill one of her wishes, and he vowed to fulfill her every whim. Hearing the request, Zeus tore out the still unripe fetus from his beloved’s womb and sewed it up in his thigh, and when the time came, Zeus gave birth to a son, Dionysus.

The cult of Dionysus in Ancient Greece was called Dionysia. The grape harvest holidays were called the Little Dionysia, accompanied by colorful performances with dressing up, singing, and drinking wine. The main Dionysias were held in March - in honor of the reborn god. Early versions of the Bacchanalia festival were held under cover of darkness and consisted of wild dancing maenads in a trance state, ritual copulation. The Death of the god Dionysus was played out in the form of a bull and the sacrificial animal was torn into pieces and the warm meat was eaten.

Attribute of Dionysus

IN ancient works In art, Dionysus was depicted as a young beardless youth with feminine features. The most important attribute of the god is the staff of Dionysus or a thyrsus made of a fennel stalk, topped pine cone- phallic symbol of the creative principle. Other attributes and symbols of Bacchus:

1. Vine. Twisted around a rod is a sign of fertility and the craft of winemaking;
2. Ivy is believed to protect against severe intoxication.
3. Cup - drinking it, the soul forgot about its divine origin, and in order to be cured it was necessary to drink another - the cup of reason, then the memory of divinity and the desire to return to heaven return.

The companions of Dionysus are no less symbolic:

• Melpomene - the muse of tragedy;
• Maenads are faithful followers or priestesses of the cult of Dionysus;
• the panther, tiger and lynx - felines symbolize his ascent and triumph and remind him that the cult came from the East;
• the bull is a symbol of fertility and agriculture. Dionysus was often depicted as a bull.

Dionysus - mythology

The Hellenes revered nature in all its manifestations. Fertility is an important part of the life of rural residents. A rich harvest is always good sign that the gods are benevolent and good-natured. The Greek god Dionysus in myths appears cheerful, but at the same time capricious and sending curses and destruction to those who do not recognize him. The myths about Bacchus are filled with a variety of feelings: joy, sadness, anger and madness.

Dionysus and Apollo

Different philosophers and historians interpret the conflict between Apollo and Dionysus in their own way. Apollo - the radiant and golden-haired god sunlight patronized the arts, morality and religion. He encouraged people to observe moderation in everything. And the Greeks, before the advent of the cult of Dionysus, tried to follow the laws. But Dionysus “burst” into souls and illuminated everything unsightly, those bottomless abysses that exist in every person, and the measured Hellenes began to indulge in revelry, drunkenness and orgies, honoring the great Bacchus.

Two opposing forces, the “light” Apollonian and the “dark” Dionysian, came together in a duel. Reason collided with feelings, this is how historians describe the struggle between two cults. Light, measure, cheerfulness and science against the cult of the earth, which contains the darkness of mysteries with the immeasurable consumption of wine, the making of sacrifices, frantic dancing and orgies. But just as there is no light without darkness, so in this conflict something new and unusual was born - a new genre of art appeared - Greek tragedies about the temptations and abyss of the human soul.

Dionysus and Persephone

Dionysus, the god of Ancient Greece, and Persephone, the goddess of fertility, wife of Hades, and with him the ruler of the underworld in ancient Greek mythology, are interconnected in several legends:

1. One of the myths about the birth of Dionysus mentions Persephone as his mother. Zeus was inflamed with passion for his own daughter, turning into a snake, he entered into a relationship with her, from which Dionysus was born. In another version, Dionysus descends into the underworld and gives the myrtle tree to Persephone so that she will release his mother Semele. Dionysus gives his mother a new name, Tiona, and ascends to heaven with her.
2. Persephone walked through the meadow of the island of Perg in Sicily and was abducted by Hades (Hades), in some sources by Zagreus (one of the names of Dionysus) into the kingdom of the dead. The inconsolable mother Demeter searched for a long time for her young daughter all over the world, the earth became barren and gray. Having finally found out where her daughter was, Demeter demanded that she be returned. Hades let his wife go, but before that he gave her seven pomegranate seeds to eat, which arose from the blood of Dionysus. You can’t eat anything in the kingdom of the dead, but Persephone, overjoyed that she was about to return, ate the grains. From now on, spends spring, summer and autumn upstairs, and winter months in the underworld.

