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Dionysus

Son of Zeus and Semele and god of wine, vegetation, fertility and often
celebrated at theaters. Dionysus was also connected with the seasons and
the death- and resurrection beliefs of ancient times. He surrounded
himself with maenads (orgiastic women) and satyrs, and held constant
festivities in the forests. Anyone who angered him was struck with
madness. In art, Dionysus was shown wearing a wreath of vine leaves, and
holding the thyrsos rod in his hand. His worshippers tried to reach a
point of extasis (to stand out of ones body) and wine was an important
factor in his rituals and the achievement of exctasy. He was often
depicted on the Greeks sarcophaguses. This is because he was connected
to the belief in immortality. In mythology, his birth is quite
remarkable. Since Semele died before she could give birth to Dionysus
Zeus took the embryo out of its dying mothers womb, and put it in his
thigh. After Dionysus was born out of Zeus leg Hermes took the baby to
nymphs on the mountain Nysa, they raised him. This scene can be seen in
the famous statue of Hermes and the baby Dionysus in Olympia.

Dionysus was also the god of drama, especially tragedy, since this
theatre was said to have been invented by the satyrs. They would sing
and play roles, and the very word tragedy means "goat song". Dionysus'
drunken party that followed him around was called Komos, and from that
we have the word comedy, which means "song by drunken party". The Great
Dionysia were annual festivals in Athens where dramatists competed with
their plays. The god was also connected to the orphicism, again a
mystery cult having to do with immortality and resurrection.

Dionysus was called Liber by the Romans, but the Greek name for him was
Bacchus. Dionysus also had many nicknames like:

Acratophorus, Acroreites, Aesymnetes, Agrionius, Amphietes, Antheus,
Aroeus, Bassareus, Brisaeus, Calydonius, Cissus, Colonatas, Cresius,
Eleuthereus, Hygiatis, Iatros, Lampter, Laphystius, Larymna, Limnaea,
Lysius, Meilichius, Melanaegis, Melpomenus, Mesaetus, Methymnaeus,
Mystos, Nyctelius, Nysaeus, Omaclius, Orthos, Psilas, and Saotes.

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Demeter <Demeter.html> 	Aphrodite <Aphrodite.html> 	Apollo
<Apollo.html> 	Ares <Ares.html> 	Dionysus <Dionysus.html> 	Gaea
<Gaea.html> 	Hades <hades.html> 	Haphaestus <Hephaestus.html> 	Hermes
<Hermes.html> 	Pan <Pan.html> 	Titans <titans.html>