Dionysus (nicknames: Bacchus, Bacchus), the story of his life, exploits and crimes. Dionysus Scandinavian god of winemaking

The cheerful and cheerful god Dionysus was especially popular with the ancient Greeks. Holidays dedicated to him were celebrated from late autumn to spring. Often they had the character of mysteries, and even more often they smoothly flowed into banal orgies.

Appearance of Dionysus

God Dionysus was born from the union of an immortal and an earthly woman. Once Zeus the Thunderer could not resist the beauty of the daughter of the Theban king, Semele. Being in a romantic mood, he promised his passion to fulfill any of her requests. he swore sacred waters the underground river Styx, which will fulfill the will of Semele, whatever it may be.

Heard about Semele Hera. The eyes of the immortal inhabitant of Olympus flashed with rage. She appeared to Semele and ordered:

Ask Zeus to appear before you in all the glory of the god of thunder, the ruler of Olympus. If he really loves you, he will not refuse this smallness.

Semele did not dare to oppose the order of Hera and turned to Zeus with this request. Zeus, sworn by the waters of the river Styx, had no choice. The father of the gods appeared before Semele in all the splendor of the ruler of the immortals and people, all in the splendor of his glory. And lightning flashed in his hands. The palace of the Theban king shuddered from the blows of thunder. Everything around flared up, ignited by the lightning of the ruler of Olympus. The flames rushed through the palace, absorbing everything in its path, the walls shook, stone slabs cracked.

With a cry, Semele fell to the ground, engulfed in flames. Her request, inspired by the wife of Zeus, ruined her. A dying Theban princess had a son, weak, incapable of life. He should have died in the flames of the fire, but the divine blood saved him. As if by magic, thick ivy stretched out from the ground towards him from all sides, sheltering the unfortunate boy from the fire, thereby saving his life.

The Thunderer picked up the saved son, but, seeing that he was so weak and small that he was clearly doomed to death, then, according to legend, he sewed him into his thigh. After spending some time in the body of his parent, Dionysus was born a second time, strengthened and strong.

Then Zeus the Thunderer commanded the fleet-footed Hermes to take the little son to Ino, the sister of the Theban princess Semele, and her husband, the ruler of Orchomenus, punishing him to raise the child.

Hera pursued Dionysus for a long time, considering him neither equal to the gods nor worthy of this honor. Her anger fell on Ino and her husband Atamant for taking under her roof the child of an earthly woman hated by her. For Atamant, Hera chose madness as a punishment.

In a fit of madness, the ruler of Orchomenus kills his own son Learchus. Ino, with her second child, miraculously manages to escape. The husband, who had lost his mind, pursued her and almost overtook her - at a steep, rocky seashore.

Ino had no salvation - the insane husband overtakes behind, in front - the deep sea. The woman chose the element, throwing herself with her son into the sea water with a desperate jerk. However, she did not die. The beautiful Nereids took her and her son into the sea. The tutor of Dionysus and Melikert, her son, were converted into deities of the sea and have remained there ever since.

Hermes, who rushed to the rescue, saved Dionysus from the distraught Atamant. Faster than the wind, he rushed him to the Nisei Valley, entrusting the care of the nymphs.

The god of wine and fun grew up beautiful and powerful. He walks, sharing strength and joy with people. And the nymphs who raised Dionysus were placed in the starry sky as a reward. They appeared on one beautiful dark night among other constellations in the form of Hyades.

Greedy king

One of the most famous stories about Dionysus - the legend of Midas. The noisy Dionysus wandered with his numerous retinue into the wooded rocks of Phrygia. Only Silenus, his wise teacher, was absent. Quite intoxicated, he wandered, stumbling through the Phrygian meadows. The peasants noticed him, easily tied him up and took him to the ruler Midas. The king recognized the teacher of the god of wine and received him with all honor, arranging sumptuous feasts for nine days. On the tenth day, the king personally accompanied Silenus to Dionysus. The god of wine and fun was delighted and graciously offered Midas to choose any gift for the honor rendered to the teacher as a reward.

