Nikolai Kun
The birth and upbringing of Dionysus
Zeus the Thunderer loved the beautiful Semele, daughter of the Theban king Cadmus. Once he promised her to fulfill any of her requests, no matter what it was, and swore to her this by an unbreakable oath of the gods, by the sacred waters of the underground river Styx. But the great goddess Hera hated Semele and wanted to destroy her. She told Semele:
Ask Zeus to appear to you in all the glory of the god of thunder, the king of Olympus. If he really loves you, he will not refuse this request.
Hera convinced Semele, and she asked Zeus to fulfill exactly this request. Zeus, however, could not refuse anything to Semele, because he swore by the waters of the Styx. The Thunderer appeared to her in all the grandeur of the king of gods and people, in all the splendor of his glory. Bright lightning flashed in the hands of Zeus; thunderclaps shook the palace of Cadmus. Everything around flashed from the lightning of Zeus. The fire engulfed the palace, everything around shook and collapsed. In horror, Semele fell to the ground, the flames burned her. She saw that there was no salvation for her, that her request, inspired by the Hera, ruined her.
And a son was born to the dying Semele Dionysus, weak, unable to live child. It seemed that he, too, was doomed to perish in the fire. But how could the son of the great Zeus die. From the ground on all sides, as if by a wave of a magic wand, thick green ivy grew. He covered the unfortunate child from the fire with his greenery and saved him from death.
Zeus took the saved son, and since he was still so small and weak that he could not live, Zeus sewed him into his thigh. In the body of his father, Zeus, Dionysus got stronger, and, having got stronger, was born a second time from the thigh of the Thunderer Zeus. Then the king of gods and people called his son, the quick messenger of the gods, Hermes, and ordered him to take little Dionysus to Semele's sister, Ino, and her husband Atamant, king of Orchomenus, they had to raise him.
The goddess Hera was angry with Ino and Atamant because they adopted the son of Semele, who she hated, and decided to punish them. She sent madness to Atamant. In a fit of madness, Atamant killed his son Learchus. She barely had time to escape from the death of Ino with another son, Melikert. The husband chased after her and was already overtaking her. Ahead is a steep, rocky seashore, the sea is rustling below, a crazy husband overtakes behind - Ino has no salvation. In desperation, she threw herself with her son into the sea from the coastal cliffs. The Nereids took Ino and Melikert into the sea. The tutor of Dionysus and her son were converted into sea deities and since then they have been living in the depths of the sea.
Dionysus was saved from the mad Atamant by Hermes. He transferred him in the twinkling of an eye to the Nisei valley and gave it there to be raised by the nymphs. Dionysus grew up as a beautiful, powerful god of wine, a god who gives people strength and joy, a god who gives fertility. The tutors of Dionysus, the nymphs, were taken by Zeus as a reward to heaven, and they shine on a dark starry night, called Hyades, among other constellations.
Dionysus and his retinue
With a cheerful crowd of maenads and satyrs decorated with wreaths, the cheerful god Dionysus walks around the world, from country to country. He walks in front, wearing a wreath of grapes, holding a thyrsus adorned with ivy. Around him young maenads whirl in a quick dance, singing and shouting; clumsy satyrs with tails and goat legs, drunk on wine, jump about. The procession is followed by the old man Silenus, the wise teacher of Dionysus, on a donkey. He is very tipsy, he can barely sit on the donkey, leaning on the skin of wine lying next to him. The ivy wreath slid to one side on his bald head. Swaying, he rides, smiling good-naturedly. Young satire they walk beside the cautiously stepping donkey and carefully support the old man so that he does not fall. To the sounds of flutes, pipes and tympans, a noisy procession moves merrily in the mountains, among shady forests, along green lawns. Dionysus-Bacchus merrily walks the earth, conquering everything with his power. He teaches people to plant grapes and make wine from their heavy, ripe bunches.
Lycurgus
Not everywhere recognize the power of Dionysus. Often he has to meet resistance; often by force he has to conquer countries and cities. But who can fight the great god, the son of Zeus? He severely punishes those who oppose him, who do not want to recognize him and honor him as a god. The first time Dionysus had to be persecuted was in Thrace, when in a shady valley with his companions, his maenads, he merrily feasted and danced, intoxicated with wine, to the sounds of music and singing; then the cruel king of the edons, Lycurgus, attacked him. The maenads fled in horror, throwing the sacred vessels of Dionysus to the ground; even Dionysus himself fled. Fleeing from the persecution of Lycurgus, he threw himself into the sea; the goddess Thetis sheltered him there. The father of Dionysus, Zeus the Thunderer, severely punished Lycurgus, who dared to offend the young god: Zeus blinded Lycurgus and reduced his life.
Daughters of Miniah
And in Orchomenus, in Boeotia, they did not immediately recognize the god Dionysus. When the priest of Dionysus-Bacchus appeared in Orchomenus and called all the girls and women to the forests and mountains to a merry festival in honor of the god of wine, the three daughters of King Minius did not go to the festival; they did not want to recognize Dionysus as a god. All the women of Orchomenus left the city for the shady forests, and there they honored the great god with singing and dancing. Twisted with ivy, with thyrsos in their hands, they rushed with loud cries, like maenads, through the mountains and praised Dionysus. And the daughters of King Orchomenos sat at home and calmly spun and wove; they did not want to hear anything about the god Dionysus. Evening came, the sun set, and the king's daughters still did not give up work, in a hurry to finish it at all costs. Suddenly a miracle appeared before their eyes, The sounds of tympanums and flutes were heard in the palace, the threads of yarn turned into vines, and heavy clusters hung on them. The looms were green with ivy. The fragrance of myrtle and flowers spread everywhere. The king's daughters looked with surprise at this miracle. Suddenly, all over the palace, already shrouded in evening twilight, the ominous light of torches flashed. The roar of wild animals was heard. Lions, panthers, lynxes and bears appeared in all the chambers of the palace. With a menacing howl they ran around the palace and their eyes flashed furiously. In horror, the king's daughters tried to hide in the farthest, darkest rooms of the palace, so as not to see the glare of torches and not hear the roar of animals. But all in vain, they can't hide anywhere. The punishment of the god Dionysus did not stop there. The bodies of the princesses began to shrink, covered with dark mouse hair, wings with a thin membrane grew instead of hands - they turned into bats. Since then, they have been hiding from daylight in dark damp ruins and caves. So Dionysus punished them.
