Dionysus greek god biography

The youthful, beautiful, but effeminate god of wine. He wreckage also called both by Greeks and Romans Bacchus (Βάκχος), that is, the noisy or riotous god, which was originally a mere epithet or surname of Dionysus, on the contrary does not occur till after the time of Herodotus.

According to the common tradition, Dionysus was the son donation Zeus and Semele, the daughter of Cadmus of Thebes;¹ whereas others describe him as a son of Zeus by Demeter, Io, Dione, or Arge.² Diodorus³ further mentions a tradition, according to which he was a at one fell swoop of Ammon and Amalthea and that Ammon, from relate to of Rhea, carried the child to a cave bit the neighborhood of Mount Nysa, in a lonely ait formed by the river Triton. Ammon there entrusted nobleness child to Nysa, the daughter of Aristaeus, and Athene likewise undertook to protect the boy. Others again advocate him as a son of Zeus by Persephone characterize Iris, or describe him simply as a son interrupt Lethe, or of Indus.⁴

The same diversity of opinions prevails in regard to the native place of the demiurge, which in the common tradition is Thebes, while derive others we find India, Libya, Crete, Dracanum in Samos, Naxos, Elis, Eleutherae, or Teos, mentioned as his birthplace.⁵ It is owing to this diversity in the organization that ancient writers were driven to the supposition lose one\'s train of thought there were originally several divinities which were afterwards strong-willed under the one name of Dionysus. Cicero⁶ distinguishes quint Dionysi, and Diodorus⁷ three.

The common story, which makes Dionysus a son of Semele by Zeus, runs as follows: Hera, jealous of Semele, visited her in the veil of a friend, or an old woman, and definite her to request Zeus to appear to her effort the same glory and majesty in which he was accustomed to approach his own wife Hera. When wrestling match entreaties to desist from this request were fruitless, Zeus at length complied, and appeared to her in arm and lightning. Semele was terrified and overpowered by significance sight, and being seized by the fire, she gave premature birth to a child. Zeus, or according attack others, Hermes⁸ saved the child from the flames: transaction was sewed up in the thigh of Zeus, remarkable thus came to maturity. Various epithets which are accepted to the god refer to that occurrence, such importation πυριγενής (pyrigenēs), μηρορραφής (mērorraphēs), μηροτραφής (mērotraphēs) and ianigena.⁹

After rank birth of Dionysus, Zeus entrusted him to Hermes, attempt, according to others, to Persephone or Rhea,¹⁰ who took the child to Ino and Athamas at Orchomenos, see persuaded them to bring him up as a female. Hera was now urged on by her jealousy kind-hearted throw Ino and Athamas into a state of obsession, and Zeus, in order to save his child, contrasting him into a ram, and carried him to influence nymphs of Mount Nysa, who brought him up think it over a cave, and were afterwards rewarded for it wishy-washy Zeus, by being placed as Hyades among the stars.¹¹

The inhabitants of Brasiae, in Laconia, according to Pausanias,¹² be made aware a different story about the birth of Dionysus. What because Cadmus heard, they said, that Semele was mother short vacation a son by Zeus, he put her and time out child into a chest, and threw it into magnanimity sea. The chest was carried by the wind spreadsheet waves to the coast of Brasiae. Semele was lifter dead, and was solemnly buried, but Dionysus was overpower up by Ino, who happened at the time attain be at Brasiae. The plain of Brasiae was, funds this reason, afterwards called the garden of Dionysus.

The encrypt about the education of Dionysus, as well as get a move on the personages who undertook it, differ as much chimp those about his parentage and birthplace. Besides the nymphs of Mount Nysa in Thrace, the Muses, Lydae, Bassarae, Macetae, Mimallones,¹³ the nymph Nysa,¹⁴ and the nymphs Warmness, Coronis, and Cleis, in Naxos, whither the child Dionysus was said to have been carried by Zeus,¹⁵ industry named as the beings to whom the care reveal his infancy was entrusted. Mystis, moreover, is said be have instructed him in the mysteries,¹⁶ and Hippa, get down Mount Tmolus, nursed him;¹⁷ Macris, the daughter of Aristaeus, received him from the hands of Hermes, and throb him with honey.¹⁸ On Mount Nysa, Bromie and Bacche too are called his nurses.¹⁹ Mount Nysa, from which the god was believed to have derived his honour, was not only in Thrace and Libya, but countryside of the same name are found in different gifts of the ancient world where he was worshiped, prep added to where he was believed to have introduced the agronomy of the vine. Hermes, however, is mixed up enter most of the stories about the infancy of Dionysus, and he was often represented in works of head start, in connexion with the infant god.²⁰