Dionysus and Aphrodite

The myth of Dionysus and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite is famous for the fact that an ugly child was born from their fleeting relationship. The son of Dionysus and Aphrodite was unusual and so ugly that the beautiful goddess abandoned the baby. Priapus' huge phallus was constantly erect. As an adult, Priapus tried to seduce his father Dionysus. In ancient Greece, the son of the god of wine and Aphrodite was revered in some provinces as a god of fertility.

Dionysus and Ariadne

Dionysus's wife and companion Ariadne was initially abandoned by her lover Theseus on Fr. Naxos. Ariadne cried for a long time, then fell asleep. All this time, Dionysus, who arrived on the island, watched her. Eros fired his arrow of love and Ariadne’s heart burned with new love. During the mystical wedding, Ariadne's head was crowned with a crown given to her by Aphrodite herself and the mountains of the island. At the end of the ceremony, Dionysus raised a crown to the sky in the form of a constellation. Zeus, as a gift to his son, endowed Ariadne with immortality, which elevated her to the rank of goddess.

Dionysus and Artemis

In another myth about the love of Dionysus and Ariadne, the god Dionysus asks Artemis, the eternally young and chaste goddess of the hunt, to kill Ariadne, who liked him, because she married Theseus in a sacred grove, the only way Ariadne could become his wife, through the initiation of death. Artemis shoots an arrow at Ariadne, who is then resurrected and becomes the wife of the god of fun and fertility, Dionysus.

The cult of Dionysus and Christianity

With the penetration of Christianity into Greece, the cult of Dionysus did not become obsolete for a long time, the people continued to honor festivals dedicated to God, and the Greek church was forced to fight with its own methods; Dionysus was replaced by Saint George. Old sanctuaries dedicated to Bacchus were destroyed, and Christian churches were built in their place. But even now, during the grape harvest, one can discern the praise of Bacchus in the holidays.

Dionysus

Dionysus, aka Bacchus (Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio)

Wikipedia

Dionysus(ancient Greek Διόνυσος, Διώνυσος, Mycenaean di-wo-nu-so-jo, lat. Dionysus), Bacchus, Bacchus (ancient Greek Βάκχος, lat. Bacchus) - in ancient Greek mythology the youngest of the Olympians, god of winemaking, the productive forces of nature, inspiration and religious ecstasy. Mentioned in the Odyssey (XXIV 74).
Before the discovery of the Mycenaean culture, later researchers believed that Dionysus came to Greece from barbarian lands, since his ecstatic cult with frantic dancing, exciting music and immoderate drunkenness seemed alien to the researchers to the clear mind and sober temperament of the Hellenes. However, Achaean inscriptions indicate that the Greeks knew Dionysus even before the Trojan War. In Pylos one of the months was called di-wo-nu-so-jo me-no (month of Dionysus).
In Roman mythology it corresponds to Liber (lat. Liber).

Dionysus, detail of the fresco Allegory of Autumn (Giovanni Francesco Romanelli (1610-1662)

Myths about Dionysus

According to Cotta's speech, quoted by Cicero, there were five Dionysuses:

Son of Zeus and Persephone.
Son of the Nile, killed Nisa.
Son of Kabir, king of Asia, in his honor the festival of Sabazia.
Son of Zeus and Selene, Orphic festivals are held in his honor.
Son of Nysus and Fiona, founder of the Trieterides.

Classic version

Traditionally it is believed that Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia. Having learned that Semele was expecting a child from Zeus, his wife Hera in anger decided to destroy Semele and, taking the form of either a wanderer or Bero, Semele’s nurse, inspired her with the idea of ​​​​seeing her lover in all his divine splendor. When Zeus reappeared with Semele, she asked if he was ready to fulfill any of her wishes. Zeus swore by the waters of the Styx that he would fulfill it, and the gods cannot break such an oath. Semele asked him to hug her in the same way that he hugs Hera.

Jupiter and Semele (Gustave Moreau, 1826-1898)

Zeus was forced to fulfill the request, appearing in the flames of lightning, and Semele was instantly engulfed in flames. Zeus managed to snatch the premature fetus from her womb, sewed it up in his thigh and successfully carried it out. Thus, Dionysus was born from the thigh of Zeus. When Zeus was in labor, Poseidon treated him to tuna.
Dionysus was born at six months and was carried the rest of the time by Zeus. Born in Naxos and raised by local nymphs. Or was born on the slopes of Drakan (Crete).