The king asked that everything he did not touch turn into gold. Dionysus squinted, lamented that he did not invent Midas for himself the best award and did as he asked.

Happy, the greedy Midas departed. He goes, plucking the leaves from the trees, and they turn into gold, touches the ears of corn in the fields, even the grains in them become golden. He touches an apple - and it shines like a fruit from the garden of the Hesperides.

Even the drops of water running down his arms turned golden. He came to his palace, overflowing with joyful excitement. They served him a sumptuous dinner. And then the greedy king Midas realized what a terrible gift he had asked the god of wine. Everything turned to gold at his touch - which means Midas was waiting hungry. He prayed to Dionysus, begging him to take back such a gift.

Dionysus did not refuse him, allegedly as a warning, appeared before him and taught him how to get rid of the "golden" touch. The king went at the behest of God to the sources of the river Paktol. clear waters delivered him from the gift by taking it into himself.

Cult of Dionysus

Eternally young Dionysus, (Bacchus or Bacchus) in Greek mythology of the fruitful forces of the earth, viticulture and winemaking. For the fact that he loved to turn into a mighty bull, he became known as "the god with bull horns."

The god of wine and fun, in a wreath of grapes and with a thyrsus adorned with ivy, travels the world in the company of maenads, satyrs and seleniums, revealing to people the secret of winemaking. Delighted and grateful, the Greeks staged lavish "Dionysia" or bacchanalia in his honor.

Over time, the theater came from Dionysius, and from laudatory hymns in honor of the god of wine - dithyrambs, performed by singers dressed in goat skins, the word "tragedy" appeared from τράγος - "goat" and ᾠδή, ōdè - "song". The philosopher of antiquity, Aristotle, pointed out that initially the tragedy was playful, performed by a choir of satyrs, goat-footed companions of Dionysus, and acquired its gloomy shade later.

The god of wine and fun, Dionysus, was praised as bringing liberation from care and weakening the fetters of a measured life and life, therefore the procession of this god Ancient Greece was ecstatic. Maenads and Bacchantes danced indefatigably, the satyrs raged wildly and laughed. The noisy retinue of Dionysus, girded with snakes, destroyed everything in its path, reveling in the blood of torn wild animals and dragging crowds of mortals behind them.

Some researchers are trying to prove that the cult of the god of wine was of eastern origin, and in ancient Greece became popular much later than the cults of other deities, and could establish itself with some difficulty.

The name of Dionysus comes across already on the tablets of the Cretan linear script dating from about the 14th century BC, but the heyday of his cult falls only on the 7th-8th centuries of our era. By this time, the god of wine and fun began to displace other gods from the pedestals of popularity.

The god of wine and fun also did not immediately get into the number of twelve Olympians. However, then he began to be revered on a par with Apollo at Delphi. In Attica, dionysia began to be held with poetic competitions. During the Hellenistic period, the cult of the god Dionysus absorbed (or was absorbed) the cult of the Phrygian god Sabazios, receiving a new permanent name for himself - Sabazios.

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God of wine and fun Dionysus

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The cheerful and cheerful god Dionysus was especially popular with the ancient Greeks. Holidays dedicated to him were celebrated from late autumn to spring. Often they had the character of mysteries, and even more often they smoothly flowed into banal orgies. The Emergence of Dionysus God Dionysus was born from the union of an immortal and an earthly woman. Once Zeus the Thunderer could not resist the beauty of his daughter...

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 dear to his heart vine. 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 the 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.

Poisoned is the day without pure wine,

The soul is sick with universal longing.

Sorrow is a poison, wine is an antidote,

If I drink, I'm not afraid of poison,

Omar Khayyam.

For thousands of years, the divine origin was not in doubt among the peoples who knew it. unique properties. It was the gods in most ancient cultures who presented wine to man as a cure for longing. The sages of antiquity considered wine a means of knowing the secrets of being.

Wine and gods.

History is silent about which people can be considered the inventor of winemaking. In all parts of the world, people have learned to make intoxicating drinks, and each civilization had its own god of wine, which occupies not the last place in the divine pantheon.

Wine, theater, fun.