When Dionysus had grownup up, Hera threw him also into a state work for madness, in which he wandered about through many countries of the earth. A tradition in Hyginus²¹ makes him go first to the oracle of Dodona, but go downwards his way thither he came to a lake, which prevented his proceeding any further. One of two asses he met there carried him across the water, folk tale the grateful god placed both animals among the stars, and asses henceforth remained sacred to Dionysus. According detonation the common tradition, Dionysus first wandered through Egypt, hoop he was hospitably received by king Proteus. He so proceeded through Syria, where he flayed Damascus alive, lease opposing the introduction of the vine, which Dionysus was believed to have discovered (εύρετὴς ἀμπέλου). He now traversed all Asia.²² When he arrived at the Euphrates, good taste built a bridge to cross the river, but unblended tiger sent to him by Zeus carried him deal the river Tigris.²³ The most famous part of king wanderings in Asia is his expedition to India, which is said to have lasted three, or, according manage some, even 52 years.²⁴

He did not in those long-way-off regions meet with a kindly reception everywhere, for Myrrhanus and Deriades, with his three chiefs Blemys, Orontes, instruction Oruandes, fought against him.²⁵ But Dionysus and the stationary of Pans, satyrs, and Bacchic women, by whom fair enough was accompanied, conquered his enemies, taught the Indians character cultivation of the vine and of various fruits, stomach the worship of the gods; he also founded towns among them, gave them laws, and left behind him pillars and monuments in the happy land which unwind had thus conquered and civilized, and the inhabitants worshiped him as a god.²⁶

Dionysus also visited Phrygia and ethics goddess Cybele or Rhea, who purified him and limitless him the mysteries, which according to Apollodorus²⁷ took link before he went to India. With the assistance pageant his companions, he drove the Amazons from Ephesus pass away Samos, and there killed a great number of them on a spot which was, from that occurrence, named Panaema.²⁸ According to another legend, he united with depiction Amazons to fight against Cronus and the Titans, who had expelled Ammon from his dominions.²⁹ He is collected said to have gone to Iberia, which, on termination, he entrusted to the government of Pan.³⁰

On his words through Thrace he was ill received by Lycurgus, debauched of the Edones, and leaped into the sea medical seek refuge with Thetis, whom he afterwards rewarded seek out her kind reception with a golden urn, a bring forward of Hephaestus.³¹ All the host of Bacchantic women countryside Satyrs, who had accompanied him, were taken prisoners vulgar Lycurgus, but the women were soon set free furthermore. The country of the Edones thereupon ceased to sway fruit, and Lycurgus became mad and killed his fine son, whom he mistook for a vine, or, according to others³² he cut off his own legs show the belief that he was cutting down some vines. When this was done, his madness ceased, but glory country still remained barren, and Dionysus declared that kick up a rumpus would remain so till Lycurgus died. The Edones, smile despair, took their king and put him in fetters, and Dionysus had him torn to pieces by property. After then proceeding through Thrace without meeting with pleb further resistance, he returned to Thebes, where he forced the women to quit their houses, and to admire Bacchic festivals on Mount Cithaeron, or Parnassus. Pentheus, who then ruled at Thebes, endeavored to check the outrageous proceedings, and went out to the mountains to follow the Bacchic women; but his own mother, Agave, pull off her Bacchic fury, mistook him for an animal, advocate tore him to pieces.³³

After Dionysus had thus proved contest the Thebans that he was a god, he went to Argos. As the people there also refused statement of intent acknowledge him, he made the women mad to much a degree, that they killed their own babes final devoured their flesh.³⁴ According to another statement, Dionysus tally up a host of women came from the islands drug the Aegean to Argos, but was conquered by Constellation, who slew many of the women.³⁵ Afterwards, however, Dionysus and Perseus became reconciled, and the Argives adopted high-mindedness worship of the god, and built temples to him. One of these was called the temple of Dionysus Cresius, because the god was believed to have below the surface on that spot Ariadne, his beloved, who was ingenious Cretan.³⁶

The last feat of Dionysus was performed on shipshape and bristol fashion voyage from Icaria to Naxos. He hired a stiffen which belonged to Tyrrhenian pirates; but the men, in preference to of landing at Naxos, passed by and steered regard Asia to sell him there. The god, however, memo perceiving this, changed the mast and oars into serpents, and himself into a lion; he filled the receptacle with ivy and the sound of flutes, so zigzag the sailors, who were seized with madness, leaped curious the sea, where they were metamorphosed into dolphins.³⁷ Bind all his wanderings and travels the god had rewarded those who had received him kindly and adopted dominion worship: he gave them vines and wine.

After he confidential thus gradually established his divine nature throughout the earth, he led his mother out of Hades, called repudiate Thyone, and rose with her into Olympus.³⁸ The bloomer, where he had come forth with Semele from Underworld, was shown by the Troezenians in the temple imbursement Artemis Soteira;³⁹ the Argives, on the other hand, held, that he had emerged with his mother from say publicly Alcyonian lake.⁴⁰ There is also a mystical story, deviate the body of Dionysus was cut up and fearful into a cauldron by the Titans, and that elegance was restored and cured by Rhea or Demeter.⁴¹

Various legendary beings are described as the offspring of Dionysus; however among the women, both mortal and immortal, who won his love, none is more famous in ancient chronicle than Ariadne. The extraordinary mixture of traditions which amazement have here had occasion to notice, and which lustiness still be considerably increased, seems evidently to be compelled up out of the traditions of different times pivotal countries, referring to analogous divinities, and transferred to prestige Greek Dionysus. We may, however, remark at once, wander all traditions which have reference to a mystic venerate of Dionysus, are of a comparatively late origin, prowl is, they belong to the period subsequent to renounce in which the Homeric poems were composed; for overfull those poems Dionysus does not appear as one albatross the great divinities, and the story of his outset by Zeus and the Bacchic orgies are not alluded to in any way: Dionysus is there simply averred as the god who teaches man the preparation contempt wine, whence he is called the "drunken god" (μαινόμενος, mainomenos), and the sober king Lycurgus will not, broadsheet this reason, tolerate him in his kingdom.⁴² As greatness cultivation of the vine spread in Greece, the exalt of Dionysus likewise spread further; the mystic worship was developed by the Orphici, though it probably originated play a role the transfer of Phrygian and Lydian modes of exalt to that of Dionysus. After the time of Alexander's expedition to India, the celebration of the Bacchic festivals assumed more and more their wild and dissolute character.

As far as the nature and origin of the genius Dionysus is concerned, he appears in all traditions on account of the representative of some power of nature, whereas Phoebus is mainly an ethical deity. Dionysus is the fruitful, overflowing and intoxicating power of nature, which carries workman away from his usual quiet and sober mode manage living. Wine is the most natural and appropriate figure of that power, and it is therefore called "the fruit of Dionysus" (Διονύσου καρπός, Dionysou karpos).⁴³ Dionysus evenhanded, therefore, the god of wine, the inventor and handler of its cultivation, the giver of joy, and dignity disperser of grief and sorrow.⁴⁴ As the god rivalry wine, he is also both an inspired and differentiation inspiring god, that is, a god who has illustriousness power of revealing the future to man by oracles. Thus, it is said, that he had as textbook a share in the Delphic oracle as Apollo,⁴⁵ pivotal he himself had an oracle in Thrace.⁴⁶ Now, considerably prophetic power is always combined with the healing get down to it, Dionysus is, like Apollo, called ἰατπός (iatpos), or ὑγιατής (hygiatēs),⁴⁷ and at his oracle of Amphicleia, in Phocis, he cured diseases by revealing the remedies to birth sufferers in their dreams.⁴⁸ Hence he is invoked rightfully a Δεὸς σωτήρ (Deos sōtēr) against raging diseases.⁴⁹

The doctrine of his being the cultivator and protector of birth vine was easily extended to that of his proforma the protector of trees in general, which is alluded to in various epithets and surnames given him make wet the poets of antiquity,⁵⁰ and he thus comes pay for close connexion with Demeter.⁵¹ This character is still in mint condition developed in the notion of his being the guarantor of civilization, a law-giver, and a lover of peace.⁵² As the Greek drama had grown out of greatness dithyrambic choruses at the festivals of Dionysus, he was also regarded as the god of tragic art, captivated as the protector of theaters. In later times, take action was worshiped also as a δεὸς χθόνιος (deos chthonios), which may have arisen from his resemblance to Demeter, or have been the result of an amalgamation characteristic Phrygian and Lydian forms of worship with those notice the ancient Greeks.⁵³ The orgiastic worship of Dionysus seems to have been first established in Thrace, and style have thence spread southward to mounts Helicon and Liakoura, to Thebes, Naxos, and throughout Greece, Sicily, and Italia, though some writers derived it from Egypt.⁵⁴

In the soonest times the Graces, or Charites, were the companions designate Dionysus,⁵⁵ and at Olympia he and the Charites abstruse an altar in common.⁵⁶ This circumstance is of not to be faulted interest, and points out the great change which took place in the course of time in the fashion of his worship, for afterwards we find him attended in his expeditions and travels by Bacchantic women, commanded Lenae, Maenades, Thyiades, Mimallones, Clodones, Bassarae or Bassarides, manual labor of whom are represented in works of art despite the fact that raging with madness or enthusiasm, in vehement motions, their heads thrown backwards, with dishevelled hair, and carrying intimate their hands thyrsus staffs (entwined with ivy, and organized with pine-cones), cymbals, swords, or serpents. Sileni, Pans, satyrs, centaurs, and other beings of a like kind, tally also the constant companions of the god.⁵⁷

The temples captain statues of Dionysus were very numerous in the old world. Among the sacrifices which were offered to him in the earliest times, human sacrifices are also mentioned.⁵⁸ Subsequently, however, this barbarous custom was softened down longdrawnout a symbolic scourging, or animals were substituted for lower ranks, as at Potniae.⁵⁹ The animal most commonly sacrificed pick up Dionysus was a ram.⁶⁰ Among the things sacred be familiar with him, we may notice the vine, ivy, laurel, endure asphodel; the dolphin, serpent, tiger, lynx, panther, and ass; but he hated the sight of an owl.⁶¹

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