The Youth of Bacchus (central fragment)
Bouguereau, Adolphe William (1825-1905)

Alternative versions

According to the legend of the inhabitants of Brasia (Laconica), when Semele gave birth to a son from Zeus, Cadmus imprisoned her in a barrel along with Dionysus. The barrel was thrown to the ground by Brasius, Semele died, and Dionysus was raised; Ino became his nurse, raising him in a cave.
According to the Achaean story, Dionysus was raised in the city of Mesatis and here he was exposed to dangers from the Titans.

Raising Dionysus

Ino cares for the child Dionysus
(John Henry Foley 1818-74)

The myths that feature Semele, the second mother of Dionysus, have a continuation about the upbringing of God.
To protect his son from Hera's wrath, Zeus gave Dionysus to be raised by Semele's sister Ino and her husband Athamas, King Orkhomenes, where the young god was raised as a girl so that Hera would not find him. But it did not help. The wife of Zeus sent madness to Athamas, in a fit of which Athamas killed his son Learchus. ...Ino barely managed to escape death with her other son, Melikert. The husband chased after her and was already overtaking her. There is a steep, rocky seashore ahead, the sea is roaring below, a mad husband is overtaking from behind - Ino has no salvation. In despair, she threw herself and her son into the sea from the coastal cliffs. The Nereids took Ino and Melikert into the sea. Dionysus's teacher and her son were turned into sea deities and they have been living in the depths of the sea ever since...
Then Zeus turned Dionysus into a kid, and Hermes took him to the nymphs in Nysa (between Phenicia and the Nile). The nymphs hid him from Hera, covering the cradle with ivy branches. Raised in a cave on Nisa. After the death of the first educators, Dionysus was given to the nymphs of the Nisei Valley to be raised. There, the mentor of the young god Silenus revealed the secrets of nature to Dionysus and taught him how to make wine.

Strong with little Dionysus in his arms
(Roman copy from the original by Lysippos
IV century BC.)

As a reward for raising his son, Zeus transferred the nymphs to the sky, and so, according to myth, the Hyades, a cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus next to the star Aldebaran, appeared in the sky.

Dionysus and madness

When Hera instilled madness in him, he left the Oreads who raised him and wandered through the lands of Egypt and Syria. According to myths, Dionysus traveled through Egypt, India, Asia Minor, crossed the Hellespont, ended up in Thrace, and from there reached his native Thebes in Greece. Wherever this god came, he taught people to grow grapes, but madness and violence accompanied him. According to some myths, Dionysus was driven crazy by Hera, who hated him (Hera is the wife of Zeus, and Dionysus is the illegitimate son of the Thunderer); he even committed murders, being enraged.

Bacchanalia, 1608 (Jan Brueghel (I) (1568-1625)

According to other versions, he himself drove those who rejected him and did not recognize God in him crazy.

So, according to one version of the myth, King Lycurgus, who rejected Dionysus, killed his son in a fit of madness with an ax, convinced that he was cutting down Dionysus’s vine.

Lycurgus

The power of Dionysus is not recognized everywhere. He often has to meet resistance; He often has to conquer countries and cities by force. But who can fight the great god, the son of Zeus? He severely punishes those who oppose him, who do not want to recognize him and honor him as a god. The first time Dionysus had to be persecuted was in Thrace, when he, in a shady valley with his maenad companions, merrily feasted and danced, drunk from wine, to the sounds of music and singing; then the cruel king of the Edons, Lycurgus, attacked him. The maenads fled in horror, throwing the sacred vessels of Dionysus to the ground; even Dionysus himself fled. Fleeing from the pursuit of Lycurgus, he threw himself into the sea; The goddess Thetis hid him there. Dionysus's father, Zeus the Thunderer, severely punished Lycurgus, who dared to offend the young god: Zeus blinded Lycurgus and shortened his life.