Tyrrhenian sea robbers
Based on the Homeric hymn and Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses"
Dionysus also punished the Tyrrhenian sea robbers, but not so much because they did not recognize him as a god, but for the evil that they wanted to inflict on him as a mere mortal.
One day young Dionysus stood on the shores of the azure sea. The sea breeze gently played with his dark curls and slightly stirred the folds of the purple cloak that fell from the slender shoulders of the young god. A ship appeared out to sea in the distance; he quickly approached the shore. When the ship was already close, the sailors - they were Tyrrhenian sea robbers - saw a wondrous young man on a deserted seashore. They quickly moored, went ashore, grabbed Dionysus and took him to the ship. The robbers did not even suspect that they had captured a god. The robbers rejoiced that such rich booty fell into their hands. They were sure that they would get a lot of gold for such a beautiful young man by selling him into slavery. Arriving on the ship, the robbers wanted to shackle Dionysus in heavy chains, but they fell from the arms and legs of the young god. He sat and looked at the robbers with a calm smile. When the helmsman saw that the chains were not holding on to the hands of the young man, he said to his comrades with fear:
Unhappy! What are we doing? Do we want to bind God? Look - even our ship can barely hold it! Isn't it Zeus himself, isn't it the silver-bowed Apollo or the shaker of the earth Poseidon? No, he doesn't look like a mortal! This is one of the gods living on the bright Olympus. Release him soon, land him on the ground. No matter how he summoned violent winds and raised a formidable storm on the sea!
But the captain angrily answered the wise helmsman:
Despicable! Look, the wind is fair! Our ship will quickly rush along the waves of the boundless sea. We will take care of the young man later. We will sail to Egypt, or to Cyprus, or to the distant country of the Hyperboreans, and there we will sell it; let this young man look for his friends and brothers there. No, the gods sent it to us!
The robbers calmly raised the sails, and the ship went out to the open sea. Suddenly a miracle happened: fragrant wine flowed through the ship, and the whole air was filled with fragrance. The robbers were dumbfounded. But here on the sails vines with heavy clusters turned green; dark green ivy curled around the mast; beautiful fruits appeared everywhere; oarlocks of oars wrapped around garlands of flowers. When the robbers saw all this, they began to pray to the wise helmsman to rule as soon as possible to the shore. But it's too late! The young man turned into a lion and stood on the deck with a menacing growl, his eyes flashing furiously. A shaggy bear appeared on the deck of the ship; she bared her mouth terribly.
In horror, the robbers rushed to the stern and crowded around the helmsman. With a huge leap, the lion rushed at the captain and tore him to pieces. Having lost hope of salvation, the robbers rushed into the sea waves one by one, and Dionysus turned them into dolphins. The helmsman was spared by Dionysus. He assumed his former form and, smiling affably, said to the helmsman:
Don't be afraid! I loved you. I am Dionysus, the son of the Thunderer Zeus and the daughter of Cadmus, Semele!
Icarium
Dionysus rewards people who revere him as a god. So he rewarded Icarius in Attica, when he hospitably received him. Dionysus gave him a vine, and Icarius was the first to cultivate grapes in Attica. But the fate of Ikaria was sad.
Once he gave wine to the shepherds, and they, not knowing what intoxication is, decided that Icarius had poisoned them, and they killed him, and buried his body in the mountains. The daughter of Icarius, Erigona, was looking for her father for a long time. Finally, with the help of her dog Myra, she found her father's tomb. In desperation, the unfortunate Erigone hanged herself on the very tree under which her father's body lay. Dionysus took Icarius, Erigone, and her dog Myra to heaven. Since then, they have been burning in the sky on a clear night - these are the constellations of Bootes, Virgo and Canis Major.
Midas
Based on Ovid's "Metamorphoses"
Once a cheerful Dionysus with a noisy crowd of maenads and satyrs wandered through the wooded rocks of Tmola in Phrygia. Only Silenus was not in the retinue of Dionysus. He lagged behind and, stumbling at every step, heavily intoxicated, wandered through the Phrygian fields. The peasants saw him, tied him with garlands of flowers and took him to King Midas. Midas immediately recognized the teacher Dionysus, received him with honor in his palace and honored him with sumptuous feasts for nine days. On the tenth day, Midas himself took Silenus to the god Dionysus. Dionysus rejoiced when he saw Silenus, and allowed Midas, as a reward for the honor that he showed his teacher, to choose any gift for himself. Then Midas exclaimed:
Oh, great god Dionysus, order that everything I touch turn into pure, shining gold!
Dionysus granted Midas' wish; he only regretted that Midas had not chosen a better gift for himself.
Rejoicing, Midas departed. Rejoicing at the gift he received, he plucks a green branch from the oak - the branch in his hands turns into gold. He plucks ears of corn in the field - they become golden, and golden grains in them. He picks an apple - the apple turns into gold, as if it were from the garden of the Hesperides. Everything Midas touched immediately turned to gold. When he washed his hands, the water dripped from them in golden drops. Midas exults. So he came to his palace. The servants prepared a rich feast for him, and the happy Midas lay down at the table. It was then that he realized what a terrible gift he had begged from Dionysus. One touch from Midas turned everything to gold. Bread, and all dishes, and wine became golden in his mouth. It was then that Midas realized that he would have to die of hunger. He stretched out his hands to the sky and exclaimed:
Have mercy, have mercy, oh Dionysus! Sorry! I beg you for mercy! Take back this gift!
Dionysus appeared and said to Midas:
Go to the origins of Pactol
Among the countless number of gods that have succeeded each other throughout the history of mankind, there is one that people do not get tired of worshiping, and to which they pay tribute with special pleasure - this is the god of wine and fun. And it doesn’t matter how exactly he was called in this or that era - Bacchus, Dionysus or otherwise, but he always knew how to disperse boredom and despondency.
Illegitimate son of the Thunderer
His birth was as unusual as the rest of his life. The celestials who inhabited Olympus in ancient times told for a long time how his father Zeus, secretly from his wife Hera, got into the habit of going to the young and very frivolous goddess Semele, who very soon felt herself, as they say, in an interesting position.
In the arms of the Thunderer
When the goddess-neighbors reported this to Hera, she, wishing to pour out her jealousy not on her fornicating husband, but on his passion, inspired her by witchcraft with a crazy fantasy to ask her lover to hug her as passionately as he used to do it with her - a lawful wife .