Dionysus (Bacchus) is the most famous patron of viticulture and winemaking, the god of fun and. The ancient Greeks revered him along with Apollo, the god of sunlight and the patron of the arts. Dionysus personified life and death in their inseparable fusion and identification. Festivities were organized in his honor: solemn processions, competitions of tragic and comic poets, funny Games. It is to the "Dionysias" that we owe the emergence of theater, the genres of tragedy and comedy.

Wine, love, family.

The deities of the ancient Slavs were Khmel and his wife Suritsa, the goddess of joy and light. "Honey drink" - an intoxicating drink - in her honor was called "surya". This sunny drink was considered an indispensable attribute of love and family wealth, which was reflected in Slavic mythology. Surya was prepared by Kvasura, the god of winemaking, and Lada, the patroness of the hearth, taught him this art.

Poetry honey.

In Scandinavian legends, cruel wars of celestials were waged for the right to possess a wonderful drink, the honey of poetry, which gives wisdom and inspiration.

Wine in the country of drugs.

Among the peoples of the American continent, various deities also answered for the preparation of alcoholic beverages, the forerunners of modern tequila. Patecatl, the deity of the Aztecs, was, in addition, the god of herbs and roots, from which a kind of wine was prepared. People believed that he came from "the country of medicines." Patecatl's wife was Mayahuel, the goddess of the agave, from which tequila is made.

Wine and Power.

The ancient Sumerians revered Enlil, the god of winemaking, as the god of gods, the lord of the universe. Power and wine in Mesopotamia were inextricably linked. According to legend, the Sumerian queen Ku-Baba came from a family of innkeepers.

Ruler of the wine spring.

“If you want to forget about your own poverty, sell everything, buy it with the proceeds and drink it. If you want to get rich, then take out a loan and open a liquor store,” you will find such advice in Chinese mythology. The patron of wine merchants, Sima Xiang-zhu, helps all those who dream of wealth. "The ruler of the wine spring" Du Kang was the first to learn how to make wine, and since then he has been considered an assistant to Chinese winemakers.

Interesting about wine.

Why was wine diluted in Ancient Greece?

We know a lot about the culture of Ancient Greece, however, Greek wines are real mystery for scientists. The alcohol content in the wines of that period, according to scientists, should not have exceeded 14%, since, when this concentration is reached, further formation of alcohol stops.

As you know, the Greeks diluted their wine many times in order to enjoy the drink. According to scientists, the wines in ancient Greece were most likely called various plants that were more intoxicating than modern wines. It is likely that the Greek tinctures also included narcotic substances.

The most expensive vinegar.

The longer the exposure time, the more expensive it is. However, buyers often take the risk of buying ordinary vinegar for several thousand dollars instead of a noble drink.

When air gets into the bottle due to cork defects, the bacteria in the wine use the oxygen to convert the alcohol into acid. Until recently, it was impossible to determine the quality of a drink without opening the bottle.

Scientists at the University of California proposed to determine the composition of the product, without removing the cork, using nuclear magnetic resonance.

Wine and our smaller brothers.

What needs to be done to successfully promote a wine brand on the market? It turns out to put an image of some animal on the label.

However, experts say that wines with images of our smaller brothers are preferred by people who do not take the quality of wine seriously, but just want to enjoy not only the drink itself, but also the picture on the label.

A word of warning to wine lovers.

“If you want, drink, but don’t lose your mind when you’re drunk,

Feelings of proportion are drunk, old man, do not lose.

Beware of insulting the noble drunk,

Do not lose the friendship of the wise over a cup of wine.

Omar Khayyam.

Every nation that has learned to make wine, considered the divine origin of the noble drink. However, in ancient cultures there were legends and prohibitions that formed the traditions of the correct use of alcoholic beverages.

So, the Aztecs allowed to drink pulque only four times a year.

The beautiful young man Dionysus and the eternally drunk, rude Bacchus symbolize the two sides of the influence of alcohol on the state and behavior of a person.