The daughters of Minius also went crazy

Daughters of Minias.
And in Orkhomenes, in Boeotia, they did not want to immediately recognize the god Dionysus. When the priest of Dionysus-Bacchus appeared in Orchomen and invited all the girls and women to the forests and mountains for a merry festival in honor of the god of wine, the three daughters of King Minias did not go to the festival; they did not want to recognize Dionysus as a god. All the women of Orkhomenes left the city for the shady forests and there they celebrated the great god with singing and dancing. Entwined with ivy, with thyrsus in their hands, they rushed with loud cries, like maenads, through the mountains and praised Dionysus. And the daughters of King Orkhomenes sat at home and calmly spun and weaved; They didn’t want to hear anything about the god Dionysus. Evening came, the sun set, and the king’s daughters still did not give up their work, hurrying to finish it at all costs. Suddenly a miracle appeared before their eyes. The sounds of tympanums and flutes were heard in the palace, threads of yarn turned into vines, and heavy grapes hung on them. The looms turned green: they were thickly covered with ivy. The fragrance of myrtle and flowers spread everywhere. The king's daughters looked at this miracle with surprise. Suddenly, throughout the entire palace, already shrouded in evening twilight, the ominous light of torches began to sparkle. The roar of wild animals was heard. Lions, panthers, lynxes and bears appeared in all the chambers of the palace. They ran around the palace with a menacing howl and their eyes flashed furiously. In horror, the king's daughters tried to hide in the farthest, darkest rooms of the palace, so as not to see the shine of torches and not hear the roaring of animals. But it’s all in vain, they can’t hide anywhere. The punishment of the god Dionysus did not stop there. The princesses' bodies began to shrink, became covered with dark mouse fur, instead of arms, wings with a thin membrane grew - they turned into bats. Since then, they have been hiding from daylight in dark, damp ruins and caves. This is how Dionysus punished them.

King Pentheus was torn to pieces by the maddened bacchantes. The mother of the unfortunate Agave herself was among these women; she mounted her son’s bloody head on the thyrsus, convinced that it was the head of a lion cub.
In Argos, Dionysus drove the women into madness. They fled to the mountains with babies in their arms and began to devour their meat.

Indian campaign

Dionysus fights with the inhabitants of India. Roman mosaic from the 4th century AD (Massimo)

He went on a campaign against India and returned three years later, so they offer him “three-year sacrifices” and perform Bacchic celebrations every 3 years. He was the first to build a bridge across the Euphrates near the city of Zeugma, where a rope of grape and ivy vines was kept. Megasthenes spoke about the veneration of Dionysus in India. According to some reports, during the war in India he was killed by Perseus and buried.

Descent into Hades

Dionysus descended into Hades through the Alkyonia swamp, and Polymnus showed him the descent. From Hades he brought his mother Semele, who became the goddess Fiona.

Captivity by Tyrrhenian pirates

During the voyage of Dionysus from Icaria to Naxos, he was kidnapped by Tyrrhenian pirates (among whom were Alkimedon and Acetus), whose trireme he inadvertently hired.

Dionysus with the Tyrrhenian pirates (mosaic)

But they sailed past Naxos, chained Dionysus and headed for Asia, wanting to sell him into slavery. However, the shackles themselves fell from the hands of Dionysus, and Dionysus turned the masts and oars into snakes, filling the ship with branches of vines and ivy and the singing of flutes. He appeared on deck in the form of a bear and a lion. The pirates jumped into the sea out of fear and turned into dolphins.

Based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses".
Dionysus also punished the Tyrrhenian sea robbers, but not so much because they did not recognize him as a god, but for the evil that they wanted to inflict on him as a mere mortal.
One day young Dionysus stood on the shore of the azure sea. The sea breeze gently played with his dark curls and slightly moved the folds of the purple cloak that fell from the slender shoulders of the young god. A ship appeared in the distance in the sea; he was quickly approaching the shore. When the ship was already close, the sailors - they were Tyrrhenian sea robbers - saw a marvelous young man on the deserted seashore. They quickly landed, went ashore, grabbed Dionysus and took him to the ship. The robbers had no idea that they had captured a god. The robbers rejoiced that such rich booty fell into their hands. They were sure that they would get a lot of gold for such a beautiful young man by selling him into slavery. Arriving on the ship, the robbers wanted to shackle Dionysus in heavy chains, but they fell from the hands and feet of the young god. He sat and looked at the robbers with a calm smile. When the helmsman saw that the chains did not hold on the young man’s hands, he said with fear to his comrades:
- Unhappy! What are we doing? Isn't it God we want to bind? Look, even our ship can barely hold it! Isn't it Zeus himself, isn't it the silver-bowed Apollo, or the earth shaker Poseidon? No, he doesn't look like a mortal! This is one of the gods living on bright Olympus. Release him quickly and drop him on the ground. No matter how he summoned violent winds and raised a formidable storm on the sea!
But the captain angrily answered the wise helmsman:
- Despicable! Look, the wind is fair! Our ship will quickly rush along the waves of the boundless sea. We'll take care of the young man later. We will sail to Egypt or Cyprus, or to the distant land of the Hyperboreans and sell it there; Let this young man look for his friends and brothers there. No, the gods sent it to us!
The robbers calmly raised the sails, and the ship went out to the open sea. Suddenly a miracle happened: fragrant wine flowed through the ship, and the whole air was filled with fragrance. The robbers were numb with amazement. But the vines with heavy clusters turned green on the sails; dark green ivy entwined the mast; beautiful fruits appeared everywhere; the rowlocks of the oars were entwined with garlands of flowers. When the robbers saw all this, they began to beg the wise helmsman to steer quickly to the shore. But it's too late! The young man turned into a lion and stood on the deck with a menacing roar, his eyes flashing furiously. A shaggy bear appeared on the deck of the ship; She bared her mouth terribly.
In horror, the robbers rushed to the stern and crowded around the helmsman. With a huge leap, the lion rushed at the captain and tore him to pieces. Having lost hope of salvation, the robbers, one after another, rushed into the sea waves, and Dionysus turned them into dolphins. Dionysus spared the helmsman. He resumed his former appearance and, smiling affably, said to the helmsman:
- Don't be afraid! I fell in love with you. I am Dionysus, the son of the thunderer Zeus and the daughter of Cadmus, Semele!

