The Myth Of Dionysus, The God Of Wine And Pleasure
The myth of Dionysus – also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology – tells of a vital, funny demigod who was always ready at a party. He is considered the god of wine and pleasure, fertility and likewise he was the inspiration for ritual ecstasy.
Hera, Zeus’ jealous wife, went out to kill the child. To do so, she summoned the Titans, who lured the boy with toys. He followed them and the Titans killed him, cut him into small pieces, boiled and ate him.
Zeus, who loved his son unconditionally, took revenge and let the lightning strike the Titans. He saw that Dionysus’ heart had not been eaten, so he used this to revive him.
Legend has it that man was born out of the ashes of the titans. Because the Titans had eaten Dionysus, all humans now carry both the pleasure-seeking nature of Dionysus and the aggression of the Titans.
Other versions of the myth of Dionysus
The second version of the myth of Dionysus, and possibly the most popular, begins with a beautiful princess named Semele.
Zeus fell in love with her at first sight and took the form of a human in order to visit her. Soon he won her heart and seduced her. She got pregnant, which is why Zeus decided to tell her who he really was.
Also in this version, Hera’s jealousy plays a role. When she discovered her husband’s infidelity, she also took on the form of a human being and introduced herself as a breastfeeding assistant to Semele.
She enticed Semele to tell who was the father of her children. Hera then suggested to Semele that Zeus might not be the one he pretended to be, which made Semele worried and full of doubt.
To be completely sure, Semele asked Zeus to appear as a God instead of a human being. The great Olympic god had always promised her to do what she asked, so he could not say no.
Thus he turned into lightning and thunder. Unfortunately, the princess turned to ashes and died, since a mortal cannot survive seeing a god’s powers. Dionysus, lying in Semele’s womb, was saved by Zeus, sewing him into his leg.
A happy God
The myth of Dionysus tells that Zeus entrusted his son to be cared for by Ino, the sister of the deceased princess, and her husband. However, Hera was still jealous and did what she could to make life difficult for the adoptive parents.
The consequence was that Zeus decided to turn Dionysus into a goat and give him to Hermes, who left his upbringing to the nymphs.
Dionysos was a happy, funny and dynamic young man. It was he who found out how to ferment grapes and grow wine. Later, he traveled far and wide, to teach others about the art of making wine.
Dionysus had great experiences on his travels. The most famous is when he was on the coast; pirates kidnapped him because they thought he was a prince so they could get ransom. They could not imagine what could happen !
Dionysus and the wine cult
When the pirates tried to bind Dionysus, none of the ropes would remain bound. Then the god turned into a lion and made a sound that drove the pirates crazy. In a panic, they plunged into the sea, and Dionysus later turned them into dolphins.
According to this legend, dolphins are actually repentant pirates, which is why they help people who are stranded or capsized by ship.
Dionysus married Ariadne when he took pity on her after she was abandoned on a desert island by a minotaur. Later, when he had taught the people how to make wine, he asked to come to Olympus. Dionysus is involved in a wide range of myths and was a very well-liked God among the Greeks.
His desire to visit Olympus was fulfilled, but before he could be reunited with the other gods, he went down to the underworld to pick up his mother, Semele, who then became a constellation. Dionysus is associated with celebration and colors, ecstasy, theater, pleasure and enjoyment.