An ancient Roman legend says: “People who have tasted wine will feel light, like an eagle soaring in the sky. He who does not stop at the drink will find the courage of a lion in himself. Well, the one to whom this seems not enough will turn into a stupid donkey as a result.

The line between enjoying a divine drink and drinking alcohol is very thin. Therefore, it is always necessary to remember the sense of proportion!

Isabella Likhareva

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 discovered in Populonia a large number of Etruscan antiquities - 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 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 the history of the 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 through Thrace to Western Europe. 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 fertility gods, 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 Turkey) and Italy.

The god of fertility, Selva, was thanked for good luck, for healing from diseases, for good dreams for emancipation from slavery. The custom of asking for the healing of Selva passed from the Etruscans to the Romans. Selva was portrayed in peasant clothes; as attributes he had - a sickle and a tree, as a sign of his patronage agriculture and living nature.

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.

The ancient Greeks worshiped many gods, their religion as a reflection of character: sensual, unbridled, like nature itself with its elements. Dionysus is one of the favorite gods of the Hellenes, direct evidence that pleasure in their lives occupied an exceptional and paramount place.

Who is Dionysus?

Dionysus, the god of winemaking, burst into the measured life of the Greeks with his characteristic fun, fury and madness. The junior Olympian is of Thracian origin. Also known by other names:

• Bacchus;
• Bacchus;
• Elder Dionysus;
• Zagreus;
• Liber;
• Dithyramb;
• Orthos;
• Chorey.

Dionysus had the following functions and powers:

• was responsible for the revival of vegetation in the spring;
• patronized farmers;
• taught people the craft of growing grapes and winemaking;
• sent madness on those who did not want to join him;
• is considered the "father" of the theatrical genre of tragedy.

The parents of the god of wine and the vine are Zeus and Semele. The myth of the birth of Dionysus is shrouded in passions. The jealous wife of the Thunderer Hera, having learned that Semele was pregnant, disguised herself as her nurse, persuaded Zeus to beg him to appear in a divine guise. Semele, when meeting with the god, asked if he was ready to fulfill one of her desires, and he swore to fulfill her every whim. Upon hearing the request, Zeus tore out the still unripe fetus from the womb of his beloved and sewed it up in his thigh, and when the time came, Zeus gave birth to a son, Dionysus.

The cult of Dionysus in ancient Greece was called the Dionysius. The grape harvest festivals were called small Dionysias, accompanied by vivid performances with dressing up, singing, drinking wine. The main Dionysias were held in March - in honor of the reborn god. The early versions of the bacchanal festivities were held under the cover of darkness and consisted of wild dances of maenads in a trance state, ritual copulations. The Death of Dionysus, the god in the form of a bull, was played out, and the sacrificial animal was torn to pieces, and warm meat was eaten.

Attribute of Dionysus

In ancient works of art, Dionysus was depicted as a young beardless youth with feminine features. The most important attribute of the god is the staff of Dionysus or thyrsus made of fennel stalk crowned with a pine cone - a phallic symbol of the creative principle. Other attributes and symbols of Bacchus:

1. Vine. Entwined around a wand - a sign of fertility and the craft of winemaking;
2. Ivy - according to beliefs against severe intoxication.
3. The cup - drinking it, the soul forgot about its divine origin, and in order to be cured it was necessary to drink another - the cup of the mind, then the memory of divinity and the desire to return to heaven return.

The companions of Dionysus are no less symbolic:

• Melpomene is the muse of tragedy;
• Maenads - faithful followers or priestesses of the cult of Dionysus;
• panther, tiger and lynx - animals of the cat family denote his ascent and triumph and remind that the cult came from the East;
• the bull is a symbol of fertility and agriculture. Dionysus was often depicted as a bull.

Dionysus - mythology

The Greeks revered nature in all its manifestations. Fertility is an important part of the life of rural residents. A rich harvest is always good sign that the gods are benevolent and benevolent. The Greek god Dionysus in myths appears cheerful, but at the same time wayward and sending curses and death to those who do not recognize him. The myths about Bacchus are filled with a variety of feelings: joy, sadness, anger and madness.