Midas. Based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses".

One day, cheerful Dionysus with a noisy crowd of maenads and satyrs wandered through the wooded rocks of Tmol in Phrygia. Only Silenus was not in Dionysus's retinue. He fell behind and, stumbling at every step, very drunk, wandered through the Phrygian fields. The peasants saw him, tied him with garlands of flowers and took him to King Midas. Midas immediately recognized the teacher Dionysus, received him with honor in his palace and honored him with luxurious feasts for nine days. On the tenth day, Midas himself took Silenus to the god Dionysus. Dionysus rejoiced when he saw Silenus, and allowed Midas, as a reward for the honor he showed his teacher, to choose any gift for himself. Then Midas exclaimed:
- Oh, great god Dionysus, command that everything I touch turns into pure, shiny gold!
Dionysus granted Midas' wish; he only regretted that Midas had not chosen a better gift for himself.
Midas left rejoicing. Rejoicing at the gift he received, he plucks a green branch from an oak tree - the branch in his hands turns into gold. He picks ears of corn in the field - they become golden, and the grains in them are golden. He picks an apple - the apple turns golden, as if it were from the Garden of the Hesperides. Everything Midas touched immediately turned to gold. When he washed his hands, water flowed from them in golden drops. Midas rejoices. So he came to his palace. The servants prepared a rich feast for him, and happy Midas lay down at the table. It was then that he realized what a terrible gift he had begged from Dionysus. With one touch of Midas everything turned to gold. The bread, all the food, and the wine turned golden in his mouth. It was then that Midas realized that he would have to die of hunger. He stretched out his hands to the sky and exclaimed:
- Have mercy, have mercy, oh Dionysus! Sorry! I beg you for mercy! Take this gift back!
Dionysus appeared and said to Midas:
- Go to the sources of Pactol, there, in its waters, wash this gift and your guilt from your body.
Midas went at the behest of Dionysus to the sources of Pactolus and plunged there into its clear waters. The waters of Pactolus flowed like gold and washed away the gift received from Dionysus from the body of Midas. Since then, Pactol has become gold-bearing.

Marriage to Ariadne

Dionysus and Ariadne
(Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734)

Ariadne is the daughter of the Cretan king Minos, with the help of whose thread the Athenian hero Theseus was able to get out of the labyrinth. On the island of Naxos, on the way to Athens, the hero treacherously abandoned the girl. Ariadne was ready to commit suicide, but Dionysus saved her and took her as his wife. For the love of youngest son, Zeus made Ariadne an immortal goddess.

Bacchus and Ariadne (Alessandro Turci)

According to another version, Dionysus himself appeared to Theseus in a dream when the hero was sleeping on Naxos, and said that the gods had appointed Ariadne to him, Dionysus, as his wife. Theseus obeyed the will of the gods and left Ariadne on the island.

Other legends

In addition to wine, Dionysus invented “beer”.
Dionysus and the women accompanying him first uttered the cry “Evoe” on a mountain in Messenia, which they called Eve.
Dionysus was revered by the Arabs. When the gods fled to Egypt, he turned into a goat.
He went on a campaign against the giants (?) together with Hephaestus and satyrs on donkeys, the donkeys, sensing the giants, roared, and they ran away. For this, Donkeys are placed in heaven.
According to Euripides, Zeus made the ghost of Dionysus from the ether and gave it to Hera.

