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Dionysus
Dionysus was one of the sons of Zeus. When Semele, Dionysus’ mother, died, Zeus took Dionysus from her womb, and sewed him into his leg until he was ready to be born. Dionysus is the god of wine, cheer, vegetation, and ecstasy. The ancient Greeks associated him with tradgedy and unpredictable behavior, mainly from drinking to much wine. He is usually shown on Attic vases, with a drinking horn and wine branches. He taught people farming methods, especially mortals, on how to grow grapes and cultivate wine. The maenads, also known as bacchantes, were a group of women who left their homes to devote themselves to Dionysus. Dionysus was very nice to the people who honored him, but was very mean to those who did not. Dionysus would wander from city to city, introducing his crazy rituals to people. Some of these rituals were dancing, drinking wine, tearing apart animals and sometimes humans. Traditions say that each winter Dionysus died and was then reborn. His followers believed that this was a renewal of all the fruits, and it was to show that there was life after death. Some of his followers were the nymphs and creatures called satyrs. Satyrs were creatures that were half men, half goat. Huge festivals were held in honor of Dionysus. The most important festival was the Greater Dionysia. It took place in Athens for five days in the spring. It was to celebrate Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. The Greeks dedicated their theater in Athens to Dionysus. Their concept of tragedy in drama came from a ceremony that honored Dionysus. The word “tragedy” comes from the Greek word “tragos”, which means “goat”, and goats were a symbol of Dionysus. Dionysus is also known as Bacchus. Bacchus means “loud cries”. His followers worshipped him by using loud cries. He has many other names such as Liber and Bromius. Zeus, Semele, and the Birth of Dionysus Semele agreed to marry the Storm-god, Zeus. After they got married, Semele told Zeus the good news. They were to have a baby. When Hera, Zeus’ other wife, heard about the baby, she became mad. Hera decided that she had to find away to kill Semele. Hera came up with a plan. She decided to go visit Semele pretending to be an old woman. Hera kindly asked Semele, “Who is your husband?” Semele proudly explained that her husband was no other then Zeus himself. Hera, knowing very well that Semele was a mortal and that she would die if she saw Zeus for who he really was, suggested that she make Zeus prove himself to her. “Why would I do that?”, asked Semele. “To make sure that he is really Zeus.” Later that day, when Zeus got home Semele asked Zeus to prove himself to her. Zeus begged her not to ask that of him, but she refused. So, Zeus did as she wished, but it was too much for Semele, and lightening struck her, burning her to death . Zeus did manage to save their baby. Zeus named him Dionysus. He gave him to Hermes to protect him from Hera. Hermes took him to a far away land where he grew up with the lions and tigers. He saw bunches of grapes growing on the hill, so he took them and invented the art of winemaking. From then on, wherever he went, he was worshipped, and he became the god of wine.
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