Dionysus Essay, Research Paper

Dionysus

Dionysus was the most widely worshipped and popular god in ancient

Greece. It’s not difficult to see why; he was their god of wine, merriment,

ritual dance, warm moisture, and later, civilization. He was often depicted as

a handsome young man, dressed in fawnskin, and carrying a goblet and an ivy-

covered staff.

Some myths hold that Dionysus was the son of Zeus–the king of the god–

and Persephone–queen of the underworld–but most myths state that he is the son

of Zeus and a mortal woman named Semel. This woman Semele was not any mortal,

though. She was a princess, and a beautiful one at that. Zeus was notorious

for being rather prolific, and when his wife, the goddess Hera heard that he had

gone off and mated with a mortal, she became quite upset. Hera, in an attempt

to exact her revenge, appeared to Semele and told her to ask Zeus to appear to

her in his divine form. When Zeus obliged, Semele was immediately consumed in

flames, for no mortal can look upon a god in his natural state. However, Zeus

saved the unborn Dionysus by sewing him up in his thigh, thus incubating him.

What happened next is different in every story. Some myths say he lived

with a king and queen loyal to Zeus until Hera discovered him, and, in a jealous

rage, warped their brains. In this version of the story, Dionysus was turned

into a goat by his father in an attempt to hide him from Hera; from then on he

had small horns on his head.

After he was safe, he went to live with the nymphs, who taught him to

make wine. Hera eventually found him again, and this time she also warped his

brain. The nymphs rejected him, and he went to live with the satyrs, who were

men with goat legs and horns, and their leader Silenus. Dionysus traveled with

the satyrs, who disgusted everyone they encountered with their rude, drunken

behavior.

Silenus is usually portrayed as a fat drunken man who rides on an ass.

He was once captured by King Midas. When Dionysus intervened, Midas freed

Silenus in exchange for the power to turn all he touched into gold. Dionysus

and his band eventually encountered the maenads. The maenads were a group of

wild, warlike creatures. They were horribly vicious, and unfortunately, they

were also incredibly stupid. They started quite a few unsuccessful wars against

kingdoms in Africa.

When Zeus finally found Dionysus again, he returned his mind to normal.

However, Dionysus refused to give up his unruly traveling companions. The people

of Achaea loved Dionysus, but hated his satyr and maenad friends. One time,

when Dionysus was visiting a port city, he was captured by a group of pirates

who weren’t aware of his divine powers. He destroyed the pirates and sailed

their ship to the Island of Naxos. It was there that he met his bride and only

love Ariadne. Dionysus then made a journey into the depths of Hades to bring

back his mother Semele. He took her to Mt. Olympus, and changed her name to

Thyone. This fooled Hera, and Semele managed to remain safe. It was at this

time that Dionysus was thought to have fully returned to his godly state.

The Greeks worshipped Dionysus with two festivals known as Dionysia.

The lesser Dionysia was held in December, and the greater was held in March.

These Dionysia were usually marked by drunken orgies. The highlight of the

festivities was the sparagmos. During this part of the ceremony, a live goat

would be disemboweled, and the partygoers would feast upon its raw flesh.