Characters associated with Dionysus

Beloved of Dionysus

Adonis.
Ampel.
Beroya.
Hermaphrodite.
Hymen.
And about. (rare version)
Laon.
Erigone (daughter of Icarius).
Offspring of Dionysus
Hermes Chthonius. From Aphrodite (version).
Hymen. From Aphrodite (version).
Dejanira. From Althea (version).
Didyma (Jobakh is one of them). From Avra.
Kom (Komus).
Maroon. (version)
Narkey. From Fiskoya.
Priapus. From Aphrodite, or Chione, or a nymph.
Satyr and Teleta. From Nikea.
Fan. (Argonaut)
Fioneya.
Fliant. From Arephyraea, or Chthonophila, or Ariadne.
Foant, Staphylus, Oenopion and Pepareth, also Eurymedon and Eneias. From Ariadne.
Charites. From Coronis or Aphrodite (version).
About 20 names.

Defeated by Dionysus

Alpos.
Ask (giant). Captured Dionysus, defeated by Hermes.
Eurytus (giant).
Lycurgus (son of Driant). Dionysus instilled madness into him.
Orontes.
Pentheus. Torn to pieces by bacchantes.
Ret (giant).
Siphon, king in Thrace.
Tyrrhenian pirates.

Companions of Dionysus

Bassarids.
Bacchae.
Hyades.
Corybantes.
Melia.
Maenads.
Mimallons.
Satires.
Titles.
Trieterides. Companions of Dionysus. The Trieterides holiday was established by the fifth Dionysus.
Fiads.
Akrat. Companion of Dionysus, demon of unmixed wine.
Akratopot. God of wine drinking, revered in Munichia.
Corinth. Son of Mystis.
Meta (Mete). Stafil's wife. Goddess of intoxication in Elis, in the temple of Silenus. A painting of her at Epidaurus. Serves Silenus wine in a goblet.
Mistida. One of Dionysus' nurses.
Ovista. Wrong spelling of the name Stafil.
Thales (Thalet). Deity, companion of Dionysus. Killen sacrifices are made to him.
Facilia (Fasileia). Meta's companion.
Fisa. The daughter of Dionysus, with whom he has fun on Ida.

See also:

Autonoya.
Agave.
Dirk.
Ino.
Items associated with Dionysus:
Bacchei (en: Bacchoi). Branches at the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Nebrida. According to one story, Demeter in Attica gave the Nebride family the skin of a young deer.
Thyrsus.

Aspects of Dionysus

Grapes and wine, trees, and bread are traditionally associated with this deity. But, apparently, these later attributes are secondary. The main symbol of Dionysus, as, first of all, the god of the productive force, was the bull. The Bacchae sang:

Oh, come, good Dionysus,
To the temple of Elea,
To the holy temple,
Oh, come in the circle of harita,
Furiously furious,
With a bull's leg
Good bull,
Good bull!

Dionysus the bull

Dionysus was often depicted as a bull or a man with horns (Dionysus Zagreus). This was the case, for example, in the city of Cyzicus, in Phrygia. There are also ancient images of Dionysus in this hypostasis, for example, on one of the figurines that have come down to us, he is represented dressed in a bull’s skin, the head, horns and hooves of which are thrown back. On another he is depicted as a child with a bull's head and a wreath of grapes around his body. Such epithets were applied to God as “born of a cow,” “bull,” “bull-shaped,” “bull-faced,” “bull-faced,” “bull-horned,” “horned,” “two-horned.” According to myth, Dionysus was killed by the Titans when he took the form of a bull, so the Cretans, acting out the passion and death of Dionysus, tore the living bull apart with their teeth.
Apparently, because of this symbolic connection, the belief arose that it was Dionysus who was the first to harness oxen to the plow. Until this time, according to legend, people pulled the plow by hand.
Dionysus also took the form of a goat. In Athens and in the Argolitic city of Hermigon there was a cult of Dionysus, “wearing the skin of a black goat.” And in the myth about the upbringing of Dionysus by Ino, Zeus turned the young god into a kid (sometimes a lamb is mentioned) in order to save him from the wrath of Hera. The connection with the goat, as well as the connection with the productive force and nature, is indicated by the constant companions of Dionysus - the satyrs.

Triumph of Bacchus (Bacchus) and Ariadne, fragment (Carracci_Annibale)

In addition to the bull as the main animal symbolically associated with Dionysus, predatory cats like cheetahs and lions, bears, and also snakes appear in myths in connection with this god.

When the time had come for him,
He [Zeus] gave birth to the cuckolded god,
I made him a wreath out of snakes,
And from then on this wild prey
The maenad wraps around her brow.

