Dionysus - god of wine and fun

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The ancient Greek god of wine Dionysus has always been unusually eccentric. When modern researchers studied his cult in detail, they were sincerely surprised that the Hellenes, with their sober worldview, could tolerate such a celestial with his frantic dances, exciting music and immoderate drunkenness. Even the barbarians who lived nearby were suspected - whether he appeared from their lands. However, the Greeks had to recognize him as their brother and agree that Dionysus is the god of anything, but not boredom and despondency.

Illegitimate son of the Thunderer

Even by the history of his birth, he stands out from the general mass of dark-skinned and loud-mouthed babies who were born on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is known that his father, Zeus, in secret from his lawful wife Hera, had a secret passion for a young goddess named Semele. Upon learning of this, the legitimate half, filled with anger, decided to destroy her rival and, with the help of magic, inspired her with a crazy idea to ask Zeus to hug her the way he does with her - a legitimate wife.

Semela chose the moment when Zeus was ready for any promises, and whispered her desire to him. The poor thing didn't knowwhat he asks. No wonder he earned a reputation as a thunderer. When he pressed his beloved to his chest, he was immediately enveloped in fire and lightning lit up. Hera, the wife, may have liked it, but poor Semele could not bear such passion and instantly burned out. An excessively ardent lover managed to snatch a premature fetus from her womb and, placing it in his own thigh, reported the remaining term. This is how the baby Dionysus was born in an unusual way.

Hera's new machinations

Such a happy event happened, according to various sources, either on the island of Naxos, or on Crete, now no one remembers exactly, but it is known that the first educators of the young deity were nymphs, of whom a great many lived in those places. So young Dionysus would have frolicked between them, but suddenly the matter was complicated by the fact that Zeus found out about Hera's desire to destroy his illegitimate son. To stop her, he gives the young man to his mother's sister Ino and her husband Afamant.

But Zeus underestimated his jealous wife. Hera learned the whereabouts of Dionysus and sent madness on Afaman, wanting him to kill the child she hated in a fit of violence. But it turned out differently: the victim of the unfortunate madman was his own son, and the future god of wine escaped safely by jumping into the sea with Ino, where they were embraced by Nereids - the Greek sisters of the well-known mermaids.

Satire Apprentice

In order to further protect his son from an evil wife, Zeus turned him into a goat and in this guise, transferred him to be raised by kind and caring nymphs from Nisa ―cities in what is now Israel. The legend says that they hid their ward in a cave, hiding the entrance to it with branches. But it just so happened that one old, but very frivolous satyr, a demon, a student of the drunkard Bacchus, chose the same place as his home. It was he who taught Dionysus the first lessons in winemaking and introduced him to immoderate libations.

So from a harmless-looking kid, the god of wine turned out. Further, disagreements begin in the legends - either Hera instilled madness in him, or alcohol had such an effect, but Dionysus scattered the branches that hid the entrance to his shelter, and went wherever his eyes looked. He was seen idly wandering in Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor and even in India. And everywhere he taught people how to make wine. But a strange thing, wherever he held festivities, everywhere they ended in madness and violence. As if there was something demonic in the juicy grapes.

Following adventures of the god of wine

The further life of Dionysus was full of adventures. He spent three years on a military campaign against India, and in memory of this, the ancient Greeks established a noisy Bacchic festival. It was he - the god of wine and fun - who built the first bridge across the great river Euphrates, using a rope made of grapevine and ivy for its manufacture. After that, Dionysus descended into the realm of the dead and safely brought out his mother, Semele, who entered later mythology under the name of Fiona.

There is also a story about how the god of wine was once captured by pirates. Sea robbers captured him duringone of the voyages. But apparently they had little idea who they were dealing with. The fetters of their own accord fell from his hands, and Dionysus turned the masts of the ship into snakes. To top it off, he appeared on deck in the form of a bear, which caused the frightened pirates to jump into the sea, turning into dolphins there.

Marriage of Dionysus and Ariadne

Before finally settling on Olympus, the god of wine got married. His chosen one was Ariadne, the same daughter of the Cretan king Minos, who managed with the help of her thread to help the legendary Theseus get out of the labyrinth. But the fact is that, being safe, the villain treacherously abandoned the girl, which is why she was ready to commit suicide. Dionysus saved her, and the grateful Ariadne agreed to become his wife. To celebrate, her new father-in-law - Zeus - granted her immortality and a rightful place on Olympus. Many other adventures of this hero are described in Greek legends, because Dionysus is the god of what? Wine, but it's only worth tasting, and whatever happens…