Having seized one of those moments when men are generous with promises, Semele whispered her desire to him. The poor thing did not take into account only one thing - she asked for insane hugs from the Thunderer himself, and, having received them, she immediately burned down, embraced by the fire of his unrestrained passion.
Deity born from the thigh
However, we must pay tribute to Zeus, even at such a critical moment he did not lose his presence of mind. Having managed to pluck a barely developed fetus from the womb of his girlfriend, he placed it in his own thigh, after which he successfully reported and in due time resolved himself into a swarthy, loud-mouthed baby. That is how, according to the legend, the Greek god of wine and fun, Dionysus, was born.
Over the years, it is already difficult to remember exactly where the events described above took place - some claim that it was in Crete, others point to the island of Naxos, but it is known for certain that Zeus entrusted the upbringing of his child to the nymphs who lived in those parts from time immemorial. One can only guess what these frivolous creatures taught him, since he did not leave a sedate and reasonable husband, but an eccentric and full of inexhaustible fun, the god of wine and winemaking.
New intrigues of Hera
How long the young god of wine Dionysus spent in their society is also unknown, but anxiety only sunk into Zeus’s soul - knowing the nature of his wife Hera, he did not believe that she would come to terms with the presence of his illegitimate son in the world. To warn her possible intrigues, the Thunderer sent his youth to one close relative - the goddess of retribution Ino.
But alas, female deceit is sometimes limitless. Upon learning of where Dionysus was hiding, Hera sent madness on Ino's husband, King Athamant, hoping that in a fit of rage he would kill the hated youth. Fortunately, this did not happen, and the young, but already experienced a lot of wine god escaped in the sea waves, where he was embraced by Nereids - the closest relatives of our mermaids. As for the victim of the insane Afamantes, it was his own son, who very inopportunely turned up under the arm of his father.
Science taught by a satyr
Rightly believing that his wife would continue to try to destroy Dionysus, Zeus went to the last resort - he turned him into a kid (albeit with horns, but alive), and sent him to his familiar nymphs, who safely hid him in one of the caves. These mythical creatures lived in a remote area, located on the territory of modern Israel.
And it must so happen that this seemingly uninhabited refuge was chosen by an old satyr as his home - a demon and the closest friend of the drunkard Bacchus. It was from him that the young and still inexperienced in his business Dionysus adopted the secrets of winemaking. And having already learned how to create this marvelous drink, he became addicted to its use, having no idea about some “moderate doses” supposedly good for health.
Very soon, his soul, overflowing with wine vapors, demanded space, and, scattering the branches that hid the entrance to the cave, the young, but not quite sober god stepped into the world. It is difficult to say where he first directed his unsteady steps, since current archaeologists find traces of his presence during excavations of the ancient cities of Egypt, Asia Minor, Syria and even India, where he helped local yogis to plunge into nirvana.
Life full of adventure
As Greek mythology testifies, the further life of Dionysus was full of the most incredible adventures, which, however, is not surprising, given his inclinations. They say, for example, that once during a sea voyage he was captured by pirates who did not suspect who they were dealing with. What was their amazement when the fetters suddenly fell from his hands by themselves, and the masts of the ship turned into snakes. To complete the nightmare, their prisoner took the form of a bear and growled menacingly. Pirates in horror jumped overboard, after which they turned into dolphins.
The story of how the reckless god of wine undertook to build the first ever bridge across the great river Euphrates remained in the memory of the Greeks. He completed the work on time, and was very pleased with himself, but, unfortunately, he wove it from ivy and a vine dear to his heart. However, he soon atoned for this mistake by great feats, taking part in the campaign of the Greeks against India. They say that a special Bacchic holiday was even established in honor of this.
And the story of how, having descended into the kingdom of the dead, Dionysus brought out his mother Semele from there, who after that changed her name to Fiona and received immortality, like the other inhabitants of Olympus, may seem completely incredible.
Marriage of Dionysius
But another feat is also known, with which the God of wine and fun adorned himself. In ancient Roman mythology, there is a story about how the daughter of the Cretan king Minos, Ariadne, with the help of a thread, brought her beloved Theseus out of the labyrinth. It so happened that, once free, the ungrateful hero abandoned her, which caused the unfortunate girl to become completely desperate.
It was then that Dionysius appeared in her life, although a drinker, but a wave of a noble person - often even in our time these qualities are combined in people in the most amazing way. Far from petty-bourgeois prejudices, he took an abandoned girl as his wife, and his father Zeus granted her immortality. Since then, Ariadne has found her rightful place among the other celestials of Olympus.
Conclusion
Was all this really or only imagined by overly zealous admirers of a drunken deity, it is difficult to say, because more than two millennia have passed since then. And what's the difference, the main thing is that our imagination is still amusing stories, the main character of which is an eccentric and cheerful god of wine. In antiquity, people saw the world through the prism of their incomparable fantasy, the imprint of which was conveyed to us by the legends they created.
Fiercely hated Dionysus and tried to find more and more ways to take revenge on the illegitimate son of the King of the Gods. However, later Dionysus managed to establish himself among the twelve Olympian gods, as a reflection of such human character traits as madness, intoxication, fun, etc., and Hera had to come to terms.
The beloved of Dionysus was the beautiful Ariadne, the daughter of the Cretan king Minos. According to the famous myth, Ariadne helped Theseus get out of the Labyrinth and taught how to defeat the Minotaur. Together with Theseus, they fled from the palaces of King Minos, but on the way to Athens, the hero Theseus abandoned the poor girl. From terrible grief, Ariadne was ready to give up her life, but Dionysus saved her. According to another version, Dionysus came to Theseus in a dream and told him that Ariadne was destined to be his wife, Dionysus. Theseus obeyed the will of the gods and left Ariadne on the island, where after she met Dionysus. Zeus, out of love for his son, made Ariadne an immortal goddess. From Ariadne were born Enopion and Foant.
Of the other lovers of Dionysus, Erigone is known - the daughter of Icarius. Her story is very sad, Dionysus gave the father of Erigona wine, which he treated the shepherds. Having tasted the wine for the first time, the shepherds thought that Icarius poisoned them and killed him. Erigone committed suicide, but before her death she shouted a curse - so that all the girls of Athens would die the same death until the murderers of their father were punished. And so it happened. Zeus turned Erigone after death into the constellation Virgo.
Avra, the myth of which is set forth in Canto XLVIII of Nonna's poem "The Acts of Dionysus", the daughter of the titan Lelant and the Oceanid Periboea, gave birth to Dionysus the Didyma twins. There is a version that Aphrodite gave birth to Hymen from Dionysus. The son of Dionysus is also the god of feasts and fun - Kom (or Komos).
