Dionysus

The image to the left is of Nicolas Poussin’s ‘Bacchus, Dionysus’. I have chosen to discuss Dionysus for several reasons. The first reason is that one of his attributes is ’dimorphos Dionysus’, which means ‘dual formed’ and subsequently links in nicely with the idea of the gods being constantly split into separate entities due to their epithets and attributes. The second reason is that he could also be regarded as a ‘challenge’ to Zeus in the same way that we can view Gaia (of the previous posting). Dionysus is often viewed as the ‘Thirteenth Olympian’, subsequently upsetting the balance in the pantheon and is described as the ‘arriving god’ by Detienne. Athough there is no rivalry between the father and son deities, Dionysus challenges his father by being the god who is ‘closest’ to mortals. Dionysus interacts with and appears to mortals arguably most often of all of the deities, making him a very popular god to worship (this image of Dionysus as the peoples god carries on right into 1960’s America, as his image was often evoked as a symbol of liberty in college campuses). Dionysus possessed a great communality to him - as the god of wine and revelry, he was often revered at special occasions when wine was drunk. Another communal affair involving Dionysus was the Great Dionysian Festival (more information can be found out about this festival at http://www.religionfacts.com/greco-roman/festivals/dionysia.htm), which was a hugely important event in the Ancient Greek social calendar. This great love of Dionysus from the Greek people again reiterates the polytheistic element of Ancient Greek religion. Every time that it can be argued that Zeus is the true ‘main’ god of Ancient Greek religion, polytheism is pushed back into the forefront by the likes of Dionysus and Gaia. One topic of discussion in the Ancient Greek religion module was ‘is Ancient Greek religion a series of monotheisms?’. By undertaking the process of writing this blog I have been able to come to the conclusion that no, it is not - it is a truly polytheistic religion. The gods interrelate throughout myth and although there is an apparent hierarchy, this hierarchy is constantly challenged.

To further support the idea of Dionysus being a popular god (arguably even more popular than his father, Zeus), it is a lot easier to find information about him. There is a wealth of scholarship and information on Dionysus, I have selected a view which may be of interest:

http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Dionysos.html is a very good overview on Dionysus, covering his epithets, myths, cults and genealogy.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Dionysus.htm is a more basic overview for lighter reading.

http://www.men-myths-minds.com/Dionysus-greek-god.html