Euripides, "The Bacchae"

Dionysus - god of plants

Apparently through his connection with the productive force, Dionysus was identified with plants, especially grapes as raw material for wine, and trees. Almost all Greeks made sacrifices to Dionysus the Tree. One of the nicknames that the Boeotians gave to the god was the name Dionysus-in-the-Tree. This god was often depicted as a pillar in a cloak, whose face was a bearded mask with leafy shoots. This god was the patron of trees, especially cultivated ones. He was held in special esteem by gardeners, who erected statues of him in the form of stumps in their gardens; prayers were offered to him to accelerate the growth of trees; he was called Abundant, Opening and Blooming. Of all the trees, the pine and fig tree were especially dedicated to God, and of the plants, except the vine, ivy.

Feast of Bacchus on Naxos (D. Scotti)

It is interesting that, like other plant gods of other cultures, Dionysus was a dying and resurrecting god, which even led some researchers to believe that Dionysus was Osiris in disguise, whose cult was borrowed from Egypt. Moreover, like Osiris, Bacchus was related to death and the kingdom of the dead. His mother was Persephone, the ruler of Hades, he is a god who was torn to pieces by the Titans, but who was reborn, he played a certain role in the Eleusinian mysteries (the cult of Demeter, which was also associated with the mystery of death and rebirth), finally, according to myth, he descended to Hades, from where he brought his mortal mother, Semele, and to whose ruler he gave myrtle, which indicates the symbolic connection between Hades and Dionysus. However, the hypothesis of the identity of Dionysus and Osiris does not stand up to criticism due to animal aspects Greek deity, as well as its ecstatic, frantic nature, symbolized by wine.

Dionysus the Child and the Eternal Waters

In W. F. Otto’s book about Dionysus there is a chapter devoted to the connection of this deity with the sea element and water. The Iliad speaks of the sea as the habitat of Dionysus, where he is under the tutelage of Thetis. The Laconian version of the mythology says that baby Dionysus landed on the shore in a chest along with his dead mother; Dionysus’s guardian, Ino, became a sea deity after, driven by her distraught husband, she jumped into the depths of the sea. Every year the Argives celebrated the return of Dionysus from the kingdom of the dead, where he descended for his mother, near Lake Alkin, which, according to legend, served God as the gateway to Hades. They call on Dionysus to rise from the water on Lerna, calling him Πελάγιος (“he is from the sea”), Λιμναΐος (“he is from the lake”) and Λιμναγένης (“born of the lake”). Both the image of a child, in which God was often depicted, and the connection with water indicate the state of Dionysus’s “not yet separated” from non-existence.
The latter state of the god is also indicated by his androgynous, bisexual features. Dionysus is often depicted with rounded features, “effeminate.” In the myth of his upbringing, Dionysus was dressed as a girl; he is surrounded by women all the time, from the nymphs who teach him (another connection with water), to his constant companions, the maenads and bacchantes who worship him, named after his middle name.

