DIONYSUS
Olympian god of wine, vegetation, pleasure and festivity
also called Bacchus by Greeks and Romans
an older bearded god or a pretty effeminate, long-haired youth?
always holding the thyros, a drinking cup, and a leopard and fruiting vine
said to be native to Thebes
son of Zeus and Semele
the story of the birth of Dionysus....
Hera was jealous of Semele and pretended to be an old woman.
She persuaded Semele to request Zeus to appear to her in the same glory and majesty in which he was accustomed to approach his own wife Hera.
Zeus agreed and appeared to Semele in thunder and lightning. She was terrified, overpowered by the sight, seized by the fire, and gave premature birth to a child.
Zeus saved the child from the flames, and it was sewed up in his thigh and matured.
intrusted to Hermes as a child who was convinced to raise him as a girl
Zeus changed his child into a ram and carried him to mount Nysa
stories differ about parentage, birthplace, and education
name was derived from Mount Nysa
mountains of the same name are found in different parts of the ancient world where he was worshipped and believed to have introduced the cultivation of the vine
when older he wandered many countries of the earth
in Syria he flayed Damascus alive for opposing the introduction of the vine, which Dionysus discovered
it was proved to the Thebans that Dionysus was a god, and he went to Argos where the people there refused to acknowledge him, therefore he made the women mad to such a degree that they killed their own babes and devoured their flesh
in wanderings and travels the god had rewarded those who had received him kindly and adopted his worship by giving vines and wine
his divine nature became established- he led his mother out of Hades, called her Thyone, and rose with her into Olympus
a mystical story: the body of Dionysus was cut up and thrown into a cauldron by the Titans, and he was restored and cured by Rhea or Demeter
The End