The constant companions of Dionysus are maenads ("madmen"). They are called differently: from the Roman name of Dionysus, Bacchus, they are called Bacchantes; according to one of the epithets of Dionysus "Bassarei" - bassarids; they are called fiads ("nists") as participants in the fias, that is, marching behind Dionysus. Maenads are "mad" women who always followed Dionysus and participated in his unrestrained feasts and festivities.
Among the companions of Dionysus were Melia (nymphs), Corybantes, Satyrs, Tityrs. They relentlessly followed Dionysus throughout his journey.
Something almost imperceptible connects Dionysus with his uncle Hades. Dionysus is killed, but he is reborn again, he descends to Hades for his mother Semeleto make her the immortal goddess Fiona. Dionysus gives Hades himself a myrtle (evergreen).
Dionysus is also often contrasted with his brother Apollo. Whereas Apollo represents the rational principle, observance of boundaries and frameworks, spiritual development, Dionysus represents the animal principle that does not know the measure, indulging in boundless pleasures and ecstasy. Dionysus - the deity of the agricultural circle, is associated with the elemental forces of the earth, while Apollo is primarily the deity of the tribal aristocracy.
myths
One of the most famous myths about Dionysus tells of his birth. Hera, having learned that Semele was expecting a child from Zeus, was terribly angry. She turned into a maid and inspired Semele that her lover might be a fraud. Hera persuaded Semele to ask Zeus to appear before her in all his glory. And since the Thunderer promised Semele to fulfill her every desire, he could not refuse her. Zeus appeared before Semele in a bright radiance of lightning and flames that incinerated a mere mortal girl. All that was left was a premature baby, whom his father sewed into his thigh to carry him to term. When the time came, Zeus cut his thigh and a pretty boy appeared from there, to whom he gave the name - Dionysus.
According to the legends of the Brasians, Semele nevertheless gave birth to Dionysus, but Cadmus imprisoned her with her son in a barrel. The barrel was thrown by the sea on the land of Brasius, Semele died, and Dionysus was brought up in a cave by his nurse Ino. According to the Achaeans, Dionysus was brought up in the city of Mesatis, where the Titans lay in wait for him.
Zeus gave Dionysus through Hermes to be brought up by the Nisean nymphs (according to Bacchilid) or Semele's sister Ino (according to Appolodorus). The next myth tells that Hera could not calm down and decided to take revenge on the little innocent Dionysus. So, she sent madness on Dionysus and on everyone who surrounded him, and then set the titans on him from Tartarus itself, so that they would tear Dionysus apart. But Rhea's grandmother, Cybele, resurrected the baby and gave him to be raised by an elderly teacher, Silenus. However, the boy was still insane. He found the vine and learned how to make a drink from grapes that instills madness in anyone who drinks it. Silenus and Dionysus went to wander around Egypt and Syria to teach people about winemaking, when he came to Phrygia, Rhea-Cybele healed his madness and asked him to return to Olympus.
But Dionysus went through Thrace to India. From the eastern lands he returns to Greece, to Thebes. While sailing from the island of Ikaria to the island of Naxos, Dionysus is kidnapped by Tyrrhenian sea robbers. The robbers are horrified at the sight of the amazing transformations of Dionysus. Then they bound the prisoner in chains to sell him into slavery, but the chains themselves fell from the hands of Dionysus; braiding the mast, the sails of the ship with vines and ivy, Dionysus appeared in the form of a bear and a lion. The pirates themselves, who threw themselves into the sea out of fear, turned into dolphins. This myth reflected the archaic plant-zoomorphic origin of Dionysus. On the island of Naxos, Dionysus met his beloved Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus, kidnapped her and married her on the island of Lemnos.
Wherever Dionysus was, he taught people how to grow grapes and make wine. However, Dionysus himself did not know the measure - he was accompanied by rampant drunkenness and violence. He demanded recognition of his divine origin and could drive you crazy if he was not recognized, or even kill. So, for example, King Lycurgus (the son of the king of the Edons) rejected Dionysus, not recognizing him as a god. In a frenzy, he killed his son with an ax, convinced that he was cutting down a vine. After that, he was torn to pieces by his own horses. The daughters of Minyas also went mad, and in Argos Dionysus drove the women into a frenzy. He did the same with his cousin, the Theban king Pentheus, who wanted to ban Bacchic rampages. Pentheus was torn to pieces by maenads led by his mother Agave, who, in a state of ecstasy, mistook her son for an animal.
Dionysus nevertheless returned to Olympus, where he was met by his father. He declared his right to rule among the Olympian gods and then Hestia gladly gave Dionysus her place. So Dionysus became one of the twelve ruling gods of Olympus.
Name, epithets and character
The name of Dionysus is found on the Cretan Linear tablets as early as the 14th century BC. Dionysus (ancient Greek di-wo-nu-so-jo, lat. Dionusus) or Bacchus (Vakhos) is a deity of eastern (Thracian and Lydian-Phrygian) origin, which spread in Greece relatively late and established itself there with great difficulty.
Dionysus is famous as Ley (or Lyseus) ("liberator"), he frees people from worldly worries, removes the fetters of a measured life from them, breaks the shackles with which his enemies are trying to entangle, and crushes the walls. Dionysus Bromius ("noisy"), Evius ("jubilant"), Iacchus ("cry, call"), Melpomene ("singing"), Nyctelius ("night"), Oinos ("wine") travels the world, leading a noisy crowd of followers and admirers.
Dionysus was identified with plants, especially grapes. He was often depicted as a cloaked pillar, whose face was a bearded mask with leafy shoots. He was the patron of cultivated plants and trees. The vegetable past of Dionysus is confirmed by the epithets Evius ("ivy") and Dendrite ("tree"), as well as the fact that Dionysus was a dying and resurrecting god as well as vegetable nature.
The zoomorphic past of Dionysus is reflected in his epithets Bassareus ("fox") and Egobol ("striking goats"). Dionysus was often depicted as a bull or a man with horns (Dionysus Zagreus), the epithets "bull", "bull-shaped", "bull-faced", "two-horned", etc. were often applied to him. Perhaps because of this symbolic connection, the belief arose that it was Dionysus who first harnessed the bulls to the plow, and before that time people pulled the plow themselves. There is a connection between Dionysus and a goat, for example, in the myth of the upbringing of Dionysus by Ino, Zeus turned a boy into a goat in order to save Hera from the wrath, and Dionysus' companions, satyrs, also point to the connection of Dionysus with a goat.