Epithets of Dionysus

Amphiet. Epithet of Dionysus, which was celebrated annually. The LIII Orphic hymn is dedicated to him.
Anthius (Anth./Antius.) Epithet of Dionysus.
Apaturius. The name of Dionysus.
Bassaray (ancient Greek βασσαρεύς, from βασσαρίς, “fox”) - after the name of the ritual robes of Dionysus and maenads, sewn from fox skins. The name of Dionysus in Thrace. The XLVth Orphic hymn is dedicated to him. en:Bassareus
Bromium. "Noisy". Epithet of Dionysus. Because at his birth there was thunder (bromine). See Nonn. Acts of Dionysus V 560. In the Dervenian papyrus there is an independent figure (Anglovics?).
Bacchius. (Bacchus/Bacchius) Name of Dionysus. He is called so because he is accompanied by bacchantes. Statue by Praxiteles in Athens. Statue in Corinth. Also an epithet of Apollo.
Dendrite. (“Woody”). Epithet of Dionysus.
Digon (Greek δίγονος, “twice-born”);
Dimetor (Greek διμήτωρ, “having two mothers”);
Dithyramb. The name of Dionysus. Explained as "two-gate".
Evan (Evan). Epithet of Dionysus.
Eubouleus. (“Blessed”). Epithet of Dionysus. Identified with Dionysus and Protogonus. Among the Orphics, he was identified with Dionysus, the son of Zeus and Persephone. Mentioned on Orphic gold plates from burials.
Evius Noisy ancient Greek. Βρόμιος Εὔιος), from ancient Greek. εὖα, invocation exclamation (Eviy / Evoy / Evgiy / Euhius) “jubilant”. Epithet of Dionysus.
Zagreus.
Iacchus (ancient Greek Ἴακχος, “cry, call”); (Yakh) The epithet of Dionysus is called “two-natural.” The name of Dionysus and the demon leader of the mysteries of Demeter. Torn to pieces. Associated with it are wooden sieves - mystical winnowers. It was “under the hem of Baubo,” she showed it to Demeter. en:Iacchus
Eey. The name of Dionysus.
Iinks. Dionysus was called Iinx.
Iovakh. Epithet of Dionysus.
Iraphiot. (Eiraphiot) Epithet of Dionysus sewn into the thigh of Zeus.
Isodet. "evenly dividing" Epithet of Dionysus.
Kiss. ("Ivy"). Epithet of Dionysus in the deme of Acharna.
Lazy. Epithet of Dionysus. Because the grapes are pressed in a barrel (lenos). The L Orphic hymn is dedicated to him.
Licknit. Epithet of Dionysus, in connection with the first fruits of the harvest. His festival is in Delphi, where he was buried after being killed by the Titans. From the word “lyknon” - a basket in Bacchic processions.
Fox. (Lisey) (“Liberator”). Epithet of Dionysus, statue in Corinth. The L Orphic hymn is dedicated to him.
Liey. (Lyaeus) Epithet of Dionysus. (Virgil, Nonnus)
Melpomenes. (Leader of round dances/Singing). Epithet of Dionysus.
Mephimney. Epithet of Dionysus.
Meilichiy. Epithet of Dionysus on Naxos, in gratitude for the figs he gave.
Nickelium. ("Night"). Epithet of Dionysus.
Nisei. The name of Dionysus.
Oinos. ("Wine"). Epithet of Dionysus.
Omest. (“Raw food eater”). Epithet of Dionysus.
Omphakite. The name of Dionysus.
Orthos. (Orthos) "Straight"). An epithet of Dionysus associated with his phallus. His altar in the sanctuary of Or.
Perikionium. "surrounded by columns" Epithet of Dionysus, who sent an earthquake to the palace Cadmus, where Pentheus reigned.
Problast. Epithet of Dionysus.
Protrigeon. The name of Dionysus.
Staphylite. The name of Dionysus.
Trieteric. (“Three-year-old”). Epithet of Dionysus in Orphic Hymn XLV and LII.
Theoinius. Epithet of Dionysus.
Fioneya. (Tioneus.) The name of Dionysus.
Flion. (Fley.) The name of Dionysus.
Friamb. (Triamb.) Epithet of Dionysus. Since he celebrated his first triumph upon returning from the Indian campaign. For the first time at Pratin (fr. 1, 16 Bergk) (turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC).
Chiropsal. "Stroking women's charms." The epithet of Dionysus was revered in Sikyon.
Trochee. "Plyasovoy." Epithet of Dionysus.
Chrysopator. Epithet of Dionysus.
Egoball. (“Slaying goats”). Epithet of Dionysus, temple in Potnia.
Eleutherius. Epithet of Dionysus.
Elelei. Epithet of Dionysus.
Eriboi. Epithet of Dionysus.
Esimnet. (“Lord”) Epithet of Dionysus. Found in a casket made by Hephaestus and given from Zeus to Dardan. After the capture of Troy, it was taken to Achaia, where it was kept in Patras.

In literature and art

Homer's hymns XXVI and XXXIV are dedicated to him. The protagonist of the tragedy of Aeschylus “The Aedonians”, the tragedy of Euripides “The Bacchae”, the comedies of Aristophanes “Frogs” and “Dionysus, Shipwrecked”. There was a satyr drama by Aeschylus “The Nurses of Dionysus” (fr. 246v Radt), a satyr drama by Sophocles “The Infant Dionysus” (fr. 171-172 Radt), and a tragedy by Chaeremon “Dionysus”.

In the painting of Ctesilochus, Zeus, giving birth to Dionysus, was depicted wearing a miter and moaning like a woman, surrounded by goddesses. He also influenced a significant part of the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, see “The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music,” where a special representation of the Dionysian principle is revealed.

An alternate history of Dionysus is told in the novel Perseus' Grandson: My Grandfather the Slayer by H. L. Oldie. The book tells the story of the struggle between Perseus and Dionysus, as well as the formation of the latter as a god.

see also

Aarra

Order of Bacchus