Dionysus the God of Wine, Festivity, and Theatre

Video

by Kelly Macquire
published on 06 December 2022

Dionysus, who was also known as Bacchus to both the Greeks and the Romans, was the ancient Greek god of wine, theatre, madness and wild frenzy, merriment, and vegetation. Like most other Greek deities, Dionysus had many dalliances with gods, demi-gods and mortals alike including the goddess Aphrodite and the titan goddess of the breeze, Aura, the nymph Nikaia, and the princess Pallene just to name a few. Dionysus’ best-known partner, though, is Ariadne, the mortal princess of Crete and daughter of King Minos. After being abandoned on Naxos by the Greek hero Theseus, she was discovered by Dionysus.

A common story Dionysus is involved in, and one that is found frequently on Greek pottery, is his role in coaxing the god Hephaestus back to Olympus, probably with the use of wine, after he had trapped his mother Hera in a golden chair. A common image on pottery is Dionysus leading the god of blacksmiths on the back of a donkey.

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— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
1:02 Who is the God Dionysus?
5:39 Dionysus in Greek Myth
9:47 Worship and Cult of Dionysus
12:32 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Dionysus https://www.worldhistory.org/Dionysos/
Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus https://www.worldhistory.org/article/814/theatre-of-dionysos-eleuthereus/
Ancient Greek Theatre https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Theatre/
Ariadne https://www.worldhistory.org/Ariadne/
Satyr https://www.worldhistory.org/satyr/
Zagreus https://www.worldhistory.org/Zagreus/
Bacchae https://www.worldhistory.org/Bacchae/

— WATCH NEXT —
Zeus, God of the Sky and King of the Olympian Gods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Zoe2vCoXk
Hephaestus the Greek God of Fire and Metallurgy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tghA2GqO5is
The Tragic Tale of Orpheus and Eurydice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Na5QH8BOo
The Greek Goddess Hera, Queen of the Olympian Gods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMTJ14MiGxs

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— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://worldhistory.typehut.com/dionysus-the-god-of-wine-festivity-and-theatre-images-and-attributions-12180

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

World History Encyclopedia
www.worldhistory.org

#dionysus #greekmythology #godofwine

About the Author

Kelly Macquire

Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

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