The phallus was the symbol of Dionysus, as the god of the proliferating forces of the earth, his epithet Orphos ("straight"), the altar to Dionysus Orphos was in the sanctuary of Or.
In Hellenistic times, the cult of Dionysus merges with the cult of the Phrygian god Sabazius (Sabazius became the constant nickname of Dionysus). In Rome, Dionysus was revered under the name of Bacchus (hence Bacchantes, Bacchanalia) or Bacchus. Identified with Osiris, Serapis, Mitra, Adonis, Amon, Liber.
Dionysus is completely insane, he is a drunkard, hard and immoral. He brutally takes revenge on his ill-wishers. But Dionysus is a strong and brave young god. He even went to Hades to bring his mother out of the realm of shadows. Dionysus is generous and merciful, he endows everyone with the talent of winemaking, he forgave King Midas and saved him from his own gift (King Midas asked Dionysus to turn everything he touched into gold and almost died of hunger).
Dionysus gives inspiration, excites a person to sing, creates poetry; but the poetry that comes from him has a more passionate character than the poetry of Apollo. Dionysus gives thoughts an enthusiasm that rises to a dithyramb, gives them liveliness, the power of which creates dramatic poetry and theatrics. But the exaltation caused by the god of winemaking leads to the darkening of the mind, to orgiastic madness.
Cult and symbolism
The spread and establishment of the cult of Dionysus in Greece dates back to the 8th-7th centuries. BC. and is associated with the growth of city-states (policies) and the development of polis democracy. During this period, the cult of Dionysus began to supplant the cults of local gods and heroes.
The folk basis of the cult of Dionysus was reflected in the myths about the illegitimate birth of the god, his struggle for the right to enter the ranks of the Olympian gods and for the widespread establishment of his cult.
Wherever Dionysus appears, he establishes his cult; everywhere on its way teaches people viticulture and winemaking. The procession of Dionysus, which was of an ecstatic nature, was attended by Bacchantes, satyrs, maenads or bassarids with thyrsus (wands) entwined with ivy. Girded with snakes, they crushed everything in their path, seized by sacred madness. With cries of "Bacchus, Evoe" they praised Dionysus - Bromius ("stormy", "noisy"), beat tympanums, reveling in the blood of torn wild animals, carving honey and milk from the earth with their thyrsus, uprooting trees and dragging crowds along with them. women and men (according to Bachillides). Members of the cult, dressed in animal skins, in mass zeal brought themselves to frenzy (ecstasy), tore apart and devoured the animal that embodied God (most often a bull or goat) in its raw form, thus joining the deity and achieving "God-possession", becoming "Bacchus". The zeal of Dionysus was carried out to a large extent by women who, in their "God-possession", become "Bacchantes", "maenads" (ie frenzied), they both torment Dionysus and at the same time nurse the resurrected baby god. This predominant role of women is explained by the fact that in the earliest periods of agriculture, when zeal arose, it was almost exclusively in the hands of women, who thus performed a magical rite of strengthening the vitality of the new god, on whom, according to their beliefs, the new harvest depended.
Dionysus entered the number of 12 Olympian gods late. The veneration of Dionysus passed from Thrace to Greece, where fertile soil existed for the religion of Dionysus through the spread of rural cults and rites of agrarian magic. However, the Thracian religion, perceived by the peasant population of Greece, with its primitive undifferentiated character, met with strong opposition from the aristocracy, whose ideology was based on "prudence" and "moderation", on respect for established social boundaries. But over time, in Delphi, Dionysus began to be revered along with Apollo. It was then that Dionysus was accepted as the son of Zeus, which was a common form of assimilation of alien deities into the Olympian gods. On Parnassus every two years, orgies were established in honor of Dionysus, in which fiads - Bacchantes from Attica participated. In Athens, solemn processions were held in honor of Dionysus and the sacred marriage of the god with the wife of the archon basileus (according to Aristotle) was played out.
In Attica, the Great, or City, Dionysias were dedicated to Dionysus, which included solemn processions in honor of the god, competitions of tragic and comic poets, as well as choirs performing dithyrambs (held in March-April); Leney, which included the performance of new comedies (in January - February); Small, or Rural, Dionisia, which preserved the remnants of agrarian magic (in December - January), when dramas already played in the city were repeated.
Dionysus in art and culture
About Dionysus narrate XXVI and XXXIV hymns of Homer. He actor Aeschylus' tragedies "The Edonians", Euripides' tragedies "Bacchae", Aristophanes' comedies "The Frogs" and "Dionysus shipwrecked". There was a satyr drama by Aeschylus "Nurses of Dionysus", a satyr drama by Sophocles "Baby Dionysus", a tragedy by Chaeremon "Dionysus".
An ancient theater building in the city of Athens, located on the southeastern slope of the Acropolis - the Theater of Dionysus - one of the most ancient theaters in the world. It was built in the 5th century. BC. and was made of wood. Performances in the theater were held twice a year - during the Lesser Dionysius and the Great Dionysius. In fact, these mysteries gave rise to the ancient Greek theater. From the religious rituals dedicated to Dionysus, the ancient Greek tragedy arose (Greek tragodia, lit. "song of the goat" or "song of the goats", i.e. goat-footed satyrs - companions of Dionysus).
The plots of the myths about Dionysus are displayed in sculpture, vase painting, literature and painting (especially of the Renaissance and Baroque). The artists depicted Bacchic festivities, full of fun and wild revelry, in which the entire retinue of Dionysus took part. A. Durer, Titian, Giulio Romano, Pietro de Cortona, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Nicolas Poussin and others addressed this plot. The most famous statues of the 18th-19th centuries. - "Bacchus" I.G. Dannecker and B. Thorvaldsen.
Composers of the 19th and 20th centuries also turned to the cult of Dionysus - A.S. Dargomyzhsky "The Triumph of Bacchus", C. Debussy "The Triumph of Bacchus" and the opera "Dionysus", the opera "Bacchus" by J. Masnet, etc.
The myths about Dionysus had a huge impact on the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, where a special representation of the Dionysian principle opens up (see "The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music").
In modern times
(3671) Dionysus- a near-Earth asteroid from the "Apollo" group, whose orbit crosses the orbits of the Earth and Mars. It was discovered on May 27, 1984 by American astronomers Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory.
Fufluns is one of the main Etruscan gods of vegetation and fertility, the deity of death and rebirth. In Etruscan mythology, Fufluns was sometimes seen as god of wine and winemaking similar to the Greek god Dionysus and the Roman Liber.
The cult of the god Fufluns appeared in the city of Populonia (lat. Populonium, Etruscan. Pupluna or Fufluna)
, in Tuscany. Populonia (Etruscan. Fufluna) was the only Etruscan city built right on the shores of the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Sea and located on a high hill. 
In antiquity, Populonia was associated with Volterra from the 9th century BC. e. the city turned into a prosperous and independent sea trading port of Etruria. The city was destroyed in 570 by the Lombards. Archaeologists have discovered a large number of Etruscan antiquities in Populonia - Attic vases of the 5th century BC. e., silver and copper coins with the image of Fufluns, many of the largest necropolises of Etruria, which arose from the 9th century BC. e. (Villanova culture) until the middle of the 3rd century BC. e.
Etruscan temple found in Populonia vegetation and fertility, deities of death and rebirth Fufluns, who later became the god of wine, is akin to the Greek Dionysius of Syracuse. The temple of Fufluns in Populonia (Etruscan Fufluna) was destroyed in 384 BC. e.
Fufluns reigns at symposiums and memorial meals and feasts in honor of the dead; its main attribute is canfar with wine. On frescoes and mirrors, Fufluns was depicted next to panthers or leopards who have always accompanied the gods who have relations with both the Earthly world and the Underworld.
The panthers or leopards of Fuflons were often depicted on the walls of Etruscan tombs, and on ritual funerary cups, as a sign of the presence of the god Fuflons. 
Name Fuflunsa
It is mentioned three times on coins and eight times on mirrors and vessels. Fufluns' name is mentioned in a number of inscriptions. 
In Etruscan mythology Earth Goddess Semla consort Aplu, considered the mother of the Etruscan god Fufluns. 
On a bronze mirror of the 4th century BC. depicted embracing in the presence of her son Fufluns.
The main value and the highest good of life, the Etruscan god Fufluns proclaimed hedonism (other Greek ἡδονή - “pleasure”, “pleasure”), to which every person should aspire.
The ancient Greeks adopted the ideas of hedonism from the Etruscans. ancient greek philosopher Aristippus became the founder of hedonism, created an ethical doctrine according to which pleasure is the highest good and the goal of life.
Like e cowardly Fuflons, the ancient Greeks had Dionysus, and the Romans had Bacchus, or Bacchus, who was accompanied by the Bacchantes, who were considered deities of worldly pleasures, generous libations and a wide variety of treats at the table. 
With the cult of the gods of wine Fufluns and Dionysus were tied feasts of Dionysia, which were preceded by a ritual of preparing the consumption of wine, musical interludes were played, dances, games were arranged, poetry was read and songs were sung.
The Etruscans were farmers who grew barley, wheat, grapes, olives, figs, legumes, beans, peas, chestnuts, acorns. 
The Etruscans were engaged in animal husbandry, bred pigs, sheep, poultry, hunted deer, imported olive oil and grape wine. Cooks prepared fried or boiled meat with spices and sauces made from grains, vegetables, and used a large amount of spices. 
The Etruscan god Fufluns reigned at plentiful feasts, observing funeral rituals, the Etruscans boiled eggs as a symbol of rebirth from the afterlife, they drank wine mixed with water, spices, honey, ate vegetables and cheese, and at the end of the meal the servants served them fruits and sweets.
Elegant Etruscan tableware, wine vessels, trays, and cutlery adorned the lavish Etruscan tables. Servants served a variety of dishes and poured wine from large craters into bowls, kelikhs of the participants in the feast.
In the burial mounds of the Etruscans of the 6th-4th centuries, archaeologists find precious Etruscan bronze vases, ceramic black-lacquer vases from Attica, craters, kelikhs - kylikes (wine bowls), kantharos left in the tombs for the deceased so that he can use them in his new life in the other world.
The famous ancient Greek painter Euphronius painted amphorae, kanthara, peliki, using scenes from ancient Greek mythology, legends from history Trojan War. The vase depicts the head of a satyr and a maenad.
The cult of the ancient Greek god of wine Dionysus (lat. Dionysus) passed through ancient Hellas, Syria and Asia to India itself, and returned to Western Europe through Thrace. On his way, Dionysus, accompanied by maenads and bacchantes, silens and satyrs, dancing with rods (firs) entwined with grapes, everywhere taught people winemaking and viticulture. Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus on the island of Naxos, was considered the wife of Dionysus. 
The cult of the god Dionysus, which at first had a cheerful character, gradually became more and more intemperate and turned into violent orgies, or bacchanalia. From here comes the second name of Dionysus is Bacchus (other Greek Βάκχος - "noisy"; and the Roman deity Bacchus (lat. Bacchus - "noisy"). A special role in the festivities of Dionysus was played by priests - pans, satyrs, maenads and bacchantes - frenzied women. The god of wine, Dionysus, was dedicated to grapes, ivy, panther, lynx, tiger, donkey, dolphin and goat.
In the Etruscan legends about Hercles (Hercules) and Uni, it is told about the morals reigning in the environment of the god Vin Fufluns. Once the goddess Uni was walking through a dense forest, and she was suddenly attacked by forest creatures - Pans from the retinue the god of wine and winemaking Fufluns (Dionysus). Uni began to resist, but there were a lot of opponents, and she could not cope with them. Then the goddess screamed for help, and Hercules heard her cry, and immediately ran to the call. Although Herkle disliked Uni due to previous quarrels, he resolutely stood up for Uni, because he always came to the aid of the weak and those who suffered violence. The god Herkle swung his heavy club and struck down one forest demon after another with a blow. Seeing that they could not cope with the mighty Hercules, the rest of the forest demons cowardly fled and Uni was saved.
Selva is considered one of the Etruscan gods of fertility, belonging to the Fufluns circle. The name of the Etruscan god Selva can be found in the inscriptions covering the statuettes of naked boys and men who were sacrificed as a votive gift to the god Selva to bestow fertility and heal the donor's body. The presence of votive gifts indicates healing abilities of Selva.
Virgil. Aeneid. (Book 8. 600)
There is a cool dense grove near the Tsereyskaya river, -
It has long been revered as a shrine; she is surrounded
The slopes are steep hills, overgrown with dark coniferous spruce.
Grove and festivities in it, as the legend says, Silvana
God of arable land and herds, dedicated to the Pelasgians in the old days,
The first in the old days who owned the region of Latin.
PELASGI (Latin PELASGI; Greek Πελασγoι) - An ancient people who inhabited all of Greece and the coast with the islands of the Aegean Sea in prehistoric times. Traces of the Pelasgians are found on the territory of Asia Minor (now Türkiye) and Italy.
The god of fertility Selva was thanked for good luck, for healing from diseases, for good dreams, for liberation from slavery. The custom of asking for the healing of Selva passed from the Etruscans to the Romans. Selva was portrayed in peasant clothes; he had a sickle and a tree as attributes, as a sign of his patronage of agriculture and wildlife. 
Silenus (lat. Silenus) deity of wildlife, wild vegetation of forests and valleys. Silenus (other Greek Σειληνός, Σιληνός), son of Hermes or Pan and a nymph, constant companion, mentor and educator of Bacchus. 
Contrary to popular belief about the ancient Greek religion, the main god there was not at all Zeus. That is, of course, Zeus was the head of the pantheon, the father of the gods, etc. However, the worship of Zeus was not religious in the modern sense of the word, it was rather political and resembled the payment of taxes in favor of the reigning ruler.
The force that really made the soul of the ancient Greek tremble and filled it with a mystical feeling was Dionysus - a god almost forgotten in modern times, who was “lowered” to the level of the patron of winemaking.
Dionysus was the oldest Thracian god. The Thracians were much less civilized than the Greeks, who treated them like barbarians. Like all peoples with an agricultural culture, the Thracians had their own fertility cults, as well as a god that promotes fertility - Dionysus.
The religion of Dionysus enjoyed tremendous popularity, primarily because it restored the intensity of feeling destroyed by prudence, the world appears before him full of pleasure and beauty, his imagination is suddenly freed from the prison of everyday worries. The civilized urban dweller of Greece, weary of reason, was incapable of intense experiences(as, indeed, modern man). The spirit of the urban dweller, orderly and prudent, found expression in the cult, which we have already discussed.
The cult of Dionysus cast aside prudence, it gave rise to the so-called "enthusiasm", etymologically meaning the incorporation of god in a person who worships him, who believes in his unity with God. This element of intoxication, a certain departure from prudence under the influence of passion, has a place in many of the greatest achievements of mankind. Life would be flat and lean without the Dionysian element, but its presence makes it dangerous.
The cult of Dionysus, which came from Thrace and is only mentioned in Homer, contained in its infancy a completely different way of studying the relationship of man to the world. The Greeks saw in the phenomenon of ecstasy a confirmation that the soul is something more than an insignificant double of the "I", and that only "outside the body" the soul can manifest its true nature.
“Dionysism preached a fusion with nature, in which a person completely surrenders to her. When dancing among the forests and valleys to the sounds of music brought the Bacchant into a state of frenzy, he bathed in the waves of cosmic delight, his heart beat in harmony with the whole world. Then the whole world seemed intoxicating with its good and evil, beauty and ugliness. Everything that a person sees, hears, touches and smells is a manifestation of Dionysus. It is spilled everywhere. The smell of slaughterhouse and a sleepy pond, icy winds and debilitating heat, delicate flowers and a disgusting spider - everything is divine. The mind cannot put up with it, it condemns and approves, sorts and chooses. But what are his judgments worth when the "sacred madness of Bacchus", caused by an intoxicating dance under a blue sky or at night by the light of stars and lights, reconciles with everything! The distinction between life and death disappears. Man no longer feels cut off from the Universe, he has become identified with it and, therefore, with Dionysus.” ( Alexander Men. "History of Religion".)
The myth of Dionysus two-part. As in many other cases, this god had two incarnations: "older" and "younger". Elder Dionysus, Dionysus Zagreus or Dionysus Sabaziy("Sabazius" probably means "savior", also a common root with Greek σέβειν, to honor) was an ancient Phrygian deity.
At first, he was called the "Lord of the Universe." Nevertheless, like other peoples, this one did not crown the pantheon, although it was deeply revered by the people.
Later myths tell that passionately in love with his own mother, Zeus satisfied his passion by taking the form of a bull; then, under the guise of a penitent and as if having castrated himself, he put mutton kernels into the bosom of his mother, and Demeter gave birth to a daughter, Persephone, for whom Zeus again inflamed with passion and, in the form of a snake, united with his own daughter; the fruit of this relationship was a boy Zagreus with a bull's head.
Dionysus as natural god was subject to the primordial forces of Fate and Necessity.
As soon as he was born, Dionysus sat on the throne of his father Zeus and, having received a scepter from Zeus, began to shake the worlds and throw lightning with his hand. This angered Hera, who persuaded the Titans to kill Dionysus. The titans attacked the divine child while he was looking into the mirror. Hera eliminated the guards with gifts and, with the help of rattles and a mirror, lured the baby from the throne. For some time, Dionysus managed to escape from his pursuers, turning in turn into Zeus, then into Kron, then into a young man, then into a lion, then into a horse, then into a snake. When Dionysus took the form of a bull, the titans overtook him and tore him to pieces, smearing his face with white honey. They placed seven pieces of the body in a tripod vessel, boiled, roasted and ate.
The tearing apart of a wild animal and the devouring of its raw meat by the Bacchae was subsequently regarded as a reproduction of what the Titans did to Dionysus himself, and the animal, in a certain sense, acted as the incarnation of a god. The titans were of deep earth birth, but after they ate a god, they became the owners of the divine spark.
Athena saved only the heart, which was still trembling, and brought it to Zeus, and he gave it to the mortal woman Semele, from whom Dionysus was born - another, young Zagreus. Zagreus is a constant epithet of Dionysus "first" as the son of Zeus and the Underground Queen, torn to pieces by the titans immediately after his birth. Zeus incinerated the titans, and from the ashes formed from the bodies of the titans and Zagreus, people were created.
Having swallowed the heart of his son, Zeus again produces Dionysus from Semele (daughter of the Theban king Cadmus). At the instigation of the jealous Hera, Semele asked Zeus to appear to her in all his greatness, and he, appearing in a flash of lightning, incinerated the mortal Semele and her towers with fire. Zeus snatched out of the flame Dionysus, who was born prematurely, and sewed him into his thigh. In due time, Zeus gave birth to Dionysus, having opened the seams on his thigh, and then gave Dionysus through Hermes to be raised by Nisean nymphs or Semele's sister Ino. Perhaps the word "Dionysus" means "Zeus' lameness" for the god must have limped as he carried the child in his thigh. The role of the obstetrician in these unusual births was played by Hermes.
The nymphs raised Dionysus in the cave of Niss (therefore, another version of the origin of the name Dionysus is "Divine Nisa".)
There is a teacher of Dionysus Silenus revealed to him the secrets of nature and taught him how to make wine. Silenus is usually depicted as an elderly good-natured and slightly tipsy elderly man with a horse's tail and hooves.
This "new" god passed from Hellas through Syria to India and back through Thrace to Hellas. According to myths, Dionysus not only traveled the whole earth, he descended into Hades.
When the young Dionysus wanted to bring his mother out of Hades, a certain Prosimnus showed Dionysus the entrance to the kingdom of the dead, demanding a fee for this: to enjoy the body of Dionysus. This entrance was located near the swamp of Alcyonia. Dionysus agreed, but when he returned, Prosimnes had already died. Then Dionysus cut off a branch of a fig tree, gave it the shape of a man's penis, and sat on it. According to Clement of Alexandria, as a remembrance of this, the phalluses of Dionysus were erected, every year at night on the banks of the Alcyonia swamp, the festivals of Dionysus were celebrated. From Hades, he brought his mother Semele, who became the goddess Fiona. In addition, there was a tradition that Ancient Zagreus existed ghostly in Hades until Dionysus was reunited with him, during his descent into Hades, so that the purpose of this descent was to acquire the fullness of Dionysus' nature.
Madness was a constant companion of Dionysus. So, according to one version of the myth, King Lycurgus, who rejected Dionysus, killed his son in a fit of madness with an ax, convinced that he was cutting down the vine of Dionysus. The daughters of Minius, King Pentheus, were also torn to pieces by the distraught Bacchantes. The mother of the unfortunate king herself was among these women; she fixed the bloody head of her son on the thyrsus, convinced that it was the head of a lion cub. In Argos, Dionysus also drove the women into madness. They fled to the mountains with babies in their arms and began to devour their meat.
Similar problems arose among women who rejected Dionysus: so the daughters of the kings Proyt and Minyas, distraught, tore their own sons apart.
When Dionysus returned from India, the goddess Cybele(or Rhea; both pre-Olympian great mother goddesses) cleansed him of the murders committed during his bouts of insanity and, most importantly, taught him her mysteries and initiation rituals. Thus Dionysus was not only a god himself, but also a priest of the Great Goddess.
Such epithets as "born of a cow", "bull", "bull-shaped", "bull-faced", "bull-faced", "bull-horned", "horny-bearing", "two-horned" were applied to the god. In Athens and in the Argolithic city of Hermigon, there was a cult of Dionysus, "wearing the skin of a black goat." And in the myth about the upbringing of Dionysus by Ino, Zeus turned the young god into a kid (sometimes a lamb is mentioned) in order to save Hera from the wrath. The connection with the goat, as well as the connection with the generative force and nature, is indicated by the constant companions of Dionysus - the satyrs.
In addition to the bull as the main animal symbolically associated with Dionysus, predatory cats like cheetahs and lions, bears, and snakes appear in myths in connection with this god.
Dionysus was also identified with plants, especially grapes, as a raw material for wine, and trees. Almost all Greeks made sacrifices to Dionysus the Wood. One of the nicknames that the Boeotians gave to the god was the name Dionysus-in-the-Tree. This god was often depicted as a pillar in a cloak, whose face was a bearded mask with leafy shoots.
According to the myth, once, while hunting, Dionysus saw a very beautiful satyr skillfully playing the shepherd's flute. Satyr was called Ampelos. Dionysus liked him very much and became his devoted friend and companion. But one day Ampelos fell off a cliff and crashed. God wept for a long time over his grave and began to beg Father Zeus to return his friend to life. Zeus took pity and turned the dead satyr into a vine, which began to bear fruit, the taste of which was similar to the taste of nectar. The fruits contained the juice of the earth, born from sunlight, moisture and fire. It was in memory of this that Dionysus began to travel the world and teach people to grow a vine, from the fruits of which one could make a divine drink - wine, which gives freedom to feelings. On behalf of the satyr Ampelos, the Greek name for grapes appeared - ampelos.
Wine is an attribute of Dionysus, the same as thyrsus, kantharus, ivy, grapes, a snake, a retinue of animals, satyrs and maenads, a general idea of freedom, irresponsibility, abundance, happiness and equality, or as a feeling of drug intoxication, ranging from light " drunk" to ecstasy and violent insanity.
Traditionally distinguished Dionysus and his retinue from any other deities and people ivy, which in Greece in winter (during the festivities of Dionysus) does not shed its leaves.
Roman name for Dionysus Bacchus- inexplicable from the Greek language. The place of education of Dionysus - Nisa - was placed either in Egypt or in India, cities with such a root appeared all over Europe (for example, Nice). The name of the clothes of Dionysus - bassara - is not of Greek origin. The name of Dionysus is read on a tablet from Pylos, which dates back to the second millennium BC. e.
The procession of Dionysus, which was of an ecstatic nature, was attended by Bacchantes, satyrs, maenads or bassarids (one of the nicknames of Dionysus is Bassarei) with thyrsus (wands) entwined with ivy. Girdled with snakes, they crushed everything in their path, seized by sacred madness. With cries of "Bacchus, Evoe" they praised Dionysus - Bromius ("stormy", "noisy"), beat tympanums, reveling in the blood of torn wild animals, carving honey and milk from the earth with their thyrsus, uprooting trees and dragging crowds along with them. women and men.
When the god Dionysus unexpectedly appeared before his followers, a monstrous noise arose - turning into a dead silence, filled with the deepest sadness, when he just as suddenly disappeared. At the appearance of Dionysus, his maenads entered into a state of delight and ecstasy, began to dance madly and fell into an indomitable rage.
On Parnassus, every two years, orgies were held in honor of Dionysus, in which fiads - Bacchantes from Attica participated. In Athens, solemn processions were held in honor of Dionysus and the sacred marriage of the god with the wife of the archon basileus was played out.
In Rome, Dionysus was revered under the name of Bacchus (hence Bacchantes, Bacchanalia) or Bacchus. Later he was identified with Osiris, Serapis, Mithra, Adonis, Amon, Liber.