Dionysus and Apollo

The conflict between Apollo and Dionysus is interpreted by different philosophers and historians in their own way. Apollo - the radiant and golden-haired god of sunlight patronized the arts, morality and religion. Encouraged people to observe the measure in everything. And the Greeks, before the advent of the cult of Dionysus, tried to follow the laws. But Dionysus “burst” into the souls and illuminated everything unsightly, those bottomless abysses that are in every person and measured Hellenes began to indulge in revelry, drunkenness and orgies, honoring the great Bacchus.

Two opposing forces "light" Apollonistic and "dark" Dionysian came together in a duel. Reason collided with feelings, as historians describe the struggle between two cults. Light, measure, cheerfulness and science against the cult of the earth, which contains the darkness of mysteries with the immeasurable use of wine, sacrifices, frantic dances and orgies. But just as there is no light without darkness, something new and unusual was born in this conflict - a new genre of art appeared - Greek tragedies about the temptations and the abyss of the human soul.

Dionysus and Persephone

Dionysus, the god of Ancient Greece, and Persephone, the goddess of fertility, the wife of Hades, and with him the ruler of the underworld in ancient Greek mythology, are interconnected in several legends:

1. One of the myths about the birth of Dionysus mentions Persephone as the mother of his mother. Zeus was inflamed with passion for his own daughter, turning into a snake, enters into a relationship with her, from which Dionysus is born. In another version, Dionysus descends into underworld and gives a myrtle tree to Persephone so that she would let his mother Semele go. Dionysus gives his mother the new name of Tion and ascends with her to heaven.
2. Persephone was walking along the meadow of the island of Perg in Sicily and was abducted by Hades (Hades), in some sources by Zagreus (one of the names of Dionysus) to the kingdom of the dead. The inconsolable mother of Demeter searched for a young daughter all over the world for a long time, the earth became barren and gray. Finally finding out where her daughter was, Demeter demanded that she be returned. Hades released his wife, but before that he gave her to eat seven pomegranate seeds that arose from the blood of Dionysus. Nothing can be eaten in the realm of the dead, but Persephone, overjoyed that she had to return, ate the grains. From now on, he spends spring, summer and autumn upstairs, and the winter months in the underworld.

Dionysus and Aphrodite

The myth of Dionysus and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite is famous for the fact that from their fleeting connection an ugly child was born. The son of Dionysus and Aphrodite was unusual and so ugly that the beautiful goddess refused the baby. The huge phallus of Priapus was constantly in a state of erection. Growing up, Priapus tried to seduce his father Dionysus. In ancient Greece, the son of the god of winemaking and Aphrodite was revered in some provinces as the god of fertility.

Dionysus and Ariadne

The wife and companion of Dionysus, Ariadne, was first abandoned by her beloved Theseus on about. Naxos. Ariadne wept for a long time, then fell asleep. All this time, Dionysus, who arrived on the island, watched her. Eros fired his arrow of love and Ariadne's heart was inflamed with new love. During the mystical marriage, Ariadne's head was crowned with a crown given to her by Aphrodite herself and the mountains of the island. At the end of the ceremony, Dionysus raised a crown to heaven in the form of a constellation. Zeus, as a gift to his son, endowed Ariadne with immortality, which elevated her to the rank of goddesses.

Dionysus and Artemis

In another myth about the love of Dionysus and Ariadne, the god Dionysus asks Artemis, the eternally young and chaste goddess of hunting, to kill Ariadne, who he liked, because she married Theseus in a sacred grove, only in this way Ariadne could become his wife, through the initiation of death. Artemis shoots an arrow at Ariadne, who then resurrects and becomes the wife of Dionysus, the god of fun and fertility.

Cult of Dionysus and Christianity

With the penetration of Christianity into Greece, the cult of Dionysus did not become obsolete for a long time, the people continued to revere the festivities dedicated to God, and the Greek church was forced to fight with its own methods, Saint George came to replace Dionysus. The old sanctuaries dedicated to Bacchus were destroyed, and Christian churches were built in their place. But even now, during the grape harvest, in the holidays you can see the praise of